One of the groom’s tasks is to choose their best man for the wedding, and there’s a lot to consider before making that decision. They’ve got to be reliable, responsible, reasonably organised, and of course, write a great speech. So grooms, here are a few things to help you out…
Younger brother
N’aw, your little baby brother! He’s known you his whole life, and whilst he probably doesn’t remember every moment from the day he was born, he’ll definitely have a lot of stories after a lifetime of looking up to you. This means the best man’s speech will have the perfect combination of stories that will make guests laugh and cry, making it one to remember for you as the groom, as well as everyone who hears it. And, have the little bit of immaturity the younger one can get away with…
Older brother
Opting for your older brother as your best man is going to get some great stories coming out in the best man’s speech, too. Your most embarrassing ones will be included; some of which you might not even remember. After all, your older brother has seen you grow up from a baby in nappies into the groom-to-be you are today. Now, this video is definitely one of our favourite speeches we’ve seen – no pressure to your best man or anything.
Brother-in-law
Choosing your brother-in-law as your best man is the option you want to go for if you want to minimise the embarrassing baby stories, and gives your wedding guests to hear more about the couple as a whole; the bride and groom’s relationship from the start. With the natural feeling of protectiveness over his sister, this can be a bit emotional for the brother-in-law. That, or the tables turn and the best man’s speech turns into ridiculing the bride instead.
Childhood friend
All the stories that you preferred to hide from your family at the time – all the adventures, girls you fancied, private jokes, and things you got told off for – will come out with a childhood friend being your best man. If you’re lucky enough to have such a long term friend and still be super close, it’s a fantastic idea to choose him as your best man. Besides, you probably pinky promised that you’d be each others’ when you were 7 years old anyway…
Best friend
Whether you met at college, university, work or at the pub after football, these friends will, no doubt, give you and your wedding guests a speech to remember. This kind of best man will revel in the idea that he can have a whole speech embarrassing you, and he’ll do it well. That time you all dressed up as women for the stag do? Consider it a wedding day slideshow. Rubbing it in that you’re punching above your weight by marrying this bride? Done. Bad jokes? Most definitely.
Dad
Not many people remember that a choice for their best man can be their dad, just because the father of the groom is seen as already having a role in the wedding day. Giving your dad the chance to be your best man will undoubtedly mean the world to him, and be incredibly touching. You will certainly have a memorable best man’s speech ahead of you, whether your dad is the type of man to make fun of you, or the kind of man that will speak on behalf of the whole family telling you how much they love you and your bride, or of course, both.
Read our roundup of best man speech templates, tips and examples.
