As many know, the responsibilities of the Best Man differ from friend group to friend group. But one thing that pretty much remains constant is the task of giving a toast at the reception. Now everyone is different, but often the responsibility of giving a toast to a room of people you may or may not know can seem like a daunting task.
Our Co-Founder, John Haji, was recently put up to the task when he was asked to be the Best Man at his brother’s wedding. John put a lot of thought into his Best Man speech, and came out with a few helpful tips and tricks for putting together the best speech in the history of Best Man speeches.
“SOME PEOPLE START OFF INTRODUCING THEMSELVES LIKE, ‘HI MY NAME IS JOHN…’ NO, NO ONE CARES.”
When you’re already into the reception and everyone is dancing, drinking, having a good time, it can be hard to get people to quiet down and listen to the speech you’ve been agonizing over for weeks. It’s always important to start off with a little bit of a dagger, to totally humiliate the groom and simultaneously grab everyone’s attention.
“THAT FIRST LINE HAS TO BE A BIT OF A STAB TO GET PEOPLE TO CHUCKLE, AND TO MAKE THEM WANT TO LISTEN TO THE REST OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.”
That’s when you introduce yourself. Once everyone is listening, it’s the perfect time to sneak in a quick introduction to let the guests know who you are and your relation to the groom.
“NEXT GO BACK AND SHARE A STORY OR COMMONALITY. I’VE ALWAYS TAKEN THE APPROACH OF BEING FUNNY AND WITTY THROUGHOUT ALL MY BEST MAN SPEECHES.”
A short anecdote or memory you can share about the groom is a great way to keep people engaged and emphasize how well you know this guy. This story should be something that shows how long you’ve been friends and what a great guy the groom is.
“A GOOD SPEECH ALWAYS COMES TO THE POINT WHERE THERE IS A SERIOUS MOMENT.”
That’s right, a good Best Man speech is not all fun and games. This is the appropriate time to touch on the relationship you’ve seen build between the bride and groom and how perfect they are for each other. It’s also a great time to address the bride. It should be funny but also sentimental. This part of the speech should come about a paragraph before you’re ready to lift your glass for the final toast.
“I ALWAYS END THE SPEECH WITH A FUNNY MARRIAGE QUOTE.”
You can definitely sample material from the internet or a great movie for this piece of the toast. Something that has a little bit of wisdom, but also that comedic punch.
“YOU KNOW THAT SAYING, KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE, SHORT AND SWEET… I’M NOT A BIG FAN OF THAT.”
While your toast definitely shouldn’t exceed about 4-5 minutes, it’s important to pack in some quality content that is meaningful, funny, and a testament to the friendship you’ve built throughout the years.
STILL NERVOUS ABOUT THE BIG DAY?
We’ve put together our top tips for nailing your delivery:
“BE A LITTLE LOOSE, MAKE SURE YOU’RE A FEW DRINKS DEEP”
Contrary to popular belief, having a few drinks before the big presentation could be the key to a flawless Best Man speech.
“MEMORIZE AT LEAST HALF OF IT SO YOU’RE NOT LOOKING DOWN THE WHOLE TIME”
Even if you wrote the best speech in the history of the world, it’s not going to be engaging without eye contact and a confident stance.
“PRETEND LIKE YOU’RE ACTUALLY ONLY TALKING TO THE GROOM, SO YOU’RE NOT WORRIED ABOUT ADDRESSING THE WHOLE AUDIENCE”
If you were asked to be the Best Man, chances are you’re pretty comfortable chatting with the groom. A great trick for calming your nerves is focusing on the groom, and pretending the rest of the audience doesn’t exist. This way you won’t be as nervous.
KNOW SOMEONE ABOUT TO TIE THE KNOT?
Help them choose the perfect groomsmen gift (for you) with our custom groomsmen gift box shop.