A GUIDE to giving a best man’s speech has been compiled by a Scots charitable group after they collected evidence of the worst wedding day blunders.
Examples of best man gaffes include using an “unmentionable” swear word in the speech which was repeated by the bride’s six year old nephew for the rest of the night
After collecting advice from around the UK, North Berwick Round Table have now put their guide online, advising best men to avoid mentioning previous partners, smut and stealing jokes from the internet.
One toe-curling best man’s blunder was provided by Charles Cole from Bristol. He said: “I once attended a big formal wedding where a substantial part of the best man’s speech was recounting in detail how the groom lost his virginity. He went in to quite some detail. The room was best described as silent.”
Steve Woods, from Birmingham said: “I once attended a wedding where the best man had possibly the worst opening line I’ve ever heard: ‘Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen – I have to confess, this isn’t the first time today that I’ve stood up from a warm seat with paper in my hand…’. The whole room just sat in stunned silence.”
Disaster
Simon Durridge of Manchester urged those writing a speech to steer clear of swearing.
He said: “I went to a wedding once where the best man used an unmentionable swear word right in the middle of his speech – it upset the bride’s grandmother and her six-year-old nephew wouldn’t stop saying it all evening. Disaster.”
The guide to an ideal speech advises best men not to mention the groom’s former partners, not to drink too much, and not to steal jokes, adding “people will know if you’ve Googled your speech”.
The guide also warns against fading away. It states: “Make sure the speech finishes strongly whether this is your best joke or your most heart-felt sentiment.”
For the best possible speech, best men are advised to practice their speech and to keep it to 1000 words.
Being self-deprecating is advised for those who plan to poke fun at the groom and writers are advised to “speak from the heart”.
Gaffes
It adds: “If you are a natural comedian then obviously go for gags, but if delivering a joke is not your strong suit, concentrate on something more personal and heart-felt.”
The group’s Vice President, Jason Thomson, said the guide was designed to prevent embarrassing wedding moments.
He said: “The best man’s speech is notorious for daring jokes and embarrassing anecdotes, but these can go spectacularly wrong.
“Understandably, the speech is something that best men across the UK worry about, and from reading some of the stories we’ve had sent in, it seems a lot of them end up making hilarious gaffes.
“If we can help just one man to avoid red faces and awkward silences at his best friend’s wedding breakfast, we’ll be very happy.”
The best man’s guide is available online at www.roundtable.co.uk/bestmanguide.
