Unique Best Man Speeches – Latest Articles So it is time for the big wedding day. All the best man speech work and preparation you have done will all come down to 2-5 minutes – standing in front of the crowd and giving your speech.
This is a scary thought but today we are going to give you some advice to help get you through the day itself.
But before we get down to our top tips for things you can do on the wedding day to make it go a little smoother, let’s check you are at the right place just now:
- You should already have written your speech and have it completely finished at least 24 hours before the wedding day. This is one of our top tips on dealing with best man speech nerves.
- Ideally, you should have practiced it – either by reading it aloud to someone you trust (your partner, for example) or reading it over yourself (if you are confident about the material).
- Your preparation for The Twist (one of the 3 secrets to a top best man speech) is all in place and ready to go.
- Before the day itself, you should also already know about the setup of the speech itself. For example, who will be speaking before and after you? Are there any formalities you are supposed to include in your speech? Will there be a microphone and where will you be standing? Are the speeches before or after the dinner? Reach out to your groom and gather this information – if you don’t already have it. You don’t want any surprises on the day! You also want to do this before the big day itself, as the groom will be coming across his own set of surprises on the wedding day.
Ok, so if you can’t say yes to the 4 above points then stop here. Read no further and come back once you have finished them off.
If you are good with all the 4 points above then carry on reading.
The Morning Of The Wedding – Or Before The Wedding
On the day itself your preparation will start in the morning or several hours before the wedding. There are some crucial steps you should take at this point:
- Print off 2 copies of your speech. If it is handwritten or on speech or cue cards, make photocopies. You are going to leave one copy in a safe place – or even better with your partner – just in case anything should go wrong.
- Read through your speech out loud – one last time to get the timing and fit in one last practice.
- Practice the first few lines several times. Pretend that you are in front of the crowd. You want to practice saying the first line with a big smile on your face and loudly – as if you are in charge of a loud crowd. You want that first line to be almost shouted out, so that all the attention of the audience is immediately on you and you take control of the room.
At The Wedding Itself
I think it goes without saying that you don’t want to drink too much alcohol. You can certainly have one or two drinks – depending on your tolerance level – but anything beyond this is going to affect your speech.
Trust me when I say that the first drink you take after your speech is going to taste 100 times better than any of the drinks beforehand!
You’ll want to double check everything is setup and in place for The Twist one more time before the speech – this might involve you sneaking into the dining room but don’t worry about that – you can explain if anyone asks.
Many best men are also entrusted to carry the ring and present it at the ceremony. My advice would be to designate a pocket the ‘ring pocket’ and this is where the ring will be at all times. That way when you are called upon during the ceremony you are not fumbling around checking your pockets for it – which can be a bit awkward.
When It Is Time For Your Best Man Speech – Our Top Tips
So the best advice we can give you for the speech itself is to focus on the first few lines and getting them right.
As we noted above, you should have practised these lines more than any others – it is for this reason. Once you get the first few lines out and deliver them well, you will instantly start to relax and feel more confident.
If you have practised your speech several times, you will feel even more confident as you know exactly what is coming next.
There are a few things that you can easily forget in the moment – because of the mix of nerves, anxiety and relief – so if you remember anything at all it is these 3 things:
- Keep your head up – especially when reading parts that you know very well. Look around the room.
- Don’t read too fast and remember to pause – both for laughter and applause. You want to think of this as something you are going to enjoy – don’t rush through it and let your jokes and stories sit with the crowd.
- Look at the bride and groom often. Your speech is delivered ‘to’ them. Especially during the sincere section at the end – this will make your delivery all the better.
After Your Speech
You can now relax, have a few drinks and – if you have followed our tips and tricks – you will hopefully hear the words that we try to get every single best man to: “That was the greatest best man speech I’ve ever heard.”
If you’ve done a really good job, people might be lining up to buy you some beers. Enjoy them!
In Summary – Tips For The Wedding Day Itself
The key thing for the wedding day itself is to have prepared beforehand.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have practiced your speech many, many times. This will make everything on the day much easier.
If you have this covered, the wedding day itself then comes down to focusing on the actual presentation of your speech. To do this, you will want to focus on keeping your head up, enjoying yourself and making sure that you deliver the first few lines perfectly – as this will really help you feel more relaxed and comfortable for the rest of the speech.
Got any questions or comments about this article and the advice?
Make sure and check out our free best man speech guide or leave a comment below and we’ll give you more tips and tricks for the wedding day itself.