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Your Test Speech
Over the last couple of decades, best men speeches have become OTT, clichéd and generally a bit embarrassing (for the best man, not the groom ironically). Poor quality templates, the rise of Powerpoint and Googled gags are all partly to blame.
The thing is, writing a great best man speech is pretty simple. Granted, the Speechy team are TV scriptwriters by trade (writing for shows like Mock the Week and Dead Ringers), so we’ve got a head-start.
After writing hundreds of speeches for best men around the world, we know the modern speech rules to put your speech into the premier league. We also know the techniques us scriptwriters use to create original humour without resorting to cheesy ‘jokes’ or alcohol. That’s why we were asked on to BBC Sounds ‘Best Men podcast with Jason Manford. We’ve got all the advice you need, so read on…
1. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
2. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
3. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
4. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
5. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
1. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
2. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
3. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
4. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
5. Be yourself
Don’t feel you need to go posh just because you’re wearing a suit. No need to address everyone as ‘ladies & gentleman’; a ‘well hello everyone’ will suffice. Obviously don’t swear if there are children present, though a few bloodies, bloomings and bollocks can add an acceptable edge.
Finding your funny
A heart-warming tribute to your groom should be the focus of your bride speech but remember every bride thinks her husband is gorgeous, kind and generally amaaaazing. The only way for this to sound genuine is – prove, don’t tell.
Resist too many adjectives and recount the anecdotes that show your bloke’s qualities in action.
Cut the cliches & concentrate on what makes your man unique. Avoid words like ‘soulmate’ or ‘gorgeous’, anything that’s overused.
Is he a library-lover, a technology fiend, a devoted foodie? Nailing his individual and quirky characteristics shows you ‘get him’ and his friends & family will love you for it.
All speeches should be funny. Yes, you want to be sweet about your groom and kind to your guests but make them laugh too.
No one’s expecting a stand-up routine but if you manage to get everyone giggling within the first 30 secs, then you’re on to a winner. Your guests will relax and you will too.
Of course, being funny isn’t about finding good jokes on the internet – it’s about making witty observations about your groom and your relationship.
Remember the adage ‘it’s funny because it’s true’. Ask yourself lots of questions. What have you done together, what do you regularly ‘debate’, what seems to be a regular theme in your relationship?
Avoid ‘Bride Jokes’ and read our How To Be Funny Blog for more inspo instead.
Right, this is the crucial bit. Rather than just a collection of anecdotes and thank yous, a great speech should tell a story.
Yes, it’s made up of lots of different elements, but it needs to hook people in from the beginning, establish a theme and carry that through to an almighty climax.
One basic example might be a teacher who talks about the lessons her husband has taught her – the good, the bad and the ability to now shout a range of football chants. Another theme might be the bride’s interpretation of her marriage vows (e.g. man flu doesn’t count as ‘sickness’).
Creating a theme ensures the speech is easy to follow and entertaining. Find out #whatsyourstory
If you and your groom are both giving speeches, you should both aim for about six or seven minutes. It doesn’t sound long, but it’s plenty of time to be both funny and sincere.
You might feel you have plenty to say but be strict with yourself. Remember a long thank you list turns a good speech bad.
Once you write your first draft, edit it down to half the length. We promise it will make it a hundred times stronger. No one ever watched a wedding speech and thought ‘if only it were longer’.
The edit process might mean cutting some of your favourite bits but you need to wipe out the waffle and kill those cliches!
A heart-warming tribute to your groom should be the focus of your bride speech but remember every bride thinks her husband is gorgeous, kind and generally amaaaazing. The only way for this to sound genuine is – prove, don’t tell.
Resist too many adjectives and recount the anecdotes that show your bloke’s qualities in action.
Cut the cliches & concentrate on what makes your man unique. Avoid words like ‘soulmate’ or ‘gorgeous’, anything that’s overused.
Is he a library-lover, a technology fiend, a devoted foodie? Nailing his individual and quirky characteristics shows you ‘get him’ and his friends & family will love you for it.
Five speech rules
A heart-warming tribute to your groom should be the focus of your bride speech but remember every bride thinks her husband is gorgeous, kind and generally amaaaazing. The only way for this to sound genuine is – prove, don’t tell.
Resist too many adjectives and recount the anecdotes that show your bloke’s qualities in action.
Cut the cliches & concentrate on what makes your man unique. Avoid words like ‘soulmate’ or ‘gorgeous’, anything that’s overused.
Is he a library-lover, a technology fiend, a devoted foodie? Nailing his individual and quirky characteristics shows you ‘get him’ and his friends & family will love you for it.
All speeches should be funny. Yes, you want to be sweet about your groom and kind to your guests but make them laugh too.
No one’s expecting a stand-up routine but if you manage to get everyone giggling within the first 30 secs, then you’re on to a winner. Your guests will relax and you will too.
Of course, being funny isn’t about finding good jokes on the internet – it’s about making witty observations about your groom and your relationship.
Remember the adage ‘it’s funny because it’s true’. Ask yourself lots of questions. What have you done together, what do you regularly ‘debate’, what seems to be a regular theme in your relationship?
Avoid ‘Bride Jokes’ and read our How To Be Funny Blog for more inspo instead.
Right, this is the crucial bit. Rather than just a collection of anecdotes and thank yous, a great speech should tell a story.
Yes, it’s made up of lots of different elements, but it needs to hook people in from the beginning, establish a theme and carry that through to an almighty climax.
One basic example might be a teacher who talks about the lessons her husband has taught her – the good, the bad and the ability to now shout a range of football chants. Another theme might be the bride’s interpretation of her marriage vows (e.g. man flu doesn’t count as ‘sickness’).
Creating a theme ensures the speech is easy to follow and entertaining. Find out #whatsyourstory
If you and your groom are both giving speeches, you should both aim for about six or seven minutes. It doesn’t sound long, but it’s plenty of time to be both funny and sincere.
You might feel you have plenty to say but be strict with yourself. Remember a long thank you list turns a good speech bad.
Once you write your first draft, edit it down to half the length. We promise it will make it a hundred times stronger. No one ever watched a wedding speech and thought ‘if only it were longer’.
The edit process might mean cutting some of your favourite bits but you need to wipe out the waffle and kill those cliches!
A heart-warming tribute to your groom should be the focus of your bride speech but remember every bride thinks her husband is gorgeous, kind and generally amaaaazing. The only way for this to sound genuine is – prove, don’t tell.
Resist too many adjectives and recount the anecdotes that show your bloke’s qualities in action.
Cut the cliches & concentrate on what makes your man unique. Avoid words like ‘soulmate’ or ‘gorgeous’, anything that’s overused.
Is he a library-lover, a technology fiend, a devoted foodie? Nailing his individual and quirky characteristics shows you ‘get him’ and his friends & family will love you for it.
Speech Do's
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Speech Don'ts
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Check with the Groom
Test Speech - let us help you!
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