How to Give a Great Best Man Toast

Start off by writing down thoughts freely about the bride and groom and your relationship to them.

1. How do you know them?
2. Why did they choose you as best man?
3. How would you describe each of them? What are the first five adjectives that come to mind?
4. What was the groom like before he met the bride? How has he changed knowing her?
5. How did they meet? How did the groom tell you about her?
6. If you are married, you may wish to think about marriage advice you’ve received or have learned.

Start

Start off by introducing yourself, as not everyone in the room will know who you are. You might say “Excuse me everyone, if I could have your attention for a moment. I’d like to take a few moments to say a few words about our bride and groom. I’m John Doe, Patrick’s best man and longtime good friend (or brother, son, etc.)” To get people’s attention, you might insert a quick joke here. Before you get too far into your speech, you should thank the people hosting, traditionally the parents of the bride. If the bride and groom are paying for the wedding themselves, simply say, “We’re all delighted to be here today on this joyous occasion.”

Middle

Tell a funny story about the bride and/or groom or give your thoughts on love and marriage, tell the story of how they met, or talk about how you’ve seen them change through their relationship. While you may know the groom better, try to make your toast balanced, speaking about each of them. Avoid ex-girlfriend stories and keep it rated PG for kids and grandmothers in the room! Most of all, if you are sincere about what you are saying, and your words come from the heart, it’s hard to go wrong.

Closing

It’s often good to wrap up your toast with a wish of happiness and good health. Raise your glass with a resounding congratulations, cheers, l’chaim or salud, and don’t forget to drink to your own toast!

Writing your toast down on a notecard and practicing it a few times is a great way to get comfortable with what you are saying and it wont look like you are reading straight from the card. Speak loudly and clearly so people in the back of the room can hear you.

Have Fun!