Even if the most self-confident people, who are reasonably well versed at public speaking, get the jitters when they’re asked to speak at somebody’s wedding: the weight of expectation resting on you, as the speech-maker, is pretty huge.
After all, you’re being asked to make a major contribution to the course of the day: a day that these two people (as well as scores of their relatives and close friends) will remember for the rest of their lives.
And when you’re the Best Man, the responsibility is even bigger: not only do you have to make a speech, but you make the speech (as the person who knows the groom better than anyone else) and the toast to the bride and groom.
On top of this – a sobering reality in itself! – you’re also one of the main orchestrators of the event. You’ll help to organize the wedding and reception so that it all runs smoothly and heads in the right direction; you’re expected to look after the groom, make sure his breath smells fresh and that he’s not drinking too much; and it’s up to you to make sure that the guests are enjoying themselves, that there are no sozzled hecklers in the crowd, and that – finally - everyone else is performing their duties while simultaneously having a good time.
Phew!
Is there any room left over for you to have a good time? And are you beginning to understand why most bestman candidates, even though hugely flattered, usually find it difficult not to quail under the sudden weight of all that responsibility?
HELP IS AT HAND
It’s not just making the speech that’s scary – it’s also coming up with the necessary poignant, personal, pithy, witty, emotional, and meaningful ideas, jokes, and one-liners that make a speech memorable for all the right reasons.
Even for someone who’s accustomed to writing and delivering speeches, this is still a pretty considerable task – and to someone who’s unused to public speech delivery (much less the conception and writing of a speech for such an important occasion), even just the idea of having to do all that is enough to turn one’s creative abilities to jelly.
Fortunately, help is at hand – in the form of an extremely well-written and user-friendly book by Dan Stevens, professional speech-writer extraordinaire.
This book tells you everything you need to know about being an incomparable Bestman – not just how to write and deliver a speech, but your responsibilities, how to handle the inevitable difficulties of the big day, what’s going to be expected of you, how to quell stage-fright and overactive nerves, handy suggestions for a glitch-preventing emergency kit …. all this, as well as twenty professionally written speeches to choose from.
What a relief!
WHAT YOU GET: THE NITTY-GRITTY
The main attraction of this package is, of course, those twenty exquisitely crafted, witty professional wedding speeches (did I mention that these have been designed to allow you to cut and paste the parts you like, and adjust names and situations, to suit your own individualized needs?)
In addition to this, you also get some pretty in-depth information on how to make your audience laugh, how to use emotion to the best effect in your speech, detailed do’s and don’ts to prevent common slip-ups on the big day, information on speech, toasting, and general wedding etiquette, and practical tips on speech delivery (including some pretty effective stuff on how to quell stage-fright and cope with nerves).
There’s also an entire section that’s dedicated to the more creative Best Men: you get professional advice on writing your very own speech, what to consider when using a professional writer, a list of clever quotes for extra zest, and top ten tips for being the star of the day (after the bride and groom, of course!)
ANY EXTRAS?
In addition to the actual book itself, you also get a whole bunch of tempting (and useful!) freebies, too.
For example, you get four handy bonus books:
- ‘Total Unstoppable Confidence’, which tells you how to eliminate nervousness and anxiety. This comes as a downloadable audio-track, written and delivered by a professional hypnotherapist - so all you have to do is put your headphones on, sit back, and soak up the information
- ‘Jokes, Quotes, and One-Liners’, which teaches you how to make the funniest speech of the day
- ‘Bachelor Party Ideas’, which is full of fresh ideas for themes, cocktails, practical jokes, and pranks for the most original bucks’ night bash ever
- ‘Sample Toasts’, which supplies you with over 100 sample toasts in a variety of styles, humors, and conventions
One other bonus which I thought was particularly useful is the private email consultation - with Dan Stevens himself, no less. If you have questions about your upcoming speech, want to run a few ideas by a professional, or just need some more advice, all you have to do is write him an email – and he’ll personally answer your email himself. Pretty impressive!
BEST MAN SPEECHES – IN A NUTSHELL
Altogether, this is a pretty impressive package. Dan’s got all the bases covered here – a huge variety of relevant, useful information on every single aspect of being a Best Man, from the speech-writing and delivery itself to handling problematic guests to wedding etiquette.
In short: literally everything you’ll ever need to pull off your responsibilities as Best Man with style and panache are included here.
But don’t take my word for it: check it out for yourself (and have a look at a couple of those testimonials while you’re there – if they don’t convince you, then nothing will!)
The verdict? Two thumbs up for Dan Stevens’ Best Man Speeches – it really is the Best Man’s ultimate resource
