The best man is a very important feature at any wedding event. His speech and jokes can set the tone for the night, and this is why best-man speech jokes are so important. If you need some inspiration for the right words to get your audience laughing, below are our expert tips and tricks of the trade.
Giving a good best-man speech and cracking funny best-man speech jokes is exciting. Find helpful tips, outlines, and ideas for a good best-man wedding speech.
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Great Best Man Jokes Ideas
Cormac Lally has been writing speeches professionally since 2013. His clients include professional sportsmen, TV and radio personalities, politicians and plumbers. He shares his expert thoughts about best-man jokes:
“There is nothing as cringe as the recycled best-man jokes. They are often excessively vulgar and have no place at a top table, where your family and friends have gathered to celebrate a wedding. Worse still, in today’s social media age, your embarrassing and low-brow effort may not only be confined to the hotel ballroom and the assembled guests but could land you on the front page of news outlets worldwide, as an eternal reminder of your oafishness and thoughtlessness. This is personified in reality by Justin Johansen’s best man’s speech disaster at Pippa Middleton’s Royal wedding to James Matthews. He may as well have sung a rugby song like Frigging in the Rigging.
If you want to impress your guests, be honest, and have integrity, there are many childhood and adolescent stories about the groom, that have universal appeal to all ages at a wedding. You can give the groom a good roasting, but you must also be complementary, remember you are his right-hand man, his ambassador, you are there to represent him and all that he stands for.”
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Powerful one-liners and jokes
One-liners are effective best-man jokes for speech, only if you use them well. Unless you are a comedian, do not try being overly funny because it may backfire. Comedy is natural.
A list of some ideas:
- Tell the audience a funny story about the newlyweds.
- Share with the audience a funny and embarrassing story about the groom.
- If you’re married, share amusing stories of the struggles in marriage.
- Let the audience know a funny habit that the groom cannot do away with.
- If he’s untidy:
Back in college when stayed together, I felt like I had a toddler around. I’d keep his socks together and he’d always misplace them after using. I had to label a spot for socks in our closet, so he’d know where to drop them.
- If he’s a punctual man:
Derek was such a punctual guy in college. So punctual that, while we were waking up, he was already out the door. He eventually kept our seats. Now, his colleagues say they can’t keep up with him. He’s always the first at work.
- When he’s a deep sleeper:
He is naturally a deep sleeper. He sleeps so deep that when we had a sleepover at some friends, we carried him all the way to the pool and he was still sleeping.
- For the quiet ones:
Mike is so quiet that sometimes, we check to be sure that he’s alive and has not gone mute.
- For a highly intelligent friend:
A-ha! My days in college was awesome because of Victor. He is the smart one and I’m the lazy one. Victor is so intelligent that, I don’t prepare for exams. I wait to rehearse with Victor and go write the same in the exams. Guess what? I passed!
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Great Best Man Speech Examples
Being a best man is not merely about organizing the stag and delivering a speech; rather, it entails a role that deems you worthy of trust, responsibility, and, above all, honor. Cormac Lally, a seasoned speechwriter since 2013, stresses the gravity of this responsibility, cautioning that the words spoken cannot be retracted. He advises prospective best men to give thoughtful consideration to their words, seeking help if unsure of content or in need of guidance.
If you need a template, find some best-man speech examples below.
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Funny best-man speech
“Distinguished guests, can I get your attention for a few minutes?
I want to make a toast to Brad and Penelope. Wow! This is really happening. It’s like a dream. When Brad told me to be the best man for his wedding, I was honestly baffled. I felt it was a setup. I mean, Brad knows he owes me one, for every time I took the heat for him. He knows I can’t wait to take my pound of flesh. So why ask me to be the best man?You know, I and Brian have been best friends for 20 years. My name is Henry by the way. I can remember him being big and a bully. He beats me up but would beat up anyone who dares to touch me. He took my bicycle, my toys, and ruined my treehouse. His atrocities are too numerous, and now he’s getting married to an innocent queen.
While in college, he always took my shine. With the girls, with the sports, and with the books. He is that good. We have so many memories together but Brian is one thing- loyal. He pushed me and fought for me when necessary. He’s why I never gave up, and I’m here today. He goes all out for the ones he loves.
That’s why when Brian introduced me to Pen, I definitely knew she was special. It takes a lot to get Brian. But once you do, he sticks. I also knew she was in deep trouble. Brian is a pest, he will even offer to put you to bed. But who wouldn’t fall for such a woman? She’s so beautiful and her laughter is contagious. You two are a perfect fit.
They say marriage can’t survive without laughter and I don’t believe there will be a shortage of that with these two. The clown has met his match.
If anyone tells you that you’re a clown, smile and say; who’s got the last laugh now? Let’s raise our glass to Brian and Penelope! Here’s to a lifetime of love and laughter!”
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Heartfelt best man speech example
“The most genuine importance of marriage is the enchantment of being truly loved by one individual. You two have met up to share your lives and understand your fantasies.
Today you are a couple. This is the very first moment of an incredible experience and I’m honored to witness it. Take advantage of all the chances to help each other.
I toast to you and I wish you a long marriage. One filled with affection and joy.”
Short best-man speech excerpt
“What an extraordinary day to get hitched! Marriage conveys new duties. Prisca, do not contend with Frank. He is the Lord of your home.
You should dress and look in a way that satisfies frank. Always prepare his dinner and allow him to spend time with friends sometimes.
Do these little things and your marriage will be a haven of satisfaction. Prisca, bill adores you, and I see how he looks at you. Stay in love, you two.
Congrats to the both of you!”
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Wedding speech for a brother
“Hello everyone, I am Brad; best man and sibling to the man getting married.
Standing as Sam’s best man is a testament to him that I’m the best.
Penelope, I want to thank you especially, for saving my brother. Up until he met you, he worked like a bull. I lost count of how many holidays he cut short, because of work. Now, he doesn’t mind spending some time in bed with you.
My brother is deeply in love with you, and it’s a delight to see. I am happy that something as beautiful as you can take his attention. You two are so good together.
You are just made for each other and laughter will not cease with you. I will witness your 25th and 50th wedding anniversary.
Congratulations to you two.
A toast to Sam and Pen!”
Helpful Tips on How to Easily Prepare a Best Man Speech
- Prepare early; it soothes the nerves
As the best man, you will be at your busiest from the month leading down to the wedding day. At that point, a lot of things will be on your mind, with more work to do. From rentals to tux fittings, to getting the groom ready.
This is the worst time to plan your speech because you won’t be at your best. Your speech for the wedding should be well prepared 3 to 2 months before the wedding. Early preparation saves you a lot of mishaps. - Practice makes perfect
To make a good delivery of your best man speech, practice often. Practice until you don’t have to use paper and until your stage fright is gone. Practice until you don’t see the audience. Do it in front of your mirror as many times as you can. If you have some best-man speech jokes, include them, so that your audience can vet them.
Make a video of you delivering your speech. Be watchful for speech viruses and your mannerisms. Do this till you lock down that speech. - Pen it down
Regardless of how great your memory may be, we advise you to put your best man speech on paper. Not only does it help for easy rehearsal but it also serves as a backup for your memory. Stress or anxiety can make you forget everything you are prepared for. Putting your speech down in bullet points on paper can save you an embarrassment. It happens to the best of us. - Add your signature touch
The wedding is about the couple and you are at the wedding for the groom. It will be gracious and more interesting if you add some personal touch to your best man speech jokes. Get creative with tweaking the jokes. Tailor it to suit him, instead of telling a general joke. This will give more life to your wedding speech. - Breathe life into the speech
Giving your best man speech in a monotone like you were perhaps forced to the wedding, is a no-no. Add some life, be excited and show it. The guests won’t be quite excited about your speech if you do not show excitement while giving the speech.
Avoid boring everyone and put yourself into it. If the hype seems to die down, take the attention back to the couple or say some best-man jokes for speech. Compliment them. - Be Unpredictable
Guests will not enjoy a one-way traffic type of speech for too long. Crack up your guests with your versatility. Hold their attention by making them guess what dimension you will go to or what you will say next. Add best-man speech jokes for humor, a little romance here, and some suspense there. Like an interesting stage play, they will hang on interested till the end. - Keep the jokes clean
Make all your best man speech jokes about the groom. Do not engage her in the jokes at any cost. She may not take it well and could feel embarrassed. No matter how close you are to the couple, you’re the groom’s right-hand man for the wedding. Focus on him. Keep the jokes nice and simple but most importantly make everybody happy. - Always make sure you know your audience
This is very crucial, especially if you will be giving some best-man speech jokes. Understand your audience, to know how to phrase your speech. Are they liberal or conservative? Check if they are mainly made up of youngsters or older folks.
This will affect the way your best man’s speech will flow through. You can’t have a situation where the older folks getting uncomfortable because of things you said. - Know your rightful obligations
As the best man, you’re in charge of taking the good wishes of everyone absent from the wedding. You will also acknowledge everyone on behalf of the couple. It is of major importance that everyone who deserves a shout-out is well acknowledged.
From the groom to the guests, and bridesmaids down to the bartender and DJ. Do not forget, as it will rule out the opportunity of anyone feeling slighted. - Exit with an ovation
Have a clear-cut line for the end of your best man speech. This is because your speech will come towards the end of the wedding. A time when everyone is warming up for the after-party. End with some humor and a toast to the new couple. That clearly defines that your speech is over and the wedding is almost over.
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How to Write – Best Man Speech Outline
Our best man speech outline is a complete guide to creating an awe-inspiring best man wedding speech. This outline is a timely saver for those who dread creating a speech from the start. Make use of the template below. You can tweak it to suit the type of speech you want to give or the wedding style you’re gracing. Take out the ones you don’t need.
- Let the audience know your name and relationship with the groom.
- Open with a killer one-liner.
- Thank the previous speakers.
- Congratulations the new couple.
- Shower your friend’s spouse with compliments and let the audience know she is an angel.
- Poke some funny best-man speech jokes at the groom.
- Readout messages and well wishes from the absent guests, if any.
- Close with a romantic, a poetic, a few famous lines, or a poem.
- Propose a toast
Good Jokes For Best Man: Etiquette Tips
While there are no specific rules for good best-man speech jokes, there are some unspoken practices to abide by. For instance, good jokes should never go overboard; there is an invisible line you should not cross for a joke to be acceptable. There is also a limit to the people that you can make fun of. For instance.
- You can make fun of the groom. This is your buddy or even your brother, so your best man speech-opening jokes can be about him.
- Poking fun at the bride on the other hand is sometimes not a good idea, and could come with limitations if you choose to go that way.
- Jokes about the bride would depend on the type of relationship that you have, and how well you know them. And still, the jokes should not go too far.
- It is safest to keep the jokes to people in the wedding party that you are closest to. This helps ensure that you won’t be stepping on any toes.
- When unsure, you can always choose to joke about yourself. No one would be offended by some self-deprecating humor. It is sometimes the best way to get the humor across. This way you can be sure you are not crossing any lines, and you would have less nerves since you’d be talking about someone you know extremely well, yourself.
Some more tips for the best man’s speech and best man’s speech jokes.
- When giving your introductory line, be sure to thank the other speakers who have gone before you.
- Congratulate the couple on their union.
- Don’t forget to say a few nice things about the bride, especially if you choose to give her a good ribbing afterward.
- Compliment the bridal party, especially the bridesmaids.
- Attend to any other business, such as reading out messages from the groom, bride, vendor, or guests who couldn’t make it.
- End your speech with a toast to the couple.
Humor is always good, but sometimes it’s not easy to it right, especially with best-man speech jokes. You’ll want to give refined anecdotes here and there that sit in the fine balance between cheeky, funny, and perhaps even sentimental. Use this guide and helpful tips to find that balance and be on your way to giving the best wedding speech jokes ever.
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People Often Ask
What is the best man supposed to say?
After giving a superb and hopefully funny introduction, the best man is supposed to thank the other speakers, congratulate the couple, and say a few nice words about them. He could also add a sentimental quote or poem before toasting the newlyweds.
Who should the best man thank in his speech?
The best man would naturally thank the groom during his speech. He could also thank the other speakers at the beginning of his speech and toast the couple at the end.
Reading the best man’s speech at a wedding can cause some men to become nervous wrecks. This is coupled with the pressure of wedding preparations. This post saves the best men the stress of preparing a speech from scratch and flunking it. We have put down tips, outlines, and best-man speech ideas. Ideas that show you how to come up with great best-man speech jokes. We close with different types of best-man speech examples and wish you good luck!
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