Best Man Speeches

So, you're the Best Man..... you're honoured, you can't wait to plan the stag party, you think about dancing with the bridesmaid, then suddenly it dawns on you.......you're expected to deliver a classic speech to a room full of people and make them laugh.

Don't panic. Essex Wedding Services have sample best man speeches all ready for you to read through and "borrow" some of the best one-liners and get yourself an idea of what you can and can't get away with on your best mate's wedding day.

Its the part of the day that all the wedding guests look forward to, they want you to succeed, they want to laugh out loud at your comical stories about the groom, you just need a few ideas, a bit of confidence (or lager) and away you go...!

Some good Best Man Speech tips from Essex Wedding Services are :

• Be Yourself

"Borrow" ideas from other speeches, write your own material though, don't try and be a stand up comic.

• Plan your speech - start thinking about it early

Don't try to scribble something down the night before, make notes and ideas from the minute you're asked to be best man. Read in out loud in front of the mirror, then read it again. If you're confident enough just have some prompt cards or bullet points to remind yourself what to say, rather then carry sheets of paper.

• Try and relax

Don't get steaming drunk before hand, a few drinks to chill yourself is enough. Remember everyone wants you to succeed.

• If you think a story is too cheeky - IT PROBABLY IS !

If you and your mates have laughed your heads off about a story of the groom and some dodgy predicament from years ago, don't think the wedding guests will automatically find it funny too. Don't forget, his new mother and father-in-law want a nice day too.

• Talk about the Groom's life & experiences

If he's a good bloke and your best mate, you'll have loads of stories from the past. Make them comical, witty and sincere.

• Tell the wedding guests how you met the Groom

It's possible some of the wedding party won't know you, introduce yourself and tell them how long you've been mates with the groom.

• Throw in some details about how the Bride & Groom met

Unless it was at a swingers party or she was employed as an escort, tell the wedding guests how they met, they may not all know and proves you're the Best Man.

• Compliment the Bride - avoid jokes about her !

Gently amuse the guests about the groom, not the bride. Tell the guests how wonderful the bride is, and how fantastic she looks.

• Make Eye Contact

Don't just spend 10 minutes staring at a piece of paper and talking out loud. Read from your notes, then choose someone different in the audience to focus on each time you look up.

• Don't forget the final toast to the Bride & Groom

Come up with a great one liner to end on, then ask everyone to stand and raise their glasses for a toast to the bride and groom.

• Read the telegrams

There's always someone who can't make the wedding, so your job is to read out their message. Our top tip to raise a laugh is to throw in one or two spoof ones as a final passing shot at the Groom - well worth the time thinking up one or two !