How To Deliver A Funny Best Man Speech That Won’t Cause Offense

The following is a guest post from David Doran , an expert on best man speeches and is the co-founder of BestManApp.com the web app for best men. Enjoy!

Everyone expects a best man to be funny, the humor in his speech may be the yardstick with which the success of his speech is measured.  However as best man you need to ensure that the humor does not come at a cost.  If you make jokes about the past love lives of the bride and groom for example, you will not only lose the support of the wedding guests but you will almost certainly lose the friendship of your best friend (or brother), the groom.

Topics that the wedding guests will find offensive include jokes/stories that humiliate the bride, stories told using vulgar language, inappropriate stories about the bachelor party and any reference to former girlfriends/ former wives.

There are a lot of ways to deliver a humorous best man speech by using tasteful humor, as opposed to resorting to adult humor that will almost certainly offend some of the guests at the wedding.  In this article I have highlighted 6 areas of your speech where you can add humor and have the wedding guests in fits of laughter if done correctly.

1. Jokes
2. Props
3. Wedding advice
4. Quotes   
5. One liners
6. The toast

Jokes

Funny jokes are a fundamental aspect of a best man speech and as such you need to have 3 or 4 short jokes included in your speech.  Remember to provide jokes that everyone will get, as opposed to “in jokes” that only you and your buddies will find amusement with.  Choose funny wedding-related jokes that are short, long jokes won’t have the same impact.  Make sure the jokes you select are funny, as nothing will dampen your confidence quicker than the sound of silence as you reel off the punch line to a lame joke.

Props for a best man speech

Props can turn ordinary best man speeches into sensational speeches if chosen correctly, that is how important they can be to a funny best man speech.  The great thing about props is that you can create the illusion that you have in your possession something that you don’t, for example a letter taken from an envelope in your pocket can become the groom’s college report, or his Facebook profile. 

 Another great prop is to have a funny photo of the groom blown up to a lifesize image (many photography shops will do this).  The laughter your speech will receive as you unveil this prop will be a memory to treasure for a long time.

 Marital advice for the groom

Another very funny section of the best man speech is when the best man provides his own unique insight on marriage for the groom.  This should be good-natured humor implying that as the groom is now married he will be under the thumb and his wife very much the decision-maker in the relationship.

 Best man stories

As the groom’s best friend / brother, the best man should have some embarrassing stories about the groom that the wedding guests will find funny.  Begin your story with a teasing beginning, such as “I am going to tell you a story about the groom that I have never told anyone before”, or “Want to hear an embarrassing story about the groom?” before going on to share your funny story with the guests.

 Witty wedding one liners

One liners are very effective in a best man speech and allow the best man to maintain his theme of humor in the speech.  These quips and puns can provoke laughter in great measures so make sure that you include a couple in your best man speech.

 The Best Man toast

When ending your best man speech you can choose to finish with a humorous best man toast or a sincere one.  A humorous toast should be lighthearted yet still get the message of love and hope across as the bride and groom begin a new life together as bride and groom.

If your funny best man speech is a hit then you will have memories to last a lifetime and you will have people congratulating you for the entire day.  The feeling of exhilaration after giving a best man speech that people enjoyed will stay with you for some time so practice and rehearse your speech, all the effort will be worth it.

About David Doran: Dave lives in Dublin, Ireland, is a cancer survivor and is the co-founder of Best Man App the web app for best men.

Five Tips for an Even Better Wedding Reception!

Photo from The Wedding Lens!

Your wedding reception will be a great reflection of you & your partner’s style, musical tastes, and (most importantly) love for each other. But there are some tips that will make your reception even better — regardless of your personal style!

1. If there’s time between the ceremony and the reception, give your guests something to do. I dont mean that you have to rent out a space for them, but suggest a place for them to go — a coffee shop, a bar, a museum, just something. I one time ended up sitting in a Quiznos for three hours because I was from out of town and didn’t know what else to do or where else to go.
2. Let your guests know what’s going on — have a program and/or have the DJ/Band/Emcee explain what is happening when. People don’t like to feel out of the loop! Just letting them know that they’ll be eating their meals before the speeches will make people relax and enjoy themselves a bit more — except for maybe the speech-giver.
3. You won’t be able to create a seating chart that makes everyone happy, but if at all possible, seat people who know each other together — even if one of ’em is single. Singles hate singles tables. It’s awkward! But if the person knows just one other person, try putting them together. It will put everyone at ease.
4. If you’re not providing transportation for your guests have cab numbers readily available. People drink & they have to get home — make it easy on them!
5. Take breaths,  enjoy every moment, and HAVE FUN! Your happiness makes everyone else happy. I promise.

There are LOTS of things that you can do to make your reception even better, but these are just a few things that I’ve taken note of over the years. As much as you want this day to be perfect to you, don’t forget that your guests are there for you and don’t want to be forgotten, taken for granted, or left out of the loop. They are there to share in the joy and happiness of the day! So let them! 🙂

Happy wedding!

~ Natasha