Best Man Speech Examples
By Dylan Hattem, author of The Wedding Speech Crisis · 6 min read
These best man speech examples are written from scratch to show the structure that works: a quick intro, an opening frame, a story about the groom, a specific moment about his partner, the two of them together, and a toast.
Don't copy them word for word. Your speech should sound like you, about people you actually know. Use them to see the shape.
Example 1: The heartfelt best man speech
Good evening, everyone. I'm Chris, Matt's best man and his roommate for four very loud years of college. Thank you to the Parkers and the Lees for this incredible night.
I want to talk about loyalty. Because if you know Matt, you know that once you're in his corner, you never leave it.
Sophomore year, my car died two hundred miles from campus at midnight. I called three people. Two didn't answer. Matt answered on the first ring, drove four hours round trip, and the only thing he asked for was that I'd pick the playlist. It was a long ride back.
That's Matt. He shows up.
So when he met Jenna, I paid attention to who was showing up for him. The first time I really saw it was the week Matt's dad was in the hospital. Jenna took the week off work without telling anyone, sat in that waiting room, and made sure Matt ate something other than vending machine crackers. She didn't make a big deal about it. She just showed up.
Watching them since then, I've realized they're the same kind of person. They keep their promises. They make the people around them feel safe. And they make the rest of us want to be a little better.
So please raise your glasses. To Matt and Jenna: two people who always show up. May you never have to call anyone else. Cheers!
- The theme (loyalty) is named in the second sentence, so the room knows where the speech is going.
- Jenna gets her own story, not a token line.
- The toast calls back to the opening story, which makes the ending feel earned.
Example 2: The funny best man speech
Hi, everyone. I'm Sam, Danny's older brother, and I've been preparing for this speech for thirty-one years.
Danny has always been a planner. At eight, he made a laminated schedule for our family road trip. At sixteen, he had a five-year plan. At twenty-five, he had a spreadsheet ranking pizza places in Brooklyn with weighted categories. It's still shared with me. I still have no idea what "crust integrity" means.
So imagine my surprise when he called me and said, "I met someone, and I didn't plan any of it."
That someone was Priya. And Priya is the only person I've ever seen make Danny throw out a schedule. She's spontaneous, she's hilarious, and she once booked them a weekend trip with two hours' notice. Danny packed in eleven minutes. Our mother cried.
But here's the thing. Priya didn't change Danny into someone else. She just showed him the best things in life don't fit in a spreadsheet. And Danny gives Priya something too: someone who remembers every detail that matters to her, and makes sure it happens.
Together they're the perfect mix of plan and adventure.
So raise a glass. To Danny and Priya. May your marriage be the one plan that never needs changing. Cheers!
- The jokes all point at one loving trait, so the humor supports the message instead of replacing it.
- Every joke is understandable to someone who's never met Danny.
- It pivots to sincerity before the end, so the laughs don't drown out the love.
Example 3: The short best man speech (under 2 minutes)
Hi, everyone, I'm Josh, Tyler's best friend since second grade. I'll keep this short, because I know there's an open bar.
Tyler has been my best friend for twenty years, and in all that time I've never seen him as calm and as happy as he's been since he met Alexis. She laughs at his jokes, which is a major act of generosity, and she makes him braver about everything.
Alexis, thank you for loving my best friend the way he deserves. Tyler, thank you for letting me stand up here tonight.
Everyone, please raise your glasses. To Tyler and Alexis. Cheers!
Mistakes to avoid in a best man speech
- Bachelor party stories, exes, or "he used to be a mess" bits.
- Inside jokes that need backstory.
- Talking for five minutes about yourself and the groom, and thirty seconds about his partner.
- Going past five minutes.
- Winging it. Every "I'll just wing it" speech sounds exactly like a wing-it speech.