Best man speeches are tricky, which is why we’ve compiled a list of the best, best man speech videos to help inspire you.
No need to frantically search the internet for jokes we’ve heard a thousand times before. Instead, think of this as your opportunity to FINALLY air all those embarrassing and hilarious stories you’ve racked up about the groom over the years, giving us all a unique insight into the life you’ve shared. And why we wish we could have been there.
Here are eight speeches which we think show off just how it’s done – as well as a few missteps along the way.
(*Of course, if you’re looking for more than inspiration, check out our bespoke speech writing service or best man speech template. The Speechy team are five-star rated for a reason!)Â
This is one of the funniest wedding speeches I’ve seen, which is probably why it’s the most watched best man speech on YouTube. (Extra incentive, if you do your speech REALLY well you could get 20 million views on YouTube. Win-win!)
It’s not just the jokes that are as good as most stand-up’s here; it’s the structure. The ‘best brother’ tells their story in a fun way, bookending it with references to how he needs to go to the toilet (always funny) and a GREAT call back at the end to how his ‘mum made me say that’, perfectly highlighting that petty, brotherly relationship.
Sure, it’s a bit long – we’d only recommend six or seven minutes – but if it’s this good, no one will complain.
This is almost indistinguishable from a five minute set by a stand-up. That’s probably because he is a stand-up. But don’t let that confidence put you off – we can make your delivery just as impressive through our new Delivery Coaching Service.
In terms of the speech itself, the beginning is perhaps a bit too much about him, leaving only a couple of minutes for the actual speech. Remember – it’s THEIR special day, not yours.
But when he gets there, he makes us laugh by letting us all into his sister-brother relationship in a funny way we can all relate to. People forget at weddings that not everyone will know every moment of your relationship to the bride/groom. Instead, make sure you find the universal qualities to spell out your stories. This and the above video, do that perfectly.
When writing wedding speeches, some people feel like they have to write LOADS. Include EVERYTHING that’s ever happened. This best man shows us that this isn’t the case, with just one simple story throughout – about the groom ‘experimenting’ with tinted moisturiser.
It’s not too showy, and it’s not too long. Plus, it’s packed with plenty of gags before and after which are funny because they’re personal to their ‘target’. This speech could ONLY be about him.
He also manages to get a good balance between complimenting him and insulting him, which is always important. As fun as it is to just lay into your best mate, there’s a difference between a speech and ritual humiliation.
Sure, there are a lot of what some would call ‘trad’ best man jokes in this speech. But they’re still well-chosen and perfectly suited to this best man/groom relationship. You can tell they cut to the core as the bride and groom GENUINELY look terrified about everything he’s going to say.
You probably don’t want to be quite as mean as this best man. But even if you don’t, there are loads of great qualities to pick up from this speech, including excellent callbacks to him being a lousy goalkeeper, as well as a really good connecting structure – hinting about Elmo early on and then linking back to it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Another popular method is writing a song. Again, we’d encourage you not to, but that’s not to say they aren’t good. We like this one because the best man doesn’t just stick to one song, he tells a story by including several parodies of songs illustrating their life growing up together.
If you’re not a gifted singer, ignore this. But if you’d still like something which isn’t too traditional, maybe a poem could be just as good?
While WE think the traditional, written and delivered speech is still the best, there are alternatives, for example, a video speech.
A lot of video speeches revolve around the idea of the best man having ‘lost’ his speech and then popping out of the wedding to ‘find’ it – cue the video!
This is one of the most viewed of this type. The guests go crazy for it here but remember, this is one of the first of it’s kind so the idea was still a novelty. If you fancy opting for a video speech there’s going to need to be a better plot.
And if you’re considering a cheat speech because you’re nervous about the prospect of delivering your speech, check out our Delivery Coaching Service. Designed to slay those nerves and give you the confidence of Kanye West.
This is another brother-groom one. At first, it seems like it’s going to be quite similar to the call back due to the jokes coming thick and fast. However, it then turns a corner and packs a real emotional punch, because it’s so heartfelt.
Personally, we wouldn’t recommend being quite so from-the-heart, for fear of being cheesy. Not everyone can pull it off as he does. But it’s an excellent speech and all the gags at the beginning lull the audience into a false sense of security, before tugging on their heartstrings unawares.
Plus – how nice is the wedding?? It could be a scene from a US TV drama.
Also, extra marks for not forgetting the bride, as some do. The best man has personal stories for both the bride and groom, making it all the more satisfying.
The above speeches make everything look so effortless. They probably didn’t have to write it or even rehearse it, right? WRONG.
This video is a perfect example of why it’s essential to plan. Also, don’t start by swearing. Twice.
He is very polite to the people who travelled from Kent though, so on behalf of the people of Kent, thanks.
Hopefully, there’s plenty here to inspire you or, in the case of the final speech, motivate you. But for more tips on nailing that best man speech, check out our Best Man Advice page
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The Speechy writers are all comedy scriptwriters by trade and have written for BBC shows such as Have I Got News For You, Dead Ringers, and Mock The Week.
Our wedding speech advice has also been featured everywhere from  The New York Times and The Guardian.
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