Most best man speeches cover the same ground. You introduce yourself, say how you know the groom, tell a couple of stories about him, say something kind about the couple and finish with a toast. What makes one better than another is the detail in the stories. The examples below are about made-up people, and each one is written in a different voice so you can see how much room there is to make it your own.
If you're still working out the shape of yours, the best man speech guide goes through each part, and the best man speech template lets you build it section by section.
1. A funny best man speech from a college friend (about four minutes)
Luis and Andrew lived on the same dorm floor as freshmen at Arizona State in Tempe and stayed friends after graduating. Andrew works in commercial real estate in Phoenix, and he's marrying Brooke, a veterinarian. Luis wanted plenty of laughs, all about things Andrew would happily laugh at himself.
Good evening, everybody. I'm Luis, and I've been Andrew's friend since our first week at ASU, when we lived across the hall from each other. Thank you to Brooke's parents, Karen and Steve, for hosting tonight, and to Andrew and Brooke for letting me have a microphone. That was brave.
The first time I met Andrew, he knocked on my door to ask if I had an iron. It was August in Tempe. It was a hundred and twelve degrees outside. Everyone else on the floor was wearing a tank top and flip-flops, and Andrew wanted to iron a shirt for the welcome barbecue. I didn't have an iron. Nobody had an iron. He ended up hanging the shirt in the bathroom while he took a very long shower, and he showed up to the barbecue looking great and sweating through his collar in about four minutes.
That's Andrew. He always makes an effort, even when the weather is against him. He's the guy who brings a hostess gift to a Super Bowl party. He's the guy who sends a thank-you text after you lend him a phone charger. His mom, Patricia, is here tonight, and I'd like to thank her, because I know exactly where he got it from.
Andrew also believes he is a great cook. He owns a smoker. He has watched a lot of videos about brisket. A few summers ago he invited twelve of us over for what he called "the brisket event of the year." He got up at four in the morning to start it. At seven that evening we were still waiting. At nine we ordered pizza. At about eleven he came in from the backyard, cut a slice, and it was honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten. Nobody was left to eat it except me and him, so we ate it standing up in the kitchen at midnight, with our fingers, while he explained the bark to me. I still think about that brisket a lot.
Then he met Brooke. He brought his parents' dog, Biscuit, in for a checkup, and he came out of that appointment and called me from the parking lot. He said, "I think I just met the smartest person in Arizona, and she told me Biscuit's nails were a disgrace." Biscuit's nails have been perfect ever since, by the way. Brooke saw to it.
Brooke, you're funny and patient, and you've got Andrew to start the brisket at a reasonable hour. You make him relax, which none of us managed in fifteen years. When I see you two together, you're always laughing about something, usually him.
Andrew, thanks for being the friend who always makes the effort. I'm proud to be up here for you.
So everyone, please raise your glasses to Brooke and Andrew.
What makes it work: every joke is about something Andrew is secretly proud of, like his manners and his brisket. The heat in Tempe makes the iron story easy to picture, and the brisket story ends on something kind. Luis thanks Andrew's mom in a way that's also a compliment to him, and the part about Brooke brings the dog back for one last laugh.
2. A best man speech from a brother (about three minutes)
Caleb is two years older than his brother Wyatt. They grew up on a horse farm outside Lexington, Kentucky, where their parents still live. Wyatt is a high school history teacher, and he's marrying Hailey, a nurse he met while coaching Little League. Caleb wanted to talk about growing up together.
Hi, everyone. I'm Caleb, Wyatt's big brother. Thank you all for coming, and thank you to Hailey's family for welcoming us so warmly. Mom and Dad, thank you for the rehearsal dinner last night, and for letting us use the barn for the after-party, which I promise we'll clean up.
Wyatt and I grew up on a farm outside Lexington, which meant our summers were mostly chores. Every morning at six, Dad would send us out to muck the stalls and fill the water troughs. I did it as fast as I could so I could get back to bed. Wyatt did it slowly because he was talking to the horses. He gave every one of them a nickname, and he'd tell them about his day. There was an old mare called Duchess, and I'm fairly sure she knew more about his middle school crushes than I did.
He's still like that. He takes his time with people. He teaches history at a high school in Georgetown, and he's the teacher kids come back to see after they graduate. Last spring a former student of his stopped by the farm just to tell him she'd got into law school.
When I was twenty-two I wrecked my truck on a back road in the rain. I was fine, but I was shaken up and I didn't want to call Dad. I called Wyatt. He was nineteen, and he drove out in the dark, sat with me in the cab until the tow truck came and never told a soul. Until tonight, I suppose. Sorry, Dad.
Then Hailey came along. Wyatt was coaching a Little League team, and her nephew was the catcher. Wyatt came home from the first game and told me about her for twenty minutes before he told me the score. Hailey, you're kind and quick, and you're the only person who can make him laugh so hard he has to sit down. You work long shifts, and he has dinner waiting every time. The two of you look after each other in the easy way that Mom and Dad do.
Wyatt, I've been your big brother for your whole life, and you've looked out for me just as much as I've looked out for you. I'm so proud of you.
So please raise your glasses to Hailey and Wyatt.
What makes it work: the story about the horses is the kind of memory only a brother could tell, and it leads straight into what Wyatt is like as a teacher. The truck story shows his loyalty and gets a laugh from the confession to their dad. Comparing the couple to his parents is a warm way to bring both families into the ending.
3. A short best man speech (about two minutes)
Omar and Sam met at their first job, at an engineering firm in Boston. Sam is marrying Leah, and there are several speakers at the reception, so Omar kept his toast short.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Omar, and I've been Sam's friend since our first week at work in Boston, ten years ago. We were the two new guys, and we were given desks next to the printer, which broke every single day. Sam read the manual and fixed it. I bought the coffee. That's been our arrangement ever since.
Sam is the most reliable person I know. He's helped me move apartments three times, and every time he showed up with his own dolly and a roll of tape. He remembers my kids' birthdays, which is more than I can say for their uncles. When my daughter turned five, he showed up with a kit to build a birdhouse, and then he stayed all afternoon to help her build it. It's still hanging in our yard in Quincy.
He met Leah on a Saturday morning at a bakery in the North End, when they both reached for the last cannoli. He let her have it. Leah, he still tells that story like it was the smartest decision he's ever made, and I think he might be right. You bring out a side of him that's more relaxed and more fun, and we're all very glad you took the cannoli.
Sam, thanks for all of it. I'm honored to be standing here.
So please raise your glasses to Leah and Sam.
What makes it work: it covers everything a best man toast needs in a few short paragraphs. The printer story introduces their friendship quickly, and the cannoli gives the couple's story one clear picture that comes back at the end. It's short without feeling rushed, which is exactly right when there are several speakers.
4. A best man speech for two grooms (about three minutes)
Ben has known Anthony since they were in the marching band together at high school in Sacramento, California. Anthony is a pharmacist, and he's marrying Matt, a landscape architect. Matt's best friend is also giving a toast, so Ben focused on Anthony and how the couple met.
Hi, everybody. I'm Ben, and I've been Anthony's friend since we were fourteen and playing trumpet in the marching band. Thank you both for asking me to do this, and thank you to Anthony's parents, Maria and Frank, and Matt's parents, Gail and Jim, for everything they've done to make today happen.
Anthony and I sat next to each other in the trumpet section for four years. He was the better player by a long way. He also took it much more seriously than I did. At halftime shows, I was the guy trying to find his place in the music. Anthony was the guy who knew everyone's place in the music, and he'd whisper it to me during the drill. Without him I'd have marched straight into the tubas more than once.
He's still the person who keeps everyone in step. He works as a pharmacist, and he's the one friend in our group who will answer a text at eleven at night about whether you can take two different cold medicines together. He will also tell you to drink some water and go to sleep, and he's always right.
When my son was born, Anthony drove up to our place in Davis with a week of frozen dinners he'd made himself. They were labeled with the date and the reheating time. We ate every one of them, and I still have the labels on the fridge.
Then he met Matt. They met at a friend's backyard party in Midtown, where Matt had designed the garden. Anthony spent most of the evening asking Matt the names of the plants, which, as far as I know, he had never done before in his life. He now keeps a lemon tree on his balcony, and he talks to it.
Matt, you make Anthony slow down and enjoy things, and you're the only person who has ever got him to take a vacation without a checklist. You're kind and easygoing, and you fit into our group like you'd always been there. You two are so good together.
Anthony, you've kept me in step for twenty years. I'm really proud to be up here for you.
So everyone, please raise your glasses to Anthony and Matt.
What makes it work: the marching band story gives a clear picture of Anthony at fourteen, and the idea of keeping everyone in step runs through the whole speech to the last line. The frozen dinners with labels show his care in one detail. Ben thanks both sets of parents at the start, and he talks about Matt and the couple the same way he would at any wedding.
Which style suits you
Pick the style that matches how you and the groom really talk to each other. If you spend most of your time teasing each other, a funny speech like Luis's will feel natural. If you're his brother, or you've been through something hard together, you may want more of the warmth in Caleb's. Most good toasts mix the two, with a laugh near the start and something sincere near the end.
Whatever the style, keep the teasing kind. His grandparents and his new in-laws will be listening, so leave out exes, anything from the bachelor party that his partner hasn't heard and any story that only works if he looks bad. If a joke needs a long explanation, it's probably an in-joke that belongs in the group chat.
Length matters too. The short example above is about 230 words, and the others run from about 370 to about 470. At a busy reception with several speakers, three minutes is plenty. Read your draft aloud with a timer running, and if it goes past five minutes, cut a whole story.
Writing your own
Each of these speeches started with a list of small, true details about the groom. The more specific yours are, the more your speech will sound like him and nobody else. If you'd like a head start, Speechmade can write a first draft with AI from your answers about the groom and his partner, and you can change any line so it sounds like you. If you're giving your toast alongside the maid of honor, the maid of honor speech guide shows what she'll be covering.
Common questions
Can I copy one of these best man speeches?
You're welcome to borrow the structure or a line you like, but a speech copied word for word won't sound like you and won't be about your friend. The stories are what make each one work, so swap in your own.
How long are these example speeches?
The first runs to about four minutes, the second and fourth to about three, and the third to about two. The timings assume a steady pace of about 130 words a minute. Pauses for laughs will add a little.
Are these real speeches?
No. They were written for this page about made-up people, so nobody real is being quoted. They follow the way best man toasts usually run at American weddings.
What if the groom is marrying a man?
The speech follows the same shape. You tell stories about your friend, say something kind about his husband and toast them both by name. The fourth example below is for a wedding with two grooms.