A Fresh Look At The Best Man Speech Rules

The offer of a friend to be the best man at their wedding can be a double edge sword. On the one hand you’ll be right there to help him celebrate his special day, and get to help out with the wedding preparations. On the other, you’ll be expected to write a best man speech that will be remembered long after the wedding day. This puts quite a lot of pressure on most best men, so this article aims to set out some best man speech rules to help you prepare.

Best man speeches generally fall into two categories; those that are funny, and those that are sweet. Make sure you have an idea of which category your best man speech is going to fall into, and go for it with zeal.

If it’s a funny best man speech you’re going for, ask his family and friends for amusing stories to tell, as well as telling some of your own favorite embarrassing anecdotes. Don’t forget that his elderly relatives will be there, as well as his bride to be, so keep it relatively clean.

Sweet speeches are less common, but are a definite way to win brownie points with both sides of the relationship. By sweet speeches, we’re talking telling stories of how the couple met, or incidents from your friendship with the group when he helped you out, or did something courageous. These tend to be easier to write, and more of a surprise, as most wedding guests will expect you to embarrass the groom as much as possible.

Lastly, make sure you practice. A lot of the content of your speech, sweet, funny or otherwise, will be lost if you don’t take care over timing, pronunciation and speed. One of the most important rules that have an impact on best man speeches is to take your time, and let the audience guide you. If they laugh or cheer, give them to quiet down before you continue talking.

By following these simple guidelines as well as observing even simpler best man speech rules you should be able to write a best man speech that will bring the house down!