Best Man Speech Humorous Photo at Seagate Beach Club

Wedding day speeches are not limited just to groomsmen and bridesmaids, as anyone that has a special relationship to the couple may be asked to say a few words, including siblings, parents, cousins, or even the bride or groom. We learned first hand that to have someone make a speech you usually have to directly ask them as we forgot that step when planning our own wedding! There are occasionally people who step up to the mic on their own to say a few works during an impromptu address to the crowd. These could be heartfelt wishes from a quiet elderly relative or boisterous happy thoughts from a beloved toddler who is not afraid of public speaking. The speeches are often scheduled during dinner since everyone is already seated and not completely distracted. It is also one of the last formalities of the day, allowing the dance floor to open up unencumbered by any future distracting stoppages that can dim the energy of the evening. Wrapping up all of the events on the earlier side of the evening also allows any older guests or those with young children to excuse themselves for the night without missing any of the emotional parts of the day.

Wedding day speeches can range from bland to epic, with the three main variables being duration, comfort, and connection. Standing up and addressing a group of people is consistently rated as one of the most widely held fears in the world. One of the only ways to truly comfort that fear and move past it is to do it more often, but plenty of the people delivering speeches at a wedding are tackling public speaking for the very first time. Everyone present is always supportive when they hear the nervous tremble in someone’s voice, since everyone has either been in that position before or they will be someday. We always make sure to smile and encourage the person with the microphone in case they make eye contact with us, since the camera’s lens might actually be more intimidating that a sea of strange faces. Many people have risen to the occasion, some have crumbled under the pressure, but all are better for having done it.

The duration of the speeches is something that is fairly controllable by the bride and groom. Most couples do not dream of speeches that take up an hour of their day. If there is a friend or family member who is known for rambling on someone could offer them a gentle reminder ahead of time and guide them into revising what they have written. The couples who have told us after the wedding that they felt as though speeches went on forever were not due to a couple of people maximizing their time in the spotlight, but rather due to the couple’s decision to have multiple speeches. Having three or four equally close friends can cause some consternation when deciding which one should be the maid of honor or best man, and the frequent “middle ground” is to have each of them make a speech during the reception. If eight people aim to speak for two minutes each and everyone goes slightly over that allotment, once you factor in applause, raising the champagne glasses and passing the microphone, this can be a thirty to forty minute endeavor.

For those who have never delivered a speech at a wedding, when asked to do so they often seek advice. In this day and age that means they immediately type "best maid of honor speech" or "funny best man speech" into Google and see what comes out. That is how you found this page, isn’t it? After seeing patterns of speeches over the years, we punched it into the search engine to see what would come out, and we quickly found multiple lists of ideas for helping people in that position. At the time a few years back, we had seen every single one of them acted out at least twice. Taking it a step further, we remembered seeing each one work well and work poorly. To be frank, we have seen some pretty terrible speeches over the years, but most of the bad ones are when someone tries to do something that succeeded on YouTube or Facebook, but may not be inline with their own personality. (No, we would never share specific examples! Suffice it to say that everyone was embarassed enough already.) We have also seen plenty of speeches that have succeeded admirably, and they all share a few key elements: they are genuine, they have a connection, and they make people feel something. Even when the speaker cannot find the words, has a tremble in their voice, or shake with fear when they are handed with the mic, all of that is ignored entirely if they speak from the heart.

The best man in this photo is the groom’s brother, and he delivered the best speech we have ever heard. Part of its effectiveness is that no one really saw it coming. This is not to say that no one had faith in him, its just that if you chatted with him for a few hours like we did during the day, he does not give off the vibe of someone who could deliver the way he did. He seems like a fun loving person, smiling all the time, and just enjoying life. He’s the type of guy you like having in the room, his relaxed energy and infectious smile setting the tone. You could easily picture him on a surfboard at sunrise or piloting a boat to the Bahamas. When next to his brother the differences in their personalities come across even more, with the groom seeming more reserved an comfortable in a suit or at a business meeting, while the best man was enough of a free spirit to be comfortable anywhere.

Earlier in the day the best man mentioned that he was a little nervous about giving a speech but that he was comfortable just winging it. He was politely teased by a few other people, commenting on the fact that he had not written anything down or even decided what he was going to say. After the ceremony and formal photos, we were setting up our lighting in the reception while some guests were at the bar nearby. We saw the best man chatting with a gorgeous woman, looking slightly nervous, and then scribbling something down on a beverage napkin. At first we thought he was giving his phone number to someone he had just met, but later we realized that he was talking to his girlfriend and writing his speech on a napkin about twenty minutes before he had to grab the microphone. The maid of honor went first and delivered a beautiful and touching toast to the couple, creating a sea of happy faces and clinking champagne flutes. When the best man stepped up with his small napkin hidden in one hand, we all expected the mood to transition from sweet to comical as he grinned slightly and assumed an awkward, nervous stance.

He started by telling everyone he had not really prepared much and that he had taken a few notes earlier in the day. He then transitioned into recapping their early lives together and shared a few stories about growing up with an older sibling. He told the story of how the bride and groom met one another from his perspective, giving some small insights to what they were all thinking as the relationship grew more serious. People smiled and appreciated that he had taken so well to his role of storyteller, feeling that he was about to tell them all to raise a glass, thus concluding his speech. Instead he turned and looked directly at his brother for about five straight minutes, and calmly poured out his feelings. He never laughed, cried, or even had his voice break in the slightest as he beamed with pride, confessing to his brother just how much he has looked up to him for their entire lives. We have heard people do this before, reading off a few notes, but this was different. He opened up his heart in front of 150 people and recalled all of the times his brother has inspired him to do the right things in life, how proud he is of all of his brother’s accomplishments, and how he hopes to one day be as good of a person as he has been for his whole life. It was the most genuine and heartfelt outpouring of emotion we have ever seen, as there was not a dry eye in the house, including all of the guests and everyone working there. We he put down his glass after toasting the happy couple, you could se the groom explode out of his seat, flying over to hug his brother. We captured this image during one of the funny moments, but seeing that bonding embrace always immediately takes us back to that exact moment, remembering everything we felt listening to that amazing speech.