The Wingman Blog

Honest advice for terrified best men

Examples, jokes, templates, and the things nobody tells you about giving a wedding speech. Written by people who've actually done it.

Anxiety

How to Stop Panicking About Your Best Man Speech (Real Advice)

Speech anxiety is real and it's awful. Here's what actually works — not the nonsense advice you'll get from your dad.

Endings

The toast is the last thing the room hears. Don't fumble it. Here are 19 endings I've watched land — pick one that fits your speech.

Openers

If you nail the first 30 seconds, the rest is easy. Here are 27 opening lines that have actually worked at real weddings.

Family

Brother speeches are different from best man speeches. You've got more permission for emotion — and more landmines. Here's how to walk the line.

Mistakes

I've watched a lot of speeches go wrong in a lot of interesting ways. Here are the eleven mistakes that come up over and over.

How-to

Short speeches aren't lazy speeches. Done right, they're the ones the room remembers. Here's how to nail the under-4-minute toast.

Templates

I've used a version of this template for every speech I've written. Fill in the brackets, cut what doesn't sound like you, and you've got a speech.

Jokes

Not the jokes you've already seen on Pinterest. These are the ones I've watched land in real rooms — and the ones I've watched die.

How-to

Forget the templates that read like a robot wrote them. Here's how I actually write best man speeches — start to toast.

Examples

I've sat through more best man speeches than I can count. Here are the twelve that actually landed — and why.