Need help with Best Man speech

In My Humble Opinion
1

My cousin’s best freind is getting married and despite being a best man on two previous occasions (for the aforementioned best friend) he still hasn’t perfected his best man speech. He’s asked me to help him write this one, but I’ve never been a Best Man and, though I know his best freind and we’ve hung out on numerous occasions, I don’t know the groom well enough to really get personal.

So Dopers, got any good generic Best Man Speech snippets that you’d like to share? They can be humerous or serious. Just anything that I can tie together and he can read off a 3x5 card.

Thanks!!

2

May your days be merry and her legs not hairy… :smiley:

3

  1. Thank whomever threw the party (usually the bride’s parents, I think)

  2. Say the bride looks lovely.

  3. Tell amusing story about the groom. Or not.

  4. Say why the groom is important in your life.

  5. Keep it short.

4

Well, the best toasts/speeches have personal elements. The best thing to do is sit down with your friend and have him do a brain dump. Get stuff like:

  • amusing stories about your friend and the groom in younger years
  • how the bride and groom met
  • other cute/funny/romantic stories about the bride and groom
  • character traits, interesting hobbies, amusing anecdotes, asperations of groom or bride

Then build from that.

There are some cheap applause things that always win: be sure to say how beautiful the bride is. Say what a lovely couple they are. Say it was such a great day and a wonderful reception.

Look up “things that happened today in history” for the wedding date. there are always potentially romantic and humerous things there.

The thing is: this is one of those speeches you really can’t fail at. Everybody is there to have a good time, everybody likes the couple you’re toasting. Everybody is ready to laugh at your jokes, ahh at your romantic notions and applaud when you’re done.

5

whoever :smack:

6

I had to give a best man toast, and I ended up just thinking about it and playing it by ear. Admittedly, the whole wedding was very laid back (there really wasn’t anything to toast with, even). It turned out OK.

I agree wholeheartedly with what Bruce_Daddy said.

7

Since marriage is an institution, sentence them to years of happiness.

8

a couple hints:
–whatever old story you tell, keep it on topic-- about the couple, not about yourself or your gang of old friends and the beer keg.

–if you get too nervous, remember what Bill H said above–you really can’t go too wrong. Everybody is in a good mood, will applaud politely, …and then forget the whole thing 10 minutes later anyway.

–and here’s an idea I just thought of: (comments welcome!)
if you end it with a toast: Don’t just raise your champagne glass --raise 3 glasses together, walk over to the couple and hand them each a glass, all take a sip together.