How to Write a Best Man Speech (Template, Jokes & Examples)

The structure

1. Intro — name, how you know the groom (30 seconds).
2. One story about the groom (60–90 seconds).
3. One controlled joke or two — at the groom's expense, never the bride's (45 seconds).
4. The turn — what changed when he met his partner (60 seconds).
5. The toast (10 seconds).

Example — Funny (4 minutes)

Good evening — I'm Dan, and I've been Mike's best friend since the day he tackled me in a game of touch football I'd specifically said was touch football… When Mike met Anna, the group text changed overnight. For ten years it was sports scores. For the last two years it has been photos of brunch. Anna, thank you for civilizing him. To Mike and Anna.

Example — Sentimental (3 minutes)

I'm Tom, James's older brother. When we were kids, I was the loud one and he was the kind one. Twenty-five years later, I'm still the loud one — and he is still the kind one. Sarah, you picked the right brother. To James and Sarah.

Jokes that work — and jokes that don't

Work

• Self-deprecating jokes about you, not the groom.
• One specific, harmless story everyone in the room can picture.
• A callback to something the bride or her family said earlier.

Don't

• Anything about exes. Ever.
• Bachelor-party stories. Whatever happened there stays there.
• Jokes about the bride. You're allowed to compliment her.
• Long lists of nicknames or inside jokes.

Delivery

• Print the speech on a 5×7 card. Never read from a phone.
• Stand still. Hold the mic close to your chin, not your chest.
• Pause after every laugh — full beat.
• End on the toast, not on a thank-you. The toast is the close.