Since the Groom will probably have ended his speech thanking you and the bridal party – possibly presenting you with gifts too – and toasted the Bridesmaids, you should start by thanking him on their behalf.
An outline of a typical Best Man’s Speech would be:
- Introduction – thank the Groom on behalf of the bridesmaids and for any gifts that were received and comment on the Bride and Groom and the wedding
- Body – introduce yourself, talk about how you met and tell a funny story or anecdote about the Groom, or joke at his expense – this is where the content you brainstormed before will be once it’s been developed
- Message – if any messages have been received from anyone unable to attend the wedding you should read them
- Best Man’s Toast – raise your glass to the Bride and Groom
We’ll develop the body of your speech later, so for now you just need to concentrate on the introduction and toast. Also it is good to prepare a sentence to introduce any messages that have been received before reading them out. Lets take a look at these elements below:
Introduction
“On behalf of the bridesmaids I’d like to thank Charlie for his kind words and wish he and Jenny many happy years ahead.”
That’s it, you can flesh it out a bit if you like, but that’s all you need to say.
Messages
“In addition to everyone who was able to make it today there are some that were unable to attend. Charlie’s Aunt Mary and Uncle Ted have sent a message of congratulations, which I’ll read to you now:”
Read the message and be ready for the toast.
The Best Man Toast
“I obviously have no idea how Charlie managed to get Jenny to say yes, when he asked her to marry him, but however he managed it she’s looking fantastic today. I’d like you all to raise you glass… to the Bride and Groom.”
Having got that far you now have the basic structure of your Best Man Speech in place. The next stage is to work on filling out your funny stories to complete the first draft of your speech. Don’t worry if it doesn’t feel like it belongs to you yet. That’ll come later.
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