Best Man Speeches
For many best men, the most stressful part of being the best man at a wedding is giving the best man speech and toast in honor of the bride and the groom. Considering that this is supposed to be a very important part of the ceremonies, naturally, this becomes an ordeal to somehow be gotten over with. Some best men spend hours and may be even days, preparing the speech while others hope to get away with adlibbed speeches given at the spur of the moment from the bottom of their hearts. In either case, it is a difficult task and let us see here if it can be made simple.
· It is of course common sense that the best man prepares for the occasion from a few weeks before the actual date. This is vital as otherwise, at the last minute, it can lead to a highly stressful situation making it impossible to put down anything in writing. Planning ahead and working on a working draft for some time takes away the stress completely.
· It is your friend’s wedding day. A day he and his bride will want to remember all their lives. It may indeed be very popular in the television and movies, but to speak about embarrassing anecdotes during the best man’s speech is in very poor taste. Therefore, do not include stories of sinful behavior of bachelor days. Weddings are also occasions when older relatives of both sides will be present. It will offend their sense of propriety to listen to such stories, though they may be an attempt at humor.
· Insider jokes, meaningful only to the bridal couple and perhaps a handful of intimate friends too, are to be avoided. They may well be a source of great merriment to the couple getting married, but for the rest, it will be over their heads and can cause embarrassment to them when some can appreciate and laugh, and they are unable to join in.
· A sure to succeed formula is to keep the best man speech short, sweet and to the point. Do not make the mistake of thinking that long speeches are expected from the best man. They are not. Long speeches can cause the guests to lose interest and get bored. The most remembered best man speeches have always been brief and well prepared.
· Bombastic speeches using fancy words are strictly to be avoided when giving best man speeches. Using unfamiliar and rarely used words can cause discomfort to both the speaker and the listeners. Use simple every day words and phrases to be effective.
· Taking some one’s help to prepare the speech and the toast and to rehearse it before some trusted friend/s and family members, will be a good way to prepare for the final day. Such an audience will not only help in rehearsing, they can also add insights to be added to the speech. This will ensure that the speech is delivered effectively, in full, and in the way intended.
· Apart from rehearsing before a live audience, it will be good idea to do so a number of times before a mirror, or by taking a movie in a camcorder, replaying it, and editing it a few times etc, so that enough confidence is built up before the event. This will enable the best man to actually hear how he sounds and appears beforehand so that he can correct himself if he feels the need. If done properly, he will sound natural and effective when the actual speech is delivered.