Introduction
Still working through your plan for how to write a Best Man speech? In this blog, I will continue to lay out how to structure your speech, what to say, how to say it, and the second half of what a great speech should entail.
Go back to revisit how to write the first half of your speech.
Structure of the speech (the second half)
4. A Few Words About the Bride
5. The Bride & Groom Together
6. Your Gift & Messages from Well Wishers
7. Final Words & Toast
4. A few words about the Bride
Your strategy here should be completely different to the words about Groom. Your words about the Bride should be warm and complimentary. However, feel free to include a few fun jokes:
- ‘During my research on the internet I looked into weddings in general, I looked at the three key elements of the wedding service itself:
- ‐ The Aisle ‐ it’s the longest walk you’ll ever take
- The Alter ‐ the place where two become one
- The Hymn ‐ the celebration of marriage
- I think Sarah must have done the same research as I did, because as she was walking past me, I’m sure I heard her whisper aisle… altar… hymn, aisle altar hymn. “I’ll alter him”.’
- ‘I remember their first date. I think Sarah knew from that night that she wanted to be here today, because she had met the perfect man. It was love at first sight. These two have had that magical type of romance that I thought you only see in a Richard Gere movie. Not Runaway Bride though, hopefully.’
- ‘It’s great to see that everyone is enjoying the wedding today, but I have to say that being best man you get to see behind the scenes – and let me tell you it isn’t pretty. Tears, hissy fits, throwing lipstick and mascara all over the place… luckily, I’ve heard that Sarah was better behaved than the Groom.’
- ‘It’s not often that the Best Man is also close friends with the Bride. Not that close Tom don’t worry. Sarah is one of the nicest and kindest people you will ever meet. She is also a bit of a control freak. Luckily Tom is really lazy so they are a perfect match.’
- ‘I can tell you that Sarah almost single handedly organized the whole day. Can we get a round of applause for her? I mean it was very stressful for her. There was problems with the cake, the initial priest, and the hair and makeup. I mean there was one point when I thought that the only white Sarah would be wearing today would be a straight jacket! But fortunately it’s this lovely dress she has on here today.’
5. The Bride and Groom together
Say some brief words about how compatible the Bride and Groom are. You can also include a short story about how they met, how the marriage proposal went, or how the Groom changed for the better. Be sure to include some heartfelt words. Something like:
- ‘It’s great to see Tom and Sarah finally tying the knot, I think they ran out of countries to travel to. And that’s actually a good omen for married life. If they have travelled all around the world together and have managed not to kill each other yet, then married life will be a breeze.’
6. Your gift and messages from well wishers
If you have a gift for the Bride and Groom then this is the right time to present it. Make sure you have someone close by who is holding the gift for you, and ask them to bring it up to you (or alternatively have it hidden under the table or close at hand).
It’s customary for the Best Man to read out some letters from family and friends who can’t be there on the day. This doesn’t always happen but you may want to include some funny fake ones:
- Now I have a few cards to read out from those who couldn’t make it today:
- Dear Emma, It was nice while it lasted, but I guess we’ll have to call it a day now you’re married. From – Brad Pitt (or her favourite celebrity crush).
- Congratulations on your special day Andrew we will miss you. From – All the girls from the fantasy lounge XXX
- ‘I am just going to read out some messages from social media. Oh I see #dontdoittom is trending on Twitter at the moment.’
7. Final words
This is your closing piece. Time to wrap it up nicely. Topics you might want to comment on would include the night ahead, the honeymoon, and some relationship advice. Make sure to finish with a nice quote and toast to the Bride and Groom.
Quotes
- ‘We do not remember days, we remember moments. And the moment I saw Tom and Sarah together in the church today, I knew that was a moment I would never forget.’
- ‘I’d like to propose a toast to the bride and groom. May today be the beginning of a wonderful new and long-lasting chapter in their lives, and may they always love, honour and cherish each other, just as they do today.’
- ‘Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction’. ‘May your love be modern enough to survive the times… and old fashioned enough to last forever.’
- ‘When you realise that you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.’
- ‘And in the end, the love we take will be equal to the love we make.’ – The End, The Beatles
- ‘The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.’
- ‘Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.’
- ‘Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife.’
- ‘A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.’
- ‘Don’t marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the person you think you can’t live without.’
Toasts
- ‘I’m sure I speak for everyone in this room, when I say we all wish you the happiness that you deserve. We are so glad that you have found one another, and this day is a reminder that the best is yet to come. Congratulations, (Bride and Groom)!’
- ‘Joking aside, it’s a wonderful honour being best man today as Tom is a very special person to me. He is a true friend who never ceases to amaze me with his kindness. He has listened to me through many a crisis. He gives without any thought of reward. He is a super guy and a role model of a friend.’
- ‘My final duty is on behalf of the bride and groom to thank you all for coming to share in this wonderful occasion but now it gives me immense pleasure, not to mention relief, but now it gives me immense pleasure to invite you all to stand and raise your glasses in a toast to Tom and Sarah Mr and Mrs Smith no less because I think that they were made for each other.’
- ‘Before I make the toast, I have a few words of wisdom I’d like to pass on. Tom, the key to a long and happy marriage is to remember those three little words that can end every argument; YOU’RE RIGHT DARLING!!! Raise your glasses!’
Conclusion
That completes the guide to how to structure your Best Man speech and what you should include. If you need to refresh your memory about the first half of the speech structure, check out part one of this guide.
Get the Best Man Speech Guidebook
If you are thinking about your upcoming Best Man duties or need to draft your speech in a hurry you can check out the book the Best Man Speech Guidebook for even more tips and a full list of Best Man speech hacks. It contains the important do’s and don’ts in wedding speech etiquette, some great one-liners, visual gag options, but most importantly a clear speech structure and tried and tested speech templates.
The Best Man guide
For more advice and ideas for all of your Best Man duties, check out our Ultimate Best Man Guide page.
