Best Man Toast

A good toast is like a nice skirt: short enough to be exciting, but long enough to be decent.

Well said. Focus on your friends, their happiness together to date, and their future.

While I have seen a few people pull off jokes and gentle ribbing with a bit of grace, those type of speeches can get away from you.

The rehearsal is the shorter and easier of the two, though it is also more intimate in a sense since these are the people closest to the bride and groom. The wedding speech should have a few jokes for good measure - keep it lighthearted and focus on how great the bride and groom are together, best wishes for future happiness/success/kids/etc.

Hans's advice is pretty good.

Talk about your opinion on the benefits of CFA vs. MBA

wait, what?

call him a cumguzzler... well played if done appropriately

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPYRR...eature=related

Remember that the event is about them. Tell funny stories about the best man that also highlight his good side. Compliment the bride for making him a better man.

I had a great best man speech planned - I rehearsed it in front of a mixed crowd and they loved it.

Anyway, big moment comes and the maid of honor gives a speech. Her "speech"? "Carla and J, you guys are the cutest couple. I love you both." The end.

Faced with that, I realized my three to four minute speech would come off as very long-winded. So I did an abbreviated version, maybe two minutes and sat down.

Always be prepared for a contingency. Topical references are great - the ceremony, who showed up, etc..

one thing to avoid, which I see often, is toasts that just talks about how the one giving the toast and the celebrant(s) met, or how they became friends. that is not interesting at all and no one cares. as flmountainman said, the event is about them.

compliment the bride - she looks pretty
compliment the bridesmaids - they look pretty (unless they dont) and/or how much they helped the bride
a few jokes but none at the expense of the couple. its not a 21st speach. some gentle ribbing of the groom as long as it is really complimentary ribbing (my best man made a joke about how i was a nerd at university but really turned it into how im a hardworker story)
compliment the groom - how good a friend he has been etc
compliment the couple - how good they are together
propose a couple of toasts (to the bride and too the couple)

if you can, back the compliments up with some amusing anecdotes.

its a simple formula but ive seen it go wrong (oh so wrong) on so many occasions.

its a big honour to be asked to be the best man and obviously the groom thinks highly off the best man so it is always very nice to hear complimentary things from him. guys dont usually compliment each other.

one wedding i went to the best man did a 15 minute speach consisting largely of stories of how hed broken the hearts of loads of girls before he settled down and about all his (womanising) antics. it was one of the most embarrasing things ive had to witness.

good luck

Gotta start out with Fornication... For an occasion such as this... end it with, heres to Groom & Bride for love, laughter and a happily ever after.

What an auspicious day. (pause) Free food. And it's good food, too. Who here likes chicken? (look around room). I've seen <groom> eat a lot of cock over the years as well. A lot (nod, look at his bride, keep nodding). Then just wing it.

brill

While each person has a different style and different things they choose to focus on the key is: Practice practice practice! In short... Don't do what these two guys do. http://www.comedycentral.com/tosh.0/...best-man-fail/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJJIs2BM1LE AND definately watch this: Heres the full web redemption on Tosh.0, this may help you too, its advice from a professional comedian on how to do a good toast. http://www.comedycentral.com/tosh.0/...orst-best-man/ Hope this helps.