Skip to content
  • Wedding planning tools, free to start
  • No adverts, ever
  • Made by Britten, a family business in Bath since 2007

Best man speech

A free best man speech template with the usual UK order, a timer that counts your minutes and notes on the wedding breakfast. No account needed.

At a UK wedding the best man traditionally speaks third, after the father of the bride and the groom, at the wedding breakfast. It runs about five minutes, which is 550 to 600 words. The toastmaster, or the venue host, introduces you. The same shape works for a best woman.

Write it below from a free template. It has the usual UK order in mind: a thank-you, one story, a few words about the couple, any messages from people who could not be there, and the toast. You see your minutes as you type, you can practise with a timer, and you can print A6 cue cards. No account is needed.

How to write a best man speech in 5 steps

  1. Ask when you speak. Ask the couple or the toastmaster where you come in, whether it is before or after the meal, and whether there is a microphone. Ask what they would like left out.

  2. Open and thank. Say who you are and thank the couple for asking you. A short, warm opening is better than a joke that needs explaining.

  3. Pick one story. Choose one story that shows what your friend is like. If you would not tell it in front of the couple's grandparents, leave it out, including anything from the stag do or the hen do.

  4. Add the messages and the toast. Read out the messages from people who could not be there, if there are any. End by asking everyone to be upstanding and raise their glasses.

  5. Practise out loud and print A6 cards. Run it with the timer. Five minutes is the usual, so cut the second story first if you are over. Print A6 cue cards and bring your phone as a backup.

Examples, by length and tone

The examples for this page are being read through before we publish them. The template, the questions and the writer on this page work now.

The template, with timings: Best man speech template

Five parts, about five minutes in all, which is the usual length for this speech.

About 5 minutes at the wedding breakfast. Written for any couple; also works for a best woman.

  1. Open and thankabout 40 seconds

    Good afternoon, everyone. For those who don't know me, I'm [your name], and I've known [Name] since [when and how you met].

    [Thank the hosts, the venue or the room, in one sentence].

  2. One story about [Name]about 100 seconds

    Here is what you need to know about [Name]. [One true story that shows who they are: where you were, what happened, what they did].

    [What that story tells you about them, in one plain sentence].

  3. Meeting [Partner's name]about 75 seconds

    And then there was [Partner's name]. [What you noticed the first time you saw the two of them together].

    [One small thing their partner does for them that you had never seen anyone do].

  4. Messages from people who could not be hereabout 30 seconds

    [Read two or three short messages from people who could not be here, and say who sent them].

  5. Your wish and the toastabout 55 seconds

    [Name], [Partner's name]: [your wish for them, in one sentence].

    Please be upstanding, and charge your glasses. To [Name] and [Partner's name].

The questions that fill it in

  1. When and how did you meet [Name]? The year, and the first time you remember.
  2. Who do you want to thank? The hosts, the venue, the room, or skip it.
  3. What story shows who [Name] is? Pick one you can tell in under a minute and a half.
  4. What does that story tell you about them? One plain sentence.
  5. What did you notice when you saw them together? The first time, or the time you knew.
  6. What does [Partner's name] do that you have never seen anyone do? Something small and kind.
  7. Are there messages to read out? Cards or texts from people who could not come.
  8. What do you wish for them? One sentence, said to them.

Questions people ask

Where does the best man speech come in the order of speeches?
Traditionally third: the father of the bride, then the groom, then the best man. Many weddings add the maid of honour, the bride and others after that. The toastmaster introduces each speaker.
How long should it be?
About five minutes, 550 to 600 words at a calm pace. All the speeches together should come in under forty minutes, so keep to the time you are given.
Do I read out messages from people who cannot be there?
If there are some, yes: a short list, with the names. Ask the couple first, and keep it to a few. It is a part of the template, and you can leave it out.
Should I mention the stag do?
Only what everybody in the room can enjoy. Anything that is only funny to the stag party stays at the stag party.
How do I do the toast?
Ask everyone to be upstanding, or to charge their glasses, then give the names and a short wish: 'To Alex and Sam.' Then stop talking and drink.
Can I use cue cards?
Yes. A6 cards are the usual size, and the writer prints them in large type, numbered, with no sentence split across cards. A phone makes a good backup because the on-the-day view works with no signal.
What if the couple want no jokes?
Then give a warm speech with one true story. A plain speech given with care is remembered long after a clever one.

Related