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Top Ten tips for the Best Man

Send us yours and we will include the best of the bunch on our web site and you will receive full credit.

If you need some tips before your DVD arrives, or in case you can’t be bothered or are too tight to buy one, here are our top ten tips to help the best man prepare and deliver his speech:

  1. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Preparation is the key. Do your research, but not via speech writers on line. Speak to friends and family, they will willingly come up with all the info you need, then get everything down on paper in note form first. Buy the DVD well in advance.
  2. Give your speech a structure. Think of your speech as a story, with a Beginning, Middle and an End. Start at the beginning and end at the end. With of course, the really juicy information in the middle. Take all your notes and use this structure to make it take shape, because random facts in no real order are confusing and can be boring.
  3. Write as you speak. Write out your speech in full but write it as you speak. Writing it out will make sure you’ve included all the important bits, writing it as you speak helps you sound natural.  E.g. Don’t instead of do not, didn’t instead of did not.
  4. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse. The more familiar you are, the easier it’ll flow. Rehearse alone (make sure you speak out loud, it helps with the timing) and then, in front of others you trust.  OK, you might feel stupid, but you will feel much more stupid if you don’t rehearse and mess up on the day.
  5. Precis your speech into notes and put them on cards. The notes will act as quick prompts if you have rehearsed enough. Standing with a huge big long speech in front of you won’t help. If you’re simply going to read it out, save yourself and the audience time and embarrassment and print them each their own copy. IT’S CALLED A SPEECH BECAUSE YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO SPEAK TO THEM – if you were suppose to be reading it out, it would have been called a Read.
  6. Be nice. Don’t be tempted to embarrass or make the groom look stupid.  The best man gives a speech to BOOST the groom. Humour is good, embarrassment - not good, and it could backfire on you.
  7. Never go blue. Don’t ever use blue jokes or blue humour of any kind, it’s the quickest way to offend and look stupid.
  8. Get drunk after your speech and not before. A small one (i.e. thimble full) to calm your nerves but definitely no more.
  9. Keep it short, keep it sweet. Between five and ten minutes is about the right
    length. Leave them wanting more!
  10. Breathe in, breathe out. Just before you stand up to give your speech, take three deep breaths in and breathe out for longer than you breathe in. This calms your nerves, helps you
    focus and relax.

Largelle and Littlepee are also offering as a special for Wedding Ideas readers, a free help line service via the internet. Email us with your speech problems and we will do our very best to advise and help. info@largelleandlittlepee.com