vector7777

Anyone ever done a best man's toast? I'm a best man at a wedding in less than 2 weeks and was trying to find something creative to do. The maid of honor and I are friends and we were talking about doing a joint toast if we can come up with an interesting idea. Anyone ever done something creative during a best man's toast or seen anything interesting done?

Pug

Make it personal and from the heart. Otherwise, google is your friend !

furious1smitul

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ghlight=Speech

^ best speech ever!

If you're a naturally funny guy add humor otherwise just make it from the heart and that's it.

I've seen people do presentations on the funniest, nice moments etc... and yeah is your friend definitely.

Mizouse

you should mention that True love is hard to find, sometimes you think you have true love and then you catch the early flight home from San Diego and a couple of nude people jump out of your bathroom blindfolded like a goddamn magic show ready to double team your girlfriend...

or you could take the advice from wedding crashers, "the funny because it's true bit only works if the truth is a very small thing like "everyone knows Jennifer likes to shop, ha ha ha". Honestly, I think you're better off going for something from the heart."

.. i watch too many movies..

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Never had the pleasure.

My best man did a really nice speach. Not to formal. Just kinda spoke.

Pull_T

I've done two best man speeches, both within 3 months time. (diff grooms)

1. The best man speech is not about you or you and your buddy. You're not there to try to prove the selection by demonstrating to everyone how close you two are. The speech is about the newlyweds. Adding a personal anecdote or funny joke is fine if it's not a main focus, but I've seen many speeches derailed by too much "remember that time we..."

2. Either do it off the cuff and let it flow spontaneously or be very prepared and know your material cold. Is always awkward when someone uses prepared material without knowing it cold. Better to go one way or the other.

3. Try to be more sober than the average reception attendee.

4. Consider the entire audience and both sides of the family. Keep the content appropriate for everyone and make sure to acknowledge the bride's parent's family...whether you know her parents well or you simply congratulate them. Also always goes over well to thank and congratulate a couple of the 90 year old great aunts or other old timers who might be there.

moeronn

^^ After "The Method" that is Pull_T's best post. I totally agree.

I was unprepared for the speech I gave at my brother's wedding and it truly showed.

ferizzo

Do not mention the stripclubs you and your friend used to frequent...not a good idea! Pull_T nailed it pretty good I think...and Yeah he is full of great advice!

Whiskers

+1 for Pull_T on this....I did one once and wish I read this before....

ric

Great advice. Only additional caution is that, unless you make your living as a standup comedian, avoid humor. Pressure, booze (the audience, if not yours) and the timing will result in most jokes "bombing". It is about the bride and groom, and it doesn't need to be long. And yep, put a stay on the booze until after your toast. Nothing less appealing than a bobbing and weaving Best Man, struggling to keep the room from spinning.

cM3go

I gotta get my head out of the gutter, I thought this was about a sex move

Costco

I need to keep an eye on this thread... I'll be the best man for my brother's wedding too, probably within the next year or so...

mc222

I gave a great speach....It started off w/ me saying: "I'm a little nervous and I just want to do a good job for Joe. He promised me that if I do a good job here today, I get to be best man at his next wedding".

That got everyone laughing and then I delved into childhood stories and then I toasted to:

"When I was searching for a good way to toast to Joe and Heather, I came across an old Irish peom, and I am sure some of you have heard it before, but ...Joe and Heather: If I could give you just one piece of advice, it would be to never Lie, cheat, steal, or drink. But, if you must Lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company, if you must cheat, cheat death, and ...if you must drink, drink to the moments that take your breathe away...today we have all witnessed one of those moments. Cheers!


ps - 2 years later they are now divorced. I called it!

PillsburyChoboy

You're not alone. I thought it was a move when the best man screws a bridesmaid before the wedding and when someone knocks on the door, the best man leaps out of bed like a toast jumping up in a toaster oven.

slayer202

iTimmy

Great advice, my roommate is not naturally funny and tried to be and it bombed, he lacked public speaking skills which didn't help. He knew the speach but was so nervous he just read off his notes with his head down mumbling the whole time. While it was funny, no one was laughing and after he finished there was that uncomfortable quiet pause, don't be that guy.

PillsburyChoboy

I agree on all points in previous post ... you have to know your limitations. If you're naturally charismatic or funny, take that route (but keep it clean, concise) but if you have sketchy public speaking skills or stage fright, be sure to practice. And since the wedding is about the couple and not you, you might want to run the speech through a couple reliable sources for quality control purposes. And though being plastered is not the recommended modus operandi, I would have a shot or two to calm the nerves pre-toast, if necessary.

I gave a best man's toast a couple years back but the situation and surrounding circumstances were less than pristine (let's just say it was a shotgun wedding and the bride had a little bump-belly ... not from caloric excess but a drunken weekend when caution was thrown to the wind, along with the condom). So everyone at the reception knew what was going on and essentially "going through the motions" and pretending to be happy. Hell, the whole sham was quite tragic since I've seen happier faces at a funeral procession.

But my toast was short, concise, and generic. I mean, the situation was ripe with comic fodder and I could have easily turned the toast into a roast (i.e. "of all the dozens of sluts you've banged in the past decade, at least you impregnated the one with the richest parents" or "hey look ... free-flowing cheap liquor, ugly chicks in uglier dresses, awkward silences, empty promises ... doesn't this remind you two of the first time you met?" .... or "mawwiage ... mawwiage is what bwings us togethaw today ... sigh, that dweam within a dweam ... wove, twue wove, will follow you fowever ...").

So the moment called for discretion and I stuck with the traditional, risk-averse "you were meant for each other" spiel which took no more than 90 seconds.

Crazy Bimmer

I need a speech for a wedding in less than 30 days.

mc222, i might steal yo shit.

F23A4

I was a best man twice last year. Both times I kept it reasonably short (only several minutes) and warm, maintaining the focus on the groom and his new bride.

Pull_T

Wow...I've never heard of anyone being best man twice (like I was)...especially in the same year like me.

Did you feel the second was old hat or were you just as hyped?

cM3go

Its from Hitch too.

Crazy Bimmer

Bump! Need more ideas.

Im giving the speech this Saturday

Last time i gave a speech at a wedding i was only 16. I dont mind public speaking, its just that i dont have any material yet. Fawk!

I wish i knew how long the other speeches will be. I dont want mine to be too long since i know people hate waiting for their food.

F23A4

Sorry for the delayed response. To me, public speaking of any sort is never old hat. So VERY hyped I was.