One great way to shake things up a bit is to throw the usual way of giving a speech out the window. You know the kind I mean – you stand up there, say a few nice things, hopefully get a few laughs, you sit down. Boring. And you can do better.

Instead of doing it the same way as everyone else, why not try some of the ideas below – or use them to spark your imagination!

Quiz the bride and groom

Who says you have to come up with all the words? A fun way to change the presentation is to turn your speech into an interview style, and start quizzing the newlyweds.

You can quiz them on each other, on almost anything. Just remember: keep it light, keep it short, keep it friendly.

‘Never have I ever…’

If you know the couple well (or at least one of them), a fun variation of the previous idea is to play a version of ‘never have I ever’, where you ask them about each other.

For example, instead of telling the funny story in detail, say this: “never have I ever car-surfed naked while on a family trip.” Then watch them until they take a sip of their drink, and start the laughter!

Mock CV

Another really great way to structure your speech is as a fake CV of either or both members of the couple – be as way out as you like!

If you choose this option, there are a few ways to do it. One way might be to say something like this:

“As the best man, it’s my job to make sure that John here is marrying the right woman. So I spoke to her sister/best friend and she gave me this CV for my appraisal let’s go through it together, and see what you guys think.”

This opening tells everyone straight away that this isn’t going to be your typical speech – and it’s gonna be hilarious.

Just remember not to be mean, and not to be crude – they don’t always sit as well as you thought they would in your head.

Another idea might be to start off ‘normal’, and pretend to ‘catch’ out a lie that the bride or groom has said about themselves and saying something like ‘I have proof – it’s right here on their CV!’.

You can make it a small part of your speech, or you can make it the entire structure, like the first idea – the sky’s the limit

Criminal history sheet

An even funnier variation on the last idea is to turn it into a fictional (or maybe partially real) criminal history sheet.

For example, you could say:

“Julia, I couldn’t be happier for you. But as John’s best man, I feel that I need to tell you he hasn’t been completely honest with you. He has a history. In fact, I have the rap sheet right here – let’s go through it!”

You can get a lot of laughs this way, but keep in mind that nobody will thank you for making things awkward!

Speak in limerick

Why not give your speech a little rhythm? Speaking in limericks, if not overdone, is fun, refreshing, and often pretty funny to see how you fit everything in!

A limerick, if you’re not sure, is a short poem of 5 lines, where the 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme with each other, and the 3rd and 4th rhyme with each other.

Here’s an example of a limerick for a wedding:

The love of this newlywed couple

Is deep as the ocean – only double

They both love to drink

And each other- I think

So they shouldn’t have any real trouble

You get the idea!