Best Man Speech Outline: 5 Steps to Writing a Killer Toast

Are you overwhelmed thinking about that upcoming best man toast you need to give? Rely on this best man speech outline for your wedding toast so that you can deliver a killer speech without the stress and anxiety. 

Here are the 5 steps to the best man speech outline: 

  1. Introduce yourself

  2. Talk about the groom

  3. Talk about his new spouse

  4. Explain why their marriage makes you happy

  5. Give guests an action to take and close with a wish for the couple 

Let’s discuss the detail of each section so you can fill in the parts of this outline and write your own impressive best man toast. 

Introduce Yourself

The first part of the best man speech outline is to introduce yourself. While many guests will know you and your relationship with the groom, there will be many guests who do not. 

Kick off your toast by stating your name and how you know the groom.

Examples:

  • Good evening. My name is Joe and I’m the groom’s older brother.

  • Welcome, everyone. My name is Carl and I’ve been friends with Jason since we roomed together at Michigan State. 

Try to avoid overly-used cliches in an effort to have a humorous start. Things like, “I’m the older and better-looking brother” are far from unique and the only laughter they tend to evoke is nervous laughter. 

Talk about the Groom

The second step in the best man outline is to focus on the groom. You can have fun with playful jokes at his expense but make sure to ground these jokes within more sentimental themes. 

You’ll also want to include one to three specific stories within this section of the outline. The stories should be about you and the groom together and can span any time period. 

For example, you may have a story from when you two were eight years old and then you flash forward to the college years.

Telling good stories in this section is one of the most important parts of writing your best man speech. If you can tell a strong story, you will captivate guests and leave a strong impression with everyone, especially the couple. 

How do you do this? Choose stories that are entertaining and universal. This means any inside jokes should be excluded or saved for the bachelor party. Also, be sure to tie all the stories together with one theme. 

For example, let’s say you share tell three different stories: when you two played little league and the groom struck out, in college when the groom’s stand-up comedy routine failed to win over the talent show judges, and on your road trip when the groom tried but embarrassingly failed to talk his way out of that speeding ticket. 

These stories are all very different and could be told in a wildly entertaining way but what’s the theme here? What’s the greater meaning that we can highlight on his wedding day of all days? 

Here’s your theme: the groom may have struck out and failed in these events but he’s shown us how he’s become the biggest winner of all by choosing to marry this person. 

Ding ding ding! This is best man speech writing gold. Guests don’t see where it’s going because they’re too busy being entertained and then you win over their hearts with the sentimental connection. 

Talk about his New Spouse

While it can be tempting, don’t focus 100% of your speech on the groom. Include a few words about his partner. You want the groom to know that you are happy with who he chose to marry and you want his new spouse to feel your love too. 

Here are some writing prompts you can use to come up with ideas for this section:

  • Why do you feel this person is a perfect match for the groom?

  • In what ways does this person complement the groom?

  • What are some of your favorite memories with them?

  • When did you first meet? What was your initial impression? 

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Explain Why their Marriage Makes You Happy

This next section of the best man speech outline should focus on their new marriage. 

Consider tying together themes from the previous sections into this part of the outline. 

For example, if your theme is about how adventurous the groom is, describe how you see their marriage being full of adventure as a team. 

Here are writing prompts to provide inspiration for this section of the best man speech outline: 

  • What do you think their marriage will look like on a day-to-day basis?

  • What do you think the couple values most in marriage? How will they achieve that?

  • Why are you glad that the groom chose this person to marry? 

  • Why will the groom have a better life with this person? 

Give Guests an Action to Take and Close with a Wish for the Couple 

The final step in the best man speech outline is the closing. My favorite way to close a wedding toast is to tell guests what to do. 

For example, you may begin your closing with, “May I ask everyone to raise their glass,” or “Please join me in toasting the happy couple.” 

This accomplishes two things:

  1. Guests understand what their role is and they feel included. 

  2. Everyone knows your speech is coming to a close and this signals what kind of energy they need to bring.

Finally, your very last line should be a wish for the couple.

Here are some examples: 

  • May you laugh together and love forever.

  • May you both remain as happy as you are today.

  • I wish you both a wonderful marriage full of plenty more reasons to celebrate from this day forward.

What should you do if the best man speech outline isn’t enough to help? 

Get in touch. As a professional wedding toast writer, I can help craft a custom best man toast for you.

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I thought the process was outstanding. You did a great job communicating, and I thought the turnaround time for editing was perfect. I also thought the video interview was great in that it was personal and meaningful!

— Jordan

I am a storyteller, not a speechwriter. I was incredibly intimidated about writing one.

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She was a pleasure to work with and made the vow writing process enjoyable.

— Kimi Kinsey, South Carolina

Working with Katelyn on my maid of honor toast was an incredible experience. She really took the time to understand my relationship with my best friend and used my responses to craft a toast that put my thoughts and feelings into words in a way that I never would have been able to do on my own.

Before working with Katelyn, I was nervous and stressed about giving (and writing) such a big, important speech. But now I’m so relieved that it’s done, and I honestly can’t wait to stand up and tell everyone exactly what my best friend means to me.

— Allyssa, New Jersey

I didn’t actually know this service existed until I discovered Katelyn! It was such a fun experience to video chat with her about my best friend who is getting married this summer.

I don’t have to stress about writing this a few weeks before my best friend’s wedding. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to read it at my best friend’s wedding!

— Gabby