20 Of The Ultimate "Best Man" Quotes
When you find out that you’re the best man at a wedding, it’s a big deal. Your best friend, who may seem more like family, has selected you among all of his buddies to be his right-hand man for the wedding. It may sound like an excellent opportunity to have fun and celebrate, but there are also serious moments to plan for like the best man’s speech.
You may be familiar with public speaking, or perhaps, you’re a newbie. Maybe you have a career in the public sector and you’re used to being articulate in front of others. Alternatively, you could have social anxiety or not be the type to speak in public. Depending on your personality, you might be looking forward to giving the speech, or you could secretly be dreading it. One thing that can help when you are crafting your speech as the best man is to add in some quotes. Below are some tips for crafting a compelling speech as a best man, including some great quotes to use.
Planning ahead
To give a good best man speech, you may want to avoid writing the speech at the last minute. For the best results, you could start building your speech at least two months before the wedding occurs. That way, you have a lot of time to research and get some ideas for what you’d like to say. You can gain inspiration from past speeches, and you can think about what personal touches you want to add as well.
The opening line matters
Consider using a quote at the beginning of the best man’s speech. Applicable quotes include those about friendship or love. When you think about your best friend getting married, think about what matters to him. Think about his values, his favorite movies, and his personality, for instance. If you choose a quote to open with, it can provide you with a theme for the rest of the speech.
Write down some ideas
If you’re just starting the process, the thought of writing a whole monologue can be daunting. It could be helpful to remember that you don’t need to write the speech in its entirety right away. Instead, you could start jotting down ideas and then build on them piece by piece. Whenever an idea comes to you, consider writing it down, even if it’s just in a notes-type app on your phone. You can read it to yourself out loud to get a feel for how it sounds and tweak it as you go. Some people find it easier to write a speech if they say the words out loud first, whereas others might be more comfortable sitting down to write their first draft silently. Try different approaches to see what works for you.
Make an outline
These are some great quotes aboWhen you write a speech, you may want to include a beginning, middle, and end. This may give the speech a logical flow. It can also prevent you from rambling on about childhood stories or failing to come to a conclusion that wraps it all up. You might start with an anecdote representing the groom and go from there, but it could be important to have a road map for how the speech will go.
Here’s a basic outline for a best man’s speech:
- Use an engaging open line.
- Thank the wedding guests for being there.
- Congratulate the couple.
- Say some warm and kind words about the bride or partner.
- Crack a joke about the groom.
- Introduce a quote or passage from something meaningful to the groom.
- Propose a toast.
This is just one example of a best man’s speech at a wedding. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be light and funny or serious if you like.
Anecdotes
Depending on how long you’ve known the person getting married, you may have anecdotes dating back to childhood, your teenage years, or young adult life. Most everyone likes a funny story, so including an anecdote can be engaging and fun.
Why is it a good idea to add a quote in your speech?
A quote can be a great point to start from since you can build your speech around the quote. Not only that, but a good quote often sticks with people. It gives people something that’s both meaningful and easy to remember about the speech, and it shows that you put care into the process. Let’s look at some examples of the ultimate best man quotes that you can put in your speech to make it special and memorable.
Before you choose the quote that you’re going to add to your speech, note that its tone is up to you. It doesn’t have to be cheesy; it can be funny or serious. Think about your friend, and make sure that the quote represents who they are as a person. Are they funny or more stoic and serious? Are they on the dramatic side or more philosophical? You might even find that taking some thoughts from other friends into consideration might help you throughout the process. There’s no right or wrong way to write a speech. You could start with a dramatic quote or something that’ll make the audience laugh. It’s just a matter of what sort of tone you want to set for the wedding. You want your speech to match your friend, the couple, and the crowd.
Ultimate best man quotes
One thing you can do is give a quote from the groom. Maybe you remember your friend saying something meaningful to you when you were in high school or college. Perhaps he said something funny on a road trip. Remember that a heartfelt speech doesn’t necessarily have to be entirely serious. You can introduce some humor if you feel it’s appropriate. Here are some sample quotes that people have used in both best man speeches and as a part of weddings:
The following quotes range in tone from humorous to thoughtful:
“Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out.”
-Michelle Montaigne
“Marriage is not just spiritual communion. It also remembers to take out the trash.”
-Joyce Brothers
“An archeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.”
-Agatha Christie
“If I get married, I want to be very married.”
-Audrey Hepburn
“There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion than a good marriage.”
-Martin Luther
“By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”
-Socrates
“If you want your wife to listen to you, then talk to another woman; she will be all ears.”
-Sigmund Freud
“All marriages are happy. It’s the living together afterward that causes all the trouble.”
-Raymond Hull
Take care of him. And make him feel important. And if you can do that, you’ll have a happy and wonderful marriage. Like two out of every ten couples.”
-Neil Simon
“What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined for life-to strengthen each other in all labor, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories at the moment of the last parting?”
-George Eliot
“To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.”
-Mark Twain
“The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they’re right if you love to be with them all the time.”
-Julia Child
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
-Aristotle
“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow, this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.”
-Elizabeth Gilbert
“They slipped into an intimacy from which they never recovered.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
I make mistakes, I’m out of control, and at times hard to handle. But, if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”
-Marilyn Monroe
“My wife is my soulmate. I can’t imagine being without her.”
– Matt Damon
“It’s tough to stay married. My wife kisses the dog on the lips, yet she won’t drink from my glass.”
-Rodney Dangerfield
“Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can’t sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can’t sleep with the window open.”
-George Bernard Shaw
“Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel.”
-Leonardo DaVinci
ut marriage that you might use in a best man speech.
Your speech shouldn’t sound scripted
When you’re writing your best man speech, you may want to focus on making it sound organic. You want the audience to feel like it’s a conversational matter rather than something that seems forced or stilted.
An online therapist can help you prepare for your best man speech
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FAQs (Frequently asked questions)
Does the best man give a speech?
The best man’s position is a privilege and only entrusted to people who know the groom really well and who the groom confides in and trust, in other words, a best friend.
The best man speech is general accepted and has become a tradition practiced at every wedding. And like a best friend to the groom, it is required of you to give a best man speech.
When should the best man give his speech?
Giving a great wedding speech depends on the timing. Both the length of the speech and the time it was given can predict the response you get from the guest.
Below are some options to help guide you on how to give the best wedding speech.
- Have a plan for your wedding speech: Proper schedule of your wedding speech will help reduce the stress on the best man, maid of honor, and even the bride’s parents; the wedding speech can serve as a sequence for the rest of the event. If you plan to commence with a best man toast, ensure it occurs as soon as everyone is seated. Study shows that a well-structured speech establishes the aim of the occasion.
You can carry on with the best man toast sequentially or between breaks after the first course has been served.
- Give speech after the meal has been served: Another way to kick off with the best wedding speech is to wait until everyone is served their meal. It buys you time to talk without being interrupted by the waiters.
Tip: Be certain that the VIP sections are first served. That way, while other guests are being served or enjoying their food, those scheduled to present a speech can do so with a captive audience.
- Commence the dance with a best man’s toast: Making a best man toast immediately after the meal buys another speechmaker's added time to enjoy the wedding reception.
You can commence with the best man’s toast and then proceed to the cake cutting. Then finalize it by inviting the bride and groom’s parents to the dance floor before declaring the dance floor open for a celebration.
- Take advantage of the cocktail moment: One of the best opportunities to get audience attention when giving a best man speech is when everyone has a glass of cocktail in their hands. Once the best man toast is given, everyone can interact and get acquainted with each other.
What does the best man have to say in his speech?
After the groom’s speech comes the best man’s speech, it is an opportunity to let people know about the groom’s personality. I admit, putting down your emotions on paper can be devastating especially if you’re not used to being in the spotlight.
Below are some points to consider as you prepare to give your best man toast.
- Start with a joke: Everyone loves a funny best man. According to an incisive research report, humor during public speeches is a productive way of connecting with the audience. A joke about the groom can win over the guest but be sure you don’t overdo it. Try to make it precise and simple.
When giving a funny best man’s speech, you should not overstep your boundaries. Try as much as possible to keep it mild and simple.
For example: “I still can’t believe my buddy picked me to ruin one of the most important days of his life.”
- Introduction: Everyone needs to know who you are. Tell the guest your name, your relationship with the groom. Maybe an interesting story of how you guys met, your experience with him, and make a joke of how you plan to roast him for the next few minutes.
- Don’t outshine the couple: Whatever speech you are to present should be about the newlyweds. A great best man's speech should be centered on the bride and groom.
- Speech should be decent: Wedding speeches should be decent because of all the relatives and friends, both young and old, colleagues and even superiors from the workplace in attendance. You wouldn’t want to say things that will be disturbing to them.
- Take them down memory lane: Talk about your early friendship days. Tell a story of how your friend has been in love many times, and none was productive, not until he met his new bride.
Talk about how compatible the newlyweds are, and you can joke about how the bride changed the groom’s shy personality to a confident one. You can follow the story up by narrating a funny event that occurred.
- Address the newlyweds: Some best men make the mistake of just talking about past experiences and forgetting to advise the new couple about marriage's reality. If you’re married, you can use your experience to educate the newlyweds or use inspirational quotes to encourage the couple.
- Praise the bride: Best men are a groom’s best friend, and a word of compliment from them to the bride shows acceptance; it shows that you approve of your friend’s choice. You can compliment her looks, how happy you are she accepted to marry your friend, and how lucky he is to have her as his bride. Using a good bride quote is also a good way to compliment the bride.
- Acknowledge the bridesmaid: Acknowledge the effort of the bride’s maid in getting the bride ready on time. You can joke about how easy they’ve had it and how you almost missed the ceremony because the groom couldn’t make up his mind on the choice of tie to put on.
- Be brief and precise: Don’t get carried away by being the funny best man. Wedding speeches should be short and straight to the point. They’ve never been a scenario where people complain of how brief the best man speech was. A brief and precise speech is all that is required if you plan to get your message across.
- Conclude with a quote: One of the best ways to round up a good speech is by adding great quotes that summarizes the best man speech nicely, maybe inspirational quotes. Adding the best quote to a wedding speech can never go wrong; it passes a message of encouragement and love.
- Propose a toast: A best man’s work is never complete without giving a best man’s toast. With your glass raised, say something nice about the couple, like wishing them a life of happiness and love, or you can say some cool quotes about love.
What do you say to the bride and groom?
What you say to the bride and groom is totally dependent on your relationship with them. Below are some instances to consider:
- Suppose you attended the wedding because you’re an acquaintance of the groom or vice versa. The right thing to say should be congratulations and thanks for having me. Your ceremony was amazing.
- Suppose it’s family. I am so happy for you. Is there anything I can do to help?
- Suppose it’s a daughter or a son. You’ve grown to be a very responsible young woman or vice versa. I am very proud of you. Your husband/wife is very lucky to have you.
- If it’s an enemy, it’s a very special day for the person. Try not to spoil it. A simple congratulations and happy married life will do.
- Best friend or a sister/brother. You look very beautiful or handsome. Is there anything you want? What can I do to help? Offering to help when you see the need to or if it seems that the bride or groom is edgy contributes a lot to the wedding's success.
Tip: On a wedding day, the bride and groom are always uneasy. Don’t take it personally if their response isn’t friendly; it’s not intentional. It’s easy to be jumpy when you’re under much pressure. Try as much to understand them and put in a good word to calm them down.
It’s very important not to let them know of any accidents that might occur during the wedding.
How do you end a toast?
The purpose of making a best man toast is to make certain that it’s a touching and unforgettable moment for the newlyweds. The best man toast is a position that will put you in the spotlight.
Delivering a good best man toast without a proper ending can spell disaster; several cool quotes about toast, inspirational quotes or quotes about love, and some great examples on how to end a best man toast, will go a long way.
At the end of the best man toast, you are expected to raise your glass to honor the newlyweds. Below are some frequently used words to end a toast.
- Let’s toast to the good health and prosperity of the bride and groom
- Here’s to many more years of love and happiness
- Wishing you a happy married life, cheers!
What do you say when you're the best man?
What toasts does the best man do?
What do you say when giving a toast?
Who gives a speech at the wedding?
Do you say cheers at the end of a toast?
Why is it the best man's responsibility to give a speech for the groom?
What are the other responsibilities of the best man?
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