Below is the full speech, laid out the way it would appear on cue cards: one beat per card, each with a short heading so you can see where you are at a glance. Read it through once for the shape, then use the notes underneath to make it yours.
The speech
Good evening, everyone. For those who don’t know me, I’m Sam, Dan’s younger brother and, for one night only, his best man. Thank you to Linda and Mark for a beautiful day, and to all of you for coming, some of you from a very long way away. [SMILE]
Dan and I shared a bedroom for twelve years. He drew a line down the middle with masking tape and charged me rent to cross it. One chocolate biscuit per trip to the door. I was seven. I paid. [PAUSE] So when people ask me what Dan is like, I say: fair, organised, and very good at negotiating.
When Dan was sixteen he decided to cook our parents an anniversary dinner. He set the smoke alarm off twice, served the potatoes raw, and then stood up and gave a speech about how much they meant to us. Mum cried. Not because of the potatoes. [PAUSE] That is Dan. Things don’t always go to plan, but he always means it.
Then, five years ago, he came home from a friend’s birthday and said, very casually, “I met someone who reads the instructions.” I knew straight away it was serious. Dan has never read an instruction in his life. Priya assembled his entire flat-pack wardrobe in one afternoon, and he has followed her lead ever since.
Priya, you have made my brother calmer, kinder and much better dressed. You laugh at his jokes, which is generous, and you tell him when they aren’t funny, which is a public service. Watching you two together, it is obvious that you are a team. [LOOK AT THEM]
A few thank-yous. To the bridesmaids, who have looked after Priya all day. To Priya’s family, for welcoming all of us so warmly. And to Mum and Dad, who taught us both that the best thing you can give someone is your time.
Dan, there is no masking tape line any more. Everything you have is now shared, and I can’t think of anyone better to share it with. [PAUSE] Would you all please stand and raise your glasses. To Dan and Priya!
Open this speech as cue cards to edit it, change the text size and print it.
Make it your own
- Swap the childhood story for one of your own. Keep it short: set-up, moment, punchline.
- Check every joke with one question: would the grandparents laugh too?
- Say the partner’s name early and often. The speech is about the couple, not only your friend.
- Write names in the thank-you card the way they are pronounced.
- If you run long, cut a story rather than speaking faster.
Work through the cards in order. For each one, ask what job it is doing (introducing you, showing a trait, thanking people, asking the room to act) and write your own version that does the same job. Keep each card to one idea. If a card gets too long to glance at, split it in two.
How to deliver it
Rehearse out loud at least three times, standing up, holding the cards you will use on the day. The first run is for finding the awkward sentences, the second for timing, and the third for looking up. Try to say the first line of each card while looking at the audience, then glance down only to find the next prompt.
Slow down more than feels natural, especially after a punchline or an emotional line. Cues in square brackets, such as [PAUSE], are reminders for you, not words to say. Number your cards, hold them at chest height, and move each finished card to the back of the stack. If you are using a microphone, hold it in one hand and the cards in the other.
For more on this kind of speech, read the best man speech guide, or go back to all speech examples.