Best Man Speech Ideas | 7 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd and Deliver Something Unique

In an era of social media and video on demand, best men are increasingly under pressure to come up with new ways of differentiating their speech from the crowd.  But how?  What can you do that hasn’t been done before?  Well, its not easy but it can be done.  In this article I talk you through seven different best man speech ideas to provide you with a bit of inspiration.  Ready?  Okay, let’s get into it…

Best Man Speech Idea 1: Use a Theme

Does the groom love action films?  Perhaps he’s a keen golfer or mad on Manchester United.  If he does have a real passion for something, particularly if it is one shared with his wife-to-be, there is a real opportunity to have a theme running through your best man’s speech. 

A useful trick you can use to weave a common thread through your speech is the ‘callback’.  This involves revisiting a previous subject mentioned earlier in the speech and using it again for comedic effect.  Without labouring it, this can be done multiple times.

For instance, you may have talked about how anal and organised the groom is and you could round things off at the end with the following:

‘Lastly, I just want to say how useful Pete’s organisational skills have been in making such special day run so smoothly.  His secret is devising a rigid schedule and sticking to it, so allow me to share it with you:

6pm end of afternoon reception, 7.30pm evening reception starts, 10pm upstairs to consummate the marriage, 10.02pm go to sleep.’

Best Man Speech Idea 2: Use a Song

Should you have the nerve – and musical ability – then could you write and perform a song as part of your speech?

Fair play if you have and this could really help your speech hit the right note.

If there are any would-be Ed Sheerans out there, then a tried and tested method for a wedding day ditty is to take the tune of a famous song and write your own lyrics for it that apply to the bride and groom.

Successfully doing this can have the audience ‘ahhhing’ one minute then roaring with laughter the next.

And if you are feeling particularly daring a backdrop of appropriate visuals can help your speech attain legendary status.

However, this route is only to be trodden by the extra-talented performers.  And even then, only with hours of practice

To see what I’m talking about you only have to take a look at YouTube, for instance witness the sterling efforts of Tom Fletcher, which was viewed 20m times.  Admittedly this chap had the advantage of being a member of ultra-successful band McFly, so kind of knew what he was doing.

If you have never been in a chart topping group then have a look at these videos below that show how potent a mix of music and comedy can be as a best man’s speech.  If nothing else, people will appreciate the effort you’ve gone to.

Best Man Speech Idea 3: Create a Big Surprise

I’ll be honest, this one is for those who are prepared to go for the high risk-high reward option.  An amazing feat but one that could fall flat at numerous points.  But being the best of best men is never easy.

It’s all about producing a huge surprise to the bride, groom and audience – one that few, if any, would ever imagined.  The sort of thing people will remember for the rest of their lives for its sheer boldness.

Wondering what sort of thing I’m talking about?  Well let me give you an example.

This one was actually the work of a highly enterprising maid of honour rather than a best man, but it matters not.  Her pal Louise was getting married and also a massive Take That fan, in particular, singer Gary Barlow.  Louise still had his posters on the wall with ticket stubs for dozens of concerts pinned up next to them.  She even wore a Gary Barlow t-shirt to the gym.  Imagine her shock then when, with a little help from social media, the maid of honour managed to get the tax-dodging songsmith to appear – and sing – at the wedding?!

And the encouraging thing is since then other famous faces have realised a wedding appearance is a great way to gain internet exposure and make themselves look grounded, decent folk.  That’s possibly a cynical view of their motives but whatever their reasoning the celebrity guest stunt is becoming more achievable while remaining out of the ordinary.

Check out this article if you don’t believe me, celebs are definitely getting into the habit of mixing with the common people at a wedding.  And then counting the hits when it all appears on YouTube!   

Best Man Speech Idea 4: Direct a Daring Stunt

Not just something to include in a speech, but something that would be the WHOLE speech.

What do I mean?

For your audacious feat to cause a sensation you will need a lot of preparation and imagination.  There will have to be a bit of play-acting – perhaps tell the audience disaster has struck and you’ve lost the speech.  As guests murmur at your schoolboy error you dash off from the room in a bid to find it.

Then the lights dim and a projector screen turns on – it’s time for the audience to see your movie-making magic.

Such an undertaking goes way beyond the scope of merely writing a speech, you’re essentially a director.  The possibilities are numerous and restricted only by how much time, money (and ability) you have.

Want to see the sort of thing I’m talking about?  Take a look at the videos below.  Watch and be dumbfounded, but keep in mind these all took a lot of time and effort – not to mention expense.  This is the top tier of best man’s speeches and are not easy to carry off.

Best Man Speech Idea 5: Audience Participation

Getting fellow guests involved with your speech is another route to an unforgettable performance.  It gets an additional layer of interest and the more the audience feels part of proceedings, the funnier they will find it.

One possibility is to get some kind of voting incorporated into the speech.  This could be the part-telling of story about the groom before you leave guests to guess how it all ends.

You can give multi-choice options – one true the rest as ridiculous as you like – which gives plenty of scope for fun at the groom’s expense that everyone can be a direct part of.

Cards can be given for the audience to hold up as an answer or, budget permitting, get some voting pads handed out to recreate the tension of  Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Best Man Speech Idea 6: Do a Live Performance

You will need a bit of help for this one with other guests willing to get in on the action.

During your speech, at a point pre-arranged with your team, bring out what looks like an off-the-cuff dance performance.  Of course it will have been diligently rehearsed.

It requires a lot of practice to pull it off, but if the result is on point it will go down a storm.  The dance can be written into the speech or, for the particularly ambitious, the whole speech can be turned into a West-End musical performance.

Look below to see how mind-blowing this can be if done right.

Best man Speech Idea 7: Get sponsorship from an unlikely source like Pornhub

Yes, you did read that title correctly – Pornhub!  Along a similar theme to creating a big surprise, this one is about getting a company or institution involved in the speech.  In one recent well-publicised speech best man, Thom, contacted Pornhub about his mate Danny and they happily took part in the gag by recording a message for him.  He was potentially skating on thin ice but fair play to the good people of Pornhub, they knew where the boundaries were and recorded a humorous tribute to the groom.  You might think this is out of reach but remember this – companies have a lot to gain too.  The positive publicity that Pornhub got out of that little skit was significant, so don’t be shy in approaching companies as there is a PR angle to play.

Our Services

So there are a few ideas for you to consider for your speech.  If all of this sounds a bit too much like hard work or you’re feeling a little overwhelmed at the idea of writing your best man speech, then fear not – I can write it for you!

I’ve been a Speechwriter for ten years and am the Founder of iamthebestman and SpeechMate – two sites exclusively focused on helping best men like you.  I’m a regular contributor to men’s magazines and newspapers including GQ, Shortlist and the Guardian about this topic so have a lot of experience that I can draw from to help you. 

So, if you’re looking for original best man speech ideas then you’re in the right place.  Take a look at my professional speech writing service.  Or if you prefer, you can also have free access to my video course on delivering a best man speech.  Either way, I’m here to help.