Concluding A Memorable Best Man Speech

Concluding a best man's speech is a challenging task. The ending should be memorable and powerful, reflecting your relationship with the couple and your wishes for their future. It is important to keep the conclusion short and sweet, ensuring you do not lose the attention of your audience. A good rule of thumb is to keep your ending under a minute or two.

If your speech has been humorous, a light-hearted ending can work well. However, if your speech has been more sentimental, a heartfelt and sincere ending may be more appropriate.

- A toast to the newlyweds: This is a classic way to wrap up your speech. Keep it short and sweet.

- A final joke or anecdote: If your speech has been funny, ending with a joke or anecdote can leave the audience laughing.

- A heartfelt message: Share a sincere message with the newlyweds to make them feel loved and appreciated.

- A poem or inspirational quote: Choose something that reflects the couple's love story and practice delivering it with confidence and emotion.

- Thank the happy couple and the audience: Express your gratitude for being part of their special day and thank the audience for their presence and support.

Thank the couple and guests

Thanking the couple and the guests is an important part of ending a best man's speech. It shows gratitude and appreciation for those who made the wedding possible and memorable. Here are some ways to do this:

Raise a Glass to the Happy Couple

Raising a glass to the newlyweds is a classic and effective way to conclude your speech. It's a chance to express your well wishes for their future together. Keep your toast short and sweet, using the couple's names and expressing your hopes for their future. Here are some examples:

• "To [Bride's Name] and [Groom's Name], may your love for each other continue to grow stronger with each passing year. Cheers!"
• "We raise a glass to [Bride's Name] and [Groom's Name], wishing you a lifetime of love, laughter, and happiness. Congratulations!"
• "Here's to [Bride's Name] and [Groom's Name], two people who are truly meant to be together. May your love story continue to inspire us all. Cheers!"

Thank the Happy Couple and the Audience

As the best man, it's important to express gratitude towards the happy couple for giving you the honour of being their best man. Thank them for their friendship and the opportunity to be part of their special day. Also, thank the audience for their presence and support, especially those who travelled from far away. You can say something like:

• "It has been a huge honour to be your best man. However, it has become an even bigger honour to ask everyone in this room to toast the newly married couple. To the bride and groom!"
• "I want to say a special thank you to all the bridesmaids. They have been wonderful and helpful throughout the process and today."
• "Thank you, everyone, for keeping the clapping to a minimum today. I have a terrible hangover. I couldn't let the groom drink alone last night, could I? Let's raise a final glass to the new Mr and Mrs [Name]."

Offer Congratulations

Congratulate the newlyweds on their marriage and offer your best wishes for their future together. This is a great opportunity to express your happiness for the couple and show your support for their relationship. You can say:

• "Let us wish the bride and groom many years of love and happiness. May you be the kind of friends that only lovers can be. May you love each other in the way only best friends are able to."
• "Let us toast to the remarkable bond my buddy and his partner possess. Even though it wasn’t easy, they made it through and taught us that no matter what challenges stand in the way, true love will always find a way. Cheers!"
• "Wishing you both a lifetime of health and happiness, where you can continue to explore all that life has to offer together as one. May you keep smiling with every struggle and crying with every joy – knowing that whatever comes your way will bring even more strength to your relationship."

Recap the Highlights

Briefly summarise the key points of your speech, highlighting the most memorable moments. This will help reinforce your message and ensure that your audience remembers the important parts of your speech. You might say:

• "It became obvious that my brother had fallen in love and found the one when he spent a lot more time with [Bride] instead of his Xbox."
• "I once read that the best man’s speech should always take as long as the amount of time it takes the groom to make love. So, here is to the happy couple!"
• "To my best friend, I’m so happy he has found someone who loves him just as much as I do!"

Keep it short and sweet

Keeping your best man speech short and sweet is a great way to leave a lasting impression on the newlyweds and their guests. Here are some tips to help you craft a concise and memorable ending:

Keep it Brief

Avoid rambling or going off on tangents. Stick to your main points and steer clear of unnecessary stories or jokes. This will help ensure that your ending is tight and focused, capturing the attention of your audience.

Use Bullet Points or Memorable Quotes

Bullet points can be a useful tool to guide your speech and keep it concise. Ending with a memorable quote or phrase is another effective technique. This could be a heartfelt message to the newlyweds or a funny one-liner that ties into the rest of your speech.

Thank the Happy Couple and the Audience

Express your gratitude towards the happy couple for the honour of being their best man. Thank them for their friendship and the opportunity to share in their special day. Also, acknowledge the audience for their presence and support, especially those who travelled from afar. This will make the couple and their guests feel appreciated and valued.

Recap the Highlights

Briefly summarise the key points of your speech, highlighting the most memorable moments. This reinforces your message and ensures that your audience remembers the important parts of your speech.

Offer Congratulations

Congratulate the newlyweds on their marriage and offer your best wishes for their future together. Express your happiness for the couple and show your support for their union. This will leave a positive and uplifting impression.

End with a Toast

A toast is a classic and effective way to conclude your speech. Keep it short and sweet, using the couple's names and expressing your sincere hopes for their future. Don't forget to actually raise your glass during the toast as a visual cue to signal the end of your speech.

End with a poem or quote

Ending your best man's speech with a poem or quote is a great way to leave the newlyweds with a lasting message that they can carry with them throughout their marriage. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect poem or quote to end your speech:

Consider the Tone of Your Speech

If your speech has been filled with jokes and light-hearted stories, you might want to choose a poem or quote that is humorous and light-hearted. On the other hand, if your speech has been more serious and sentimental, a heartfelt and emotional poem or quote would be more appropriate.

Think About the Couple

Consider the couple's interests, values, and hopes for the future. Choose a poem or quote that speaks to their relationship and their unique love story. This will add a special and meaningful touch to your speech.

Practice Your Delivery

It's important to practice your delivery of the poem or quote beforehand. You want to be able to deliver it with confidence and emotion. Consider printing out the poem or quote and reading it from there, or memorise it if you feel comfortable.

Keep it Short and Sweet

Opt for a concise and impactful poem or quote rather than a long and complex one. Short quotes are easier to remember and deliver, making them more effective for your toast.

"To keep a marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, where you are wrong, admit it, and when you are right, shut up." – Ogden Nash

"Love is not about how many days, weeks, or months you've been together. It's all about how much you love each other every day."

"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." – Aristotle

"Love is a friendship set to music." – Joseph Campbell

"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry someone you cannot live without."

Raise a glass to the couple

Raising a glass to the couple is a classic and effective way to conclude a best man's speech. Here are some tips to make sure your toast hits the mark:

Keep it Short and Sweet

Avoid a long-winded toast that may lose its impact. Keep it to a few sentences or a short paragraph. You don't want to overstay your welcome and lose the audience's attention.

Use the Couple's Names

Make sure to include the names of the bride and groom in your toast. This personal touch will make the toast feel more meaningful.

Express Your Wishes for Their Future

Whether it's health, happiness, or success, express your sincere hopes for the couple's future together.

Raise Your Glass

Don't forget to actually raise your glass during the toast! This is a visual cue that signals to the audience that the toast is ending.

"To [Bride's Name] and [Groom's Name], may your love for each other continue to grow stronger with each passing year. Cheers!"

"We raise a glass to [Bride's Name] and [Groom's Name], wishing you a lifetime of love, laughter, and happiness. Congratulations!"

"Here's to [Bride's Name] and [Groom's Name], two people who are truly meant to be together. May your love story continue to inspire us all. Cheers!"

"Let's raise a glass to a love that will make even Cupid jealous, and may their marriage be filled with laughter, adventure, and all the good things in life."

"To the newlyweds, may their love be like a game of chess—always evolving, never boring, and always ending with a mate."

"To the happy couple, may their love be like a cozy fire in winter—warm, comforting, and always there to chase away the chill."

"To my best friend [Name] and his beautiful wife/groom [Name] – here's to a wonderful future filled with lots of love and true happiness."

Congratulate the newlyweds

As the best man, you have the important duty of delivering the final words of your speech. Here are some ideas for how to conclude your speech and congratulate the newlyweds.

Keep it Short and Sweet

While you want to end strong, you don’t want to overstay your welcome. Keep your ending short and sweet, so you don’t lose your audience’s attention. A good rule of thumb is to keep your ending no longer than a minute or two.

End with a Poem or Inspirational Quote

If you’re looking for a more poetic or inspirational way to end your speech, consider ending with a quote or poem that reflects the couple’s love story. You can find many great quotes and poems online that will inspire and uplift your audience. For example, you could say:

> "Here’s to a lifetime of love and fulfillment."

A Toast to the Newlyweds

Ending your speech with a toast to the newlyweds is a classic way to wrap up your speech. Just make sure to keep it short and sweet. For example:

> "Please join me in raising a glass to the happy couple."

A Final Joke or Anecdote

If your speech has been humorous, ending with a final joke or anecdote can be a great way to leave the audience laughing. For example:

> "To the two things that make a great marriage: a good sense of humour and selective hearing. To [Bride] and [Groom]!"

A Heartfelt Message

If you want to end your speech on a more sentimental note, consider sharing a heartfelt message with the newlyweds. This can be a great way to make the couple feel truly loved and appreciated. For example:

> "I wish my best friend and his bride a life filled with happiness, adventure, and great memories."

Frequently asked questions