For Weddings in Ireland.

Who reply's on behalf of the bridesmaids and continues into his own speech.
At the end of his speech the best man reads out the cards from guests who were unable to attend the wedding.

The key to successfully delivering a wedding speech is research, being the best man you will probably know the groom very well, however you can add to your knowledge base with a little research, talk to his parents and grandparents, about his early childhood and schooldays when you may not have known him.

Anyone who's landed the job of delivering a speech will want to give it their best shot. You'll want it to be warm, witty and original. Even if you don't know the couple very well (perhaps if you're standing in for someone) or aren't a born joker, there are still plenty of ways you can make your words really different and memorable. The key is to pay attention to your material - and that means research. Our handy guide offers tips and techniques to help you beef up your speech...

ask friends and family

Siblings, cousins, old school friends... each will have a different perspective on the stars of the day, and spending some time chatting to them is sure to draw out half-forgotten anecdotal gems.

The best way to use this valuable resource is to get a group of friends and family together for a drink and a few reminiscences. While they sit there swapping stories, you may find the bulk of your speech will have been written for you by the end of the night. Take along a Dictaphone too, so you can join in without having to panic about note-taking.

Other sources
Once you've dredged the inner circle, you could extend your research to other areas of the past. Look through old photo albums, letters and cuttings - any of these might provide something funny to read out or hold up.

Track down people your subjects went to school or work/ed with, former teachers and bosses. One best man - the groom's brother - went through his brother's old school books and found an essay, written at the age of 11, entitled 'The Girl I will Marry'. Naturally, his reading of this valuable document went down a treat on the big day...

look to the stars...
Another possible source of good material is horoscopes. Find out the star signs of your subjects, look into the associated characteristics and traits, and compare them with the person/people you're talking about. Much fun can be had, especially where the typical qualities don't match... or where the star sign's vices do!

For example, Aries has the following characteristics: courage, drive, heartiness, affability, talent and enterprise. Aries 'sins' may include: naivete, ostentation, wilfulness, excess, sanctimony and domination. If your subject is a notorious coward who's famously careful with their money, you have the beginnings of a great gag.

Instead of star signs you could use Chinese Animal Signs which work in very much the same way.

Other ways to use horoscopes include finding books that discuss star-sign compatibility and/or quoting the horoscope of the day from a paper. Of course, it doesn't really have to be that actual day's column, and if you can create an ironic contrast between the theory and the reality - if for instance, your horoscope for the wedding day reads 'not much happening today' - you're bound to get a laugh.

Research.

Use ther form below to visit the history Channel and see what momentous occurances happened on the grooms birthday.

consult the archives
Track down a newspaper(s) for the day your subject was born and try to find an article which will fit the person you are writing about, or adapt a story to suit. You might be able to get an old photograph and incorporate it into the article - try to make it look authentic and then get it blown up as big as possible so it can be displayed whilst you're speaking. With a little imagination this could be visually very amusing.

Another way to get historical would be to refer to key events that happened the day your subject was born/got engaged/got married etc. Again, this can be a good source of humour e.g. 'John was born in the year that man first walked on the moon, which may not seem very relevant until you've seen him trying to dance when he's drunk.

totally topical
Look at current news stories you could put a twist on. Play around with the headlines and attach visuals to the article. Anyone with a PC and scanner can produce quite impressive looking newspaper mock-ups. The famous Sun headline 'Gotcha', for instance, could be used to accompany a picture of the happy couple on their engagement - even more apt (and comical) if the proposer had to ask several times!

what's in a name?
More material can be found in looking at the couple's names, and what they really mean. If you're trying to make a sincere point about someone's qualities, the fact that their name comes from the Latin for 'strength' or 'love' etc can be a striking way of underlining the message. There is potential for comedy here, too, if there's an interesting contrast between the personality and the meaning - for instance if the groom's name means 'God has chosen' (Daniel) when he is renowned for his atheist views!

Comparing the meanings of the names of both partners may provide some interesting material too. ('Well, they say opposites attract...!'). A dictionary of names and their meanings will help you with that one.

celebrity help
Think of famous people with the same name as your bride or groom and compare them to that celebrity in terms of job, image, clothes, status etc. Or does the bride or groom have a celebrity or person they admire? Do they mirror themselves on a famous person? What pop star did they want to be as a child? Any comparisons or anecdotes on the similarities (and differences!) between your subject and their idol can be a good source of fun too.

funny ha-ha

The most obvious way to get a laugh is to tell jokes. Just slipping in gags for the sake of it may not quite work, however, unless you can make your material relevant to the occasion in hand.

This is not as hard as it sounds - if you have a good story or one-liner, you can always introduce it by saying, 'You won't believe what someone here told me earlier', or 'I heard the most amazing story at another wedding last week...'’, or 'I hope we won't have to deal with a situation I heard about on the radio this morning...'

These links, however made up, establish a link with the present occasion that will ensure they go down well.

As for finding jokes, the field is enormous. Rent out comedy videos and films, look up gags on the Net, note down funnies in papers and mags. There are plenty of wedding joke books around, too.

Ask people for their favourite joke. But remember, very often, your own raw original material will be much funnier than any stuff that's borrowed.

The best man’s speech.

Of all the traditional speeches at the wedding reception, the best man's is the most anticipated. Guests look for humour from all the speeches, and are usually happy to reward even the feeblest attempt at a joke with gales of booming laughter. But the expectation has grown up that, whether or not any of the other speakers can stretch to a gag, the best man at least should do his best to put on a bit of a show and raise a few chuckles.

Actually, this is not as daunting as it sounds. The best man usually speaks last, by which time guests tend to have relaxed considerably (a fact not unconnected with the wine that is disappearing at a rapid rate from the tables). By this time their sense of humour threshold will have lowered considerably, so anything that vaguely looks like a punch line should bring the house down.

Another advantage you'll have at this point is familiarity. Usually – unless you're posh enough to have a separate Master of Ceremonies - you the best man will have been acting as the host or anchorman of the whole occasion, so by the time you get up to say your piece guests will be used to your ways.

Your role, in fact, is a multiple one. As the groom's best friend, it is your job to humiliate the Main Man in as amusing a fashion as possible. As host, you will read out telegrams and pass on any practical announcements - anything people need to know, for instance, about the evening's activities. And as traditional head of the wedding assistants, you will also speak on behalf of the bridesmaids.

best man’s speech checklist
Points you may like to include:
The traditional best man's beginning often involves thanking the bride and groom for their gifts and compliments to 'the team' of bridesmaids, ushers, page boys etc.
Read any telegrams and other messages from invited guests unable to attend the wedding.
Also near the start, you might want to tell some behind-the-scenes stories.
about preparing for the wedding - especially any amusing incidents, narrowly averted disasters etc.
Make a point of addressing the couple, and especially of talking to and about the bride too. Too many best man's speeches almost entirely overlook her.
And so to the traditional main task - embarrassing the groom. Your material should be funny without being nasty, risqué without being offensive. Props are often used here, and stories - or hints at stories - from the stag night often crop up too.
It can seem like a good idea to mention past relationships, but tread carefully. The golden rule: If there's a chance it might upset the bride... leave it out.
Leaven the mockery with some sincerity. Talk about how you met the groom, how you came to be best mates, how much you really think of him, your perspective on the growing relationship between bride and groom, how he behaved differently with her (the moment I knew it was serious...), your best wishes for their future together etc.
If you have any messages to read, include them after your main speech.
Conclude with a toast to the bride and groom.