« Best Man Speech Tips – Delivering a Public Speech at a Wedding | Home | Best Man Speech Advice »
Best Man Speech Etiquette – The Do’s and Don’ts
By Admin | November 2, 2009
Best man speech etiquette should be observed if the best man is to make sure that he doesn’t embarrass himself. I should know; I did deliver the best man speech at my best friend’s wedding a few months ago.
I did think that best man speech etiquette were mostly instinctive at first, but believe me, there are things that you will not know about being a best man until someone told you. So, if you were as clueless as I was when I first became best man, here are some best man speech advice.
Ten minutes is long enough for a best man’s speech. Unless you are naturally gifted as a public speaker, this is the average length of time you can hold a wedding crowd’s attention.
Click Here for a Step by Step Guide to Delivering a Fearless & Flawless Best Man Speech
When I first wrote my best man speech, I kept putting in thoughts that entered my mind that it got a bit longer than I initially intended. I thought I’d go on delivering it or cut it, depending on the reaction of the audience.
However, what decided how long my speech would be was the length of the bride and groom speeches. Traditionally, the father of the bride will be the first to speak, followed by the groom and then by the best man and then the bride.
After hearing the father of the bride and the groom’s speeches, I realized that my own speech is too long. As best man, I can deliver a speech longer than the groom as best man speeches are supposed to be one of the entertainments of the event.
However, after looking at best man speech examples it soon became apparent that you should never double the length of time of the groom’s speech. Two minutes over the groom’s time is fine, beyond that, you are stealing his thunder. After all, he’s the lead actor, you’re the supporting actor.
In my speech, I made fun of the groom (in a funny-without-being-nasty-way), told anecdotes about our college days and teased the couple about how they met and ended up getting married (without being rude, of course).
At the end part of my speech, I wished the couple a happy marriage and offered a toast. This part should be sincere and more serious. Also, don’t forget to thank the couple’s families and to thank them for asking you to be their best man.
Another piece of important best man speech advice – don’t drink too much before you deliver your speech. I was really nervous before I was called on to talk, but I refrained from drinking since I didn’t want to slur my words or look like a fool.
Best man speech etiquette basically include proper length of speech time, the right words and your appearance and behavior when delivering your speech. Mine went off without a hitch. Hopefully, yours will too.
Click Here for a Step by Step Guide to Delivering a Fearless & Flawless Best Man Speech
Topics: Speech Etiquette | No Comments »
Comments are closed.