Write a Best Man Speech That Gets a Standing Ovation
Answer 16 questions about your friendship, your stories, the guy he really is. You get three complete drafts back in your voice. Not a template. Your speech.
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What makes a great best man speech
Humor that lands
The best best man speeches make the room laugh before they make it cry. Humor works when it is specific, surprising, and shows you actually know this person. Generic roasting never lands. The fish-in-the-microwave detail always does.
Heart at the end
Every best man speech that earns a standing ovation turns a corner. Somewhere in the final third, the funny stops and something true takes over. The room forgives a lot of mediocre jokes when you stick the landing emotionally.
Brevity above all
Six minutes is a long best man speech. Seven minutes is too long. The secret to a great speech is not adding more, it is cutting until only the best remains. No one has ever left a wedding wishing the best man had kept going.
“Funny, then true,
then unforgettable.”
The 5-part structure of a best man speech that works
Every great best man speech follows the same emotional shape. Here is how to build it.
The opening hook
You have thirty seconds to earn the room's attention. A strong first line, a surprising fact about how you met, or a single-sentence story that makes everyone lean in. Do not start by thanking people. That comes later, if at all.
The relationship story
One story, told well, about who this person is. Not a list of accomplishments. Not your entire friendship history. One moment that reveals his character and makes the room feel like they know him better than they did two minutes ago.
The (tasteful) embarrassing story
The moment the room is waiting for. Roast him, but roast him with love. The rule: he can laugh at it. His grandmother can hear it. His new in-laws should still want him to marry into their family when it is over.
The heartfelt turn
This is where you shift. Something true about who he is, or who he has become because of her. If you have been funny for three minutes, you have permission to be real for one. The contrast is what makes it land.
The toast
Short. Direct. To both of them. Pick up your glass, say something you mean, and invite the room to join you. The best toasts are one sentence. They do not explain themselves.
Common best man speech mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Going too long
Every best man thinks his speech is an exception. It is not. Plan for five minutes, deliver in four, leave them wanting more. When in doubt, cut the last story you added.
Inside jokes nobody gets
If you need to explain the joke, the joke is gone. Stories about places, nicknames, or events that only three people at the wedding were there for will lose the other 200. Make it universal enough for the room.
Roasting too hard
His ex-girlfriends, his worst moments, his most embarrassing secrets. All of these are off the table. The line is not where you think it is. When in doubt, ask yourself: would I say this at a job interview?
Speeches worth remembering
I had two days to write my best man speech and no idea where to start. SpokenVow asked me about our friendship, our stories, the stuff that made us laugh. The speech killed. Three people told me it was the best best man speech they'd ever heard.
Best Man
I'm not a writer. I'm an engineer. SpokenVow took everything I knew about my buddy and made it sound like I'd been working on it for months. Used it word for word.
Best Man
Paid $49, did the interview in 15 minutes, and had three complete drafts before I closed my laptop. Gave the speech that Saturday. Easy.
Best Man
More best man speech guides
Deep dives
- Best Man Speech Examples That Actually Worked
Real examples across tones, with breakdowns of what makes each one land.
- How to Balance Laughs and Tears in a Best Man Speech
The emotional architecture that separates a good speech from a great one.
- How to Be Funny in a Wedding Speech Without Cringing
What actually gets laughs at weddings, and what kills the room.
- Groomsman Speech Guide
For groomsmen asked to say a few words, with or without a mic.
Quick references
- Best Man Speech Examples
Full sample speeches and opening lines, organized by tone.
- Best Man Speech Opening Lines
Strong first lines that earn the room before you earn the applause.
- Best Man Speech Jokes
Jokes that work at weddings, and the ones to leave out.
Stop staring at a blank page. Start with 16 good questions.
SpokenVow asks the questions that pull out the good stuff: the stories you almost forgot, the moments that actually show who he is. Then it writes three versions of the speech so you can pick the one that sounds like you.
Starting at $49 · 30-day money-back guarantee
Wedding Speech Studio