Writing a Best Man Speech for Your Brother: Our Complete Guide

1 in 4 best men are also a brother of the groom. If you’re one of them, you'll need our guide on how to make your best man speech for your brother a total success!

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Sophie Cockett

5 of April, 2019

The idea of making a wedding speech can be pretty daunting, especially if there’s lots of pressure on you to have everyone in stitches (*cough cough*, best man).

The best man speech is one of the most highly anticipated of the day, and not only does it need to be funny, it needs to be engaging and that little bit sentimental.

What’s more, the best man speech comes right at the end of the wedding speech order, following on from the often heart-warming father of the bride speech and of course the groom’s speech. Not a tough act to follow, then…

If you’re not only the best man but the brother of the groom too, you might be feeling the pressure a little more than you otherwise would be. But don’t panic! You’re at a total advantage.

We’ve compiled the ultimate guide to giving a best man speech for your brother, including top tips, the structure you might like to follow, some quotes and jokes to include and, of course, links to examples. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get writing…

How to Structure a Best Man Speech for Your Brother

1. Introduce Yourself

Brother's Best Man Speech Structure Introduction

Image: Sally Rawlins Photography

If you’re a best man and also the brother of the groom, you’re at a serious advantage. You’ll have so much more ground to cover than a best friend will have, because you have a whole childhood and lifetime of memories and moments to draw upon. Bingo.

But first thing’s first! You’d better introduce yourself to the guests in the room who don’t know you (which granted, won’t be many as you’re the groom’s brother, but there could be a few…).

Be sure to let the crowd know who you are and what your relationship to the groom is from the outset.

If you’re a bit of a joker… “I’m Tom, Paul’s best man and also his big brother. I think it says a lot about a man when he chooses his brother to be his best man…. Mostly, of course, it says: “I have no friends””.
Another one for the jokers… “For those of you who don`t know me, I`m Andrew, Paul’s younger brother. It`s great to be stood up here today because, after all these years, PAUL has finally admitted that I am the best man.”
If your brother has two best men… “For those who don’t know me, my name is Sam and I’m today’s best brother. I say best brother, as there’s less competition in that category than in the best man competition, and if you like Craig’s speech better then at least I still win at something.”
If you’re feeling sentimental… “For those that don’t know much about mine and Steve’s relationship, let me fill you in a bit. I’m the older one, which means I’ve been about for his entire life. I’ve had the privilege of watching him grow into the best man I know, aside from our own father.”

2. Get Your Parents Involved

Brother's Best Man Speech Structure Family

Image: Getty

The single biggest thing that you and your brother have in common is that you have the same parents. With that in mind, it makes sense (and would be lovely to) mention them somewhere near the beginning of the speech.

You might also like to turn to your parents and other family members for funny stories from your childhood together that you might have forgotten! They’re sure to have plenty of anecdotes which you’ll be able to include.

Whether you go down the sentimental route, mentioning how their marriage has provided the backbone to your upbringing and is something you both look to have yourselves, or whether you make a couple of light-hearted jokes, a mention of your parents is a sure-fire crowd pleaser.

Just remember, don’t be too jokey if there’s any underlying bitterness there. No-one wants a family feud at a wedding!

“Mum and Dad have always had an almost uncanny ability to know what’s going on in our lives. When Paul found me smoking in the back garden when I was 13, Mum and Dad were the first to know. When he spotted me setting off fireworks from my bedroom window, Mum and Dad were the first to know. When Paul saw me taking… Hey! Wait a minute! My brother’s a snitch!”
“Other than the bride and groom themselves, I don’t think anyone here is more happy to see Paul getting married than our parents. They’ve been an amazing role model for me and Paul. They’ve been married for thirty years, and they are still as loving and loyal as ever. It’s their love that forms the bedrock of the happy, supportive and loving family before you now. The only thing that was missing, until today, was Linda.”
“Brothers remember staying up late with dad and then rushing to bed when we heard mom come home. Brothers understand that what mom doesn’t know won’t hurt her and that nobody likes a turtle tail. Brothers understand that farting at the dinner table will earn you dish duty but then if you make it silent you can blame it on someone else. Andrew. Though if you blame it on mom, that will definitely earn you dish duty. Brothers share childhood memories and grown up dreams.”

3. Try Some Healthy Sibling Rivalry

Brother's Best Man Speech Structure Rivalry

Image: Jordanna Marston Photography

Being brothers is the biggest green flag to poke fun of them all. Everyone at the wedding will be expecting a little bit of healthy competition between brothers, so give them what they’re after.

Do it badly and you’ll come across arrogant, but do it well and you’ll have the wedding party in stitches. Don’t be afraid to big yourself up at your brother’s expense.

“James was born on 7^th June 1989. My parents had wanted a girl, and let’s be honest… they very nearly got one.”
“Brian and I have been brothers for 25 years now. In the course of 25 years, you really get to know someone well. I’ve seen him go from an annoying little kid to the slightly less annoying guy you see today.”
“Michael took his role as my big brother very seriously when we were kids. He beat me up, stole my stuff, embarrassed me in front of my friends and told our parents whenever I did anything wrong. Anyway, it’s a real honour to be giving this best man’s speech today… or as I call it, pay back.”

4. Crack Some Jokes

Brother's Best Man Speech Structure Jokes

Image: Jordanna Marston Photography

It’s time to really have some fun. You’ve got the introduction and the mention of your parents out the way, and you’ve given your brother a bit of stick, but now is your chance to tell all those embarrassing stories that you’ve been dying to share for yonks.

Let’s be honest, your brother knows what’s coming. He’s been nervously awaiting your speech all day, wracking his brains to figure out what you could be about to share. Don’t miss this chance to have a bit of fun at his expense.

You’ve got a lifetime worth of stories to touch on, and the stag do probably provided a few specks of comedy gold. Just make sure the main focus of your jokes is the groom, and you don’t say anything too offensive (nor do you mention any ex-girlfriends. Awkward.)

Oh, and despite what you might have previously thought (or heard first hand), best man speech jokes don’t have to be cringe-worthy. Here are a couple of our favourites, but if you’re after more, take a look at our round up of the best genuinely funny best man jokes going.

“A recent study has revealed that 66% of people in Britain are addicted to puzzles – which means at two-thirds of you must be trying to work out what on earth Claire sees in Mark.”
“One of my earliest memories of Joe was him telling jokes that made absolutely no sense. Those of you who knew Joe as a kid will understand what I’m saying. He’d say something like… ‘Why did the chicken cross the road? Because granddad doesn’t like ice cream.’ FYI, Joe’s jokes today aren’t much funnier.”
“We all know {BRIDE} is a wonderful lady who deserves the perfect guy. Too bad you don’t always get what you deserve.”
“Myself and Tom were lucky enough to be taken on lots of exciting holidays and day trips when we were younger. They’re where some of my most embarrassing stories come from…”

5. Mention Your New Sister or Brother

Brother's Best Man Speech Structure You Have a Sister

Image: Jordanna Marston Photography

One of the biggest advantages of being a best man who’s also a brother is that you can dedicate a whole section of your speech to welcoming your brother’s OH into your family.

Make a point of acknowledging how great they look and that you’re delighted to have a new family member. And if you can intertwine humour in, all the better.

Just remember – don’t have fun at their expense. Make the jokes more about your brother – how his new wife or husband has improved him, how you can’t imagine what he’d do without her or what his partner might want to watch out for.

“I’m over the moon to be welcoming Lauren into the family. We all love you very much and I’m sure you’ll find us to be a warm and supportive bunch. Just – and I can’t stress this enough – steer clear of Monopoly. Seriously. If the box comes out, just run.”
“Linda is something of a miracle worker. She took the misshapen lump of human Play-Doh that I call my brother, and moulded him into a man. Let’s hope it lasts. And if he does start to get brittle or droopy in his old age, just sprinkle him with water, roll him around a bit, and draw a smiley face on him with a sharp stick.”
“Megan, you look absolutely beautiful tonight, I can think of no-one else that I’d rather have join our family or who would be a better wife to Brian than you. You are generous, selfless, loving and kind.”

Top Tips for Giving a Brother’s Best Man Speech

Image: Sacha Miller Photography

Play on the fact that you’re brothers as much as possible – it’ll make your speech that little bit special!
Avoid too many in-jokes that the guests won’t understand… it’ll only leave them confused.
Keep it clean – you might have a license to mock your brother, but avoid anything too crude that your mum and grandma wouldn’t want to hear.
Use cue cards if you’re feeling a bit nervous and practise repeatedly.
Be sensible with your Dutch courage. Save the shots for after your speech has been delivered.
Speak slowly and pause for laughter. Always.

Now you’ve got the structure of your speech sorted, make sure you read our guide on how to overcome wedding speech nerves to ensure you pull it off perfectly!