Toasts, Best Man
For the best man, here’s some tips on toasting, and a list of some samples. Best Man toasts are usually brotherly, friendly or macho, but they certainly don’t have to be. Be sure to see my main page about wedding toasts and speeches for some universal tips on writing toasts in general.
You want the groom to give you a high five for your best man toast later. Remember that when “toasts, best man” comes up on the tentative agenda in your head, it’s not an insurmountable task, and you’ll do just fine. I’m going to prep you the best I know how, through my years of experience as a professional speaker.
Here’s some perspective on toasts, best man style. You’ll have a unique combination of players involved in the room that you’ll be speaking to, as well as the best man himself. Mom, dad, grandparents, wife, “the boys”. All play a part in the mood in the room, so there are a few less routes you have the option to pursue when planning toasts. Best Man toasts are fun.
The start:
As said at the beginning of this page, best man toasts can be brotherly, friendly, or even macho in style. First, introduce yourself. (This may be done for you by whoever came before you, but if it isn’t, make sure to announce who you are, both your name and your position as the best man). Don’t be pompous or arrogantly proud. It’s always a good idea to slip in a thank you here to the parents of the bride, who have likely been responsible for putting on the wedding.
The meat of it:
A popular technique when getting into the body of the toast is to simply reflect with a story. People love to hear stories. It’s actually built in to our DNA. Before language was well established as a means of communication, stories were used by tribes people to relay a sequence of events to others. When you tell a story, people automatically become engaged in a different mode of thinking where their personal filters are lowered and they become very receptive. Reflect on your time together, how you met each other, etc. Talk about how and when you met. Have you known each other for years? Talk about a significant story or two from over the years gone by that demonstrate how good a buddy the groom is.
The finish:
The best way to finish is to raise your glass and offer a toast that reflects on the good characteristics of the groom, based on the story you just told. For instance, you might say “Let’s all congratulate John and Mary. I’m especially proud such a dedicated and selfless friend like him is getting married to someone as perfect as Mary.”
Remember…practice makes perfect. See my page about common elements to all toasts here.
You don’t need to practice the speech itself word for word. That is actually a recipe for failure. What you should think about doing, however, is running through the major parts of the toast in your head to make sure they fit. When you do, try to think of the audience’s reaction to them and link them together in a way that feels natural, saving the most intense parts for the very end of the story, right before the toast if possible, so that some of the emotion in that story is carried into the toast Best man stories can be some of the most fun in the world, so remember to have fun…just don’t overdo it.
Click here for some really crowd-pleasing toasts for a best man. They are guaranteed to deliver. 