Some people have curiosity or trepidation around the possibility of being really funny when giving a Best Man or Maid of Honor wedding speech. You've been asked to deliver this very important oration for your friend or relative's momentous event, and you'd love to do something special, meaningful, and unforgettable, but the idea of using comedy in front of a huge group of people scares you. "I like to listen to funny people, but how do I write and deliver funny myself?"
First of all, let's go over the components of a great funny wedding (or other major life event) speech.
A great humorous Best Man or Maid of Honor wedding speech starts with a strong introduction. This begins with a greeting to those in attendance, perhaps an acknowledgment of where the attendees traveled from, a comment or two about the venue if there's anything notable about it, and a light joke about how people are just there for the open bar, fantastic buffet or the chance to travel to such and such exotic location.
Next it is good to briefly introduce yourself, explaining who you are in a nutshell, ideally with a self-effacing joke about some aspect of yourself. Very often, a quick joke about your line of work will do.
Now we get into the "meat" of the speech, which is honoring the person's life thus far and their unique traits and personality, while using strong humor. An excellent format to use is a condensed biography of the person (or persons) being honored, which I call a "This is your life" speech. The key is finding the most important milestones, achievements and episodes in the person's life so that all of that information can easily be contained in a 5-10 minute speech.
The funny speech should generally move in chronological order through their life, starting with where they grew up, attended college, and lived as an adult, the latter usually tying into some jobs or career path they have been on. All of these elements can be mined for jokes.
It is good to talk about the person's likes and dislikes and also their strengths and weaknesses in life. This could be, for instance, being a rabid fan of Japanese anime, and hating dance music; being incredible at remembering names and phone numbers, and being unable to figure out social media.
It is great near the end to add a memorable and unique anecdote having to do with the person, that is entertaining and out of the ordinary, and also captures a distinct aspect of their personality. These stories are often from many years earlier, but they don't have to be. For instance, maybe after a long night of partying, in desperation to get home, your bride or groom "borrowed" an unlocked kids' bicycle, rode home on it and returned it the next day, with a note and some candy attached. Or it could be the time they went on an Internet date, sat down at a table for two in the specified cafe at the planned upon time, had a nice, if slightly awkward conversation, then realized it was the wrong person, not the one from the dating site.
Lastly, an acknowledgment of very special family members and/or friends, especially in attendance, is always a good idea, followed by an earnest, poignant "all kidding aside" mention of how wonderful and loved these two people are and how happy they will be together. And, if you're feeling a bit on the "expert" side, you can always end the speech with a tight little zinger to leave them laughing as you say thank you and walk off.
I hope this explanation of the essential parts of a highly effective and applauded funny Best Man or Maid of Honor wedding speech has been helpful. Any questions or comments are welcome!
Adam Gropman has been running Funny Biz Speech Writers and custom creating funny speeches and roasts for weddings (Best Man, Maid of Honor, parents, officiants), birthdays, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries; and corporate or business needs, for over a dozen years. He loves making you the star of the event!
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