Last weekend I was privileged to be given the opportunity in life to be the Best Man of an old friend who is an absolute legend.
Now when your asked to be best man you initially think, “Ok! Thanks”. Then you think so why did you choose me!
So initially your focus is on yourself and working out that you have to speak in a room full of people, including a few that you know. Then you sit down and begin to think about what you should write. So out pores a collection of random stories, a library of incidents from over the years flows through your brain. Some rude, some crude, some stupid and most only a handful of people would actually find amusing.
Then you begin over a period of months to subtly enquire what stories don’t you know. Many people have different spheres of friends and each sphere has unique stories and stories that overlap.
A Best Man needs to find those stories which the collective spheres find funny but yet makes each sphere feel at ease with what is being said.
A Best Mans speech needs humour and for the groom to feel relaxed with what is told. It is not a character assassination. After all at the end of the day he should still be one of your best mates.
The speech should also convey to the Brides family that their daughter has made the correct choice and they all need to be put at ease.
I was quite lucky last weekend as there were no stories of hookers, drugs, drunken disorderly behaviour that I could actually tell. Thankfully he is a top bloke.
I hope that in using the, “Would the Grooms mother appreciate this?”, approach that I didn’t stray over the line.
The other thing I hope is that any Best Mans speech needs to do the Groom justice.
no speech will do that man proper justice!