28 Best Man Toast Ideas to End Your Speech

One of the duties involved in giving the perfect best man speech is to give a best man toast to the newlyweds – you’ll have to ask everyone to raise their glasses and drink to the happy couple and their future together.

A best man toast is the ideal way to end a best man's speech, but who does the best man toast and what do they actually have to say? 

To help you nail your best man speech toast, we have dozens of examples you can steal, with everything from funny quotes to great best man toasts that are more traditional. 

28 Best Man Toast Ideas & Tips for Nailing the End of Your Speech

As well as examples of best man toasts, we also have expert advice on who should the best man toast. When carrying out this very important role, you want to ensure you are toasting to all the right people, and not taking away from anyone else's toast responsibilities. 

Whether you want to thank the bridesmaids, end with a laugh or stick to tradition, these best man toasts are short, sweet and just what your speech needs. It's also the best solution if you're looking for a fun way to end a best man speech. 

And here to help answer your burning questions is Heidi Ellert-McDermott, founder of Speechy and author of The Modern Couple’s Guide to Wedding Speeches. With heaps of toast-writing experience under her belt, she sheds light on the most common best man speech dilemmas to make the entire speechwriting process even simpler. 

• Who Does the Best Man Toast in His Speech?
• How to Write a Best Man Speech? Expert Tips
• How to Close a Best Man Speech? 
• Traditional Best Man Toast Ideas
• Funny Best Man Toast Ideas
• Quotes for a Great Best Man Toast
• Best Man Toasts to the Bridesmaids

Who Does the Best Man Toast in His Speech?

Before deciding what toasts to include in your speech, you might be wondering - who does the best man toast in the UK? So who does the best man toast in their speech?

Traditionally, the only people who the best man is obliged to toast in his speech are the newlyweds, however it's quite common for the best man toast to include a nod to the bridesmaids, too. 

Though this is usually done by the groom, if you are at a wedding where there is no groom, the groom isn't making a speech, or you just want to thank them as well, including a mention of the bridesmaids in your best man toast is welcomed. 

If you are particularly close with your best friend's family as well, you may want to mention them in your best man toast, but note that this is not traditionally done. 

If you want to be completely certain on the matter of who does the best man toast, check with the nearlyweds to ensure you're not doubling up on toasts. 

Heidi says, "At Speechy, we think there can be too much of a good thing and, other than a toast to the dearly departed (which is generally the newlywed’s job), there only needs to be one toast per wedding speech. Any more and the speakers end up toasting the same folk and guests play a game of stand-up-sit-down-again!

"Some of the best men speeches we get sent to edit, raise a toast to the groom, others to the happy couple, some even toast the bridesmaids (which, again, is the newlyweds’ job). We think the only toast a Best Man needs to think about is the one to the newlyweds that concludes the speech.

"A great toast should feel like a natural conclusion to your speech - tying together your stories and jokes with a heartfelt message. This is your final impression, your last chance to make the audience laugh, cry, or both. Ideally, your toast should tie into a theme or running joke you’ve established earlier in your speech.

"Think of it as the punchline to a great story - it should leave the room smiling, glasses raised, and hearts full."

How to Write a Best Man Speech? Expert Tips 

When asked to be a best man, you might be wondering - what should a best man speech include? 

We asked Heidi to share her best tips to consider when writing a best man speech, and here's what she had to say:

Heidi's Top Tips for a Great Toast: 

• Call back to an earlier joke or story for a satisfying conclusion
• Be brief - your toast should be snappy and to the point
• End on a positive note that celebrates the newlyweds

How to Close a Best Man Speech? Expert Examples 

There's no point delivering a killer intro if you don't know how to end a best man speech now is there? In an ideal situation, your best man speech ending should be just as funny and witty as the beginning, and a brilliant toast is the perfect tool to use. 

You can use the body of your speech to toast to the bridesmaids, say something nice about the rest of the wedding party and mention some nice words about the groom, but there's no better way to end a best man speech than with a lovely toast to the couple. 

If you're after a few useful examples to use for inspiration when writing your own best man speech, check out Heidi's favourites:

Heidi's Examples of Closing Toasts:

• “So here’s to [Groom’s Name], the only man I know who can turn up late to his own wedding rehearsal — but who, thankfully, showed up right on time when it mattered most. And to [Partner’s Name], for agreeing to put up with him! To love, laughter, and happily ever after. Cheers!”
• “Here’s to [Groom’s Name], the man who still thinks ‘Netflix and chill’ means watching Netflix… and to [Partner’s Name], who loves him anyway. May your marriage be filled with laughter, love, and slightly better communication! Cheers!”
• “To the happy couple — may your love be as enduring as [Groom’s Name]’s legendary hangovers, and may your life together be filled with adventure, joy, and slightly fewer tequila shots. Cheers!

Traditional Best Man Toast Ideas

Sometimes the traditional way is the best – so if you want to play it safe with a classic and heartwarming best man toast, consider one of these…

• “Please join me in raising a glass to the happy couple – to [NAME] and [NAME]”
• “I’d like you all to join me in wishing the new Mr and Mr/Mrs [NAME] all the wealth, health and happiness in the world. To the newlyweds!”
• “To my best friend and his beautiful partner: the new Mr and Mrs/Mr [NAME]”
• “Please make sure your glasses are charged and join me in toasting the new Mr and Mrs/Mr [NAME]. Ladies and gentlemen, to the happy couple!”
• “They say you don’t marry the person you can live with, you marry the person you can’t live without. That sums up [NAME] and [NAME] perfectly. To the happy couple”
• “Here is a toast to a perfect couple – to a long life together filled with happiness, adventure and lots of wonderful memories”
• “To [NAME] and [NAME] – here is to a lifetime of love and happiness”
• “Raise your glass and join me in a toast to [NAME] and [NAME] – may you always be friends as well as lovers”

Funny Best Man Toast Ideas

If you’ve peppered your speech with lots of best man jokes, continue in the same fashion and finish with a funny best man toast. Here are a few examples to give you an idea.

• "Time to raise our glasses to the happy couple because I like both of you -do you have any idea how rare that is?"
• “For one more time, I’m going to ask everyone to charge their glasses and – for those who still can – stand, and raise a glass to the newlyweds”
• "Raise a glass to the happy couple. May your marriage be as strong as the drinks in your hand. Cheers!"
• “Part of the best man speech involves a toast and for me, the best kind of toast is French toast. So, buvons à ce couple heureux”
• “Please can everyone join me in toasting two young – well, quite young anyway – people in love. To the happy couple”
• “To the two things that make a great marriage – having a good sense of humour and selective hearing. To [NAME] and [NAME]”
• “To [NAME] and [NAME] – we all knew [NAME] had found the one when he/she started spending more time with [NAME] than he did playing on his/her Xbox!”
• “[NAME] and [NAME], before I finish, I’d like you to turn to face each other. You’re now looking into the eyes of the person who is statistically most likely to murder you. To the happy couple!”

Quotes for a Great Best Man Toast

If you really want to wow the guests and have a speech ending that will resonate with everyone, do your research and choose a quote as your best man toast. For even more ideas, we’ve got some inspirational quotes about love and marriage to inspire you.

• “I would like to end on some wise words from Socrates: ‘My advice to you is to get married. If you find a good wife/husband, you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher.’ To the happy couple!”
• “Here’s one of my favourite Oscar Wilde quotes: ‘The man who says his wife/husband can’t take a joke forgets that she/he took him.’ To [NAME] and [NAME].”
• “Before we raise a glass to the newlyweds, I’d like to share a Pauline Thomason quote with you: ‘Love is blind – marriage is the eye-opener.’ To the happy couple!”
• “Here’s a poem by Ogden Nash to finish on: To keep a marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, where you are wrong, admit it, and when you are right, shut up! To [NAME] and [NAME]”
• “To [NAME] and [NAME] – here’s an Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote to finish on: ‘Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.’”
• “Before we raise our glasses, I’d like to share this Mignon McLaughlin quote with [NAME] and [NAME]: ‘A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.’”

Does the Best Man Toast the Bridesmaids?

A thank you in your best man toast to the bridesmaids is a lovely and thoughtful idea. Traditionally the groom toasts the bridesmaids but there is no harm in complimenting them too, just check in with your friend to see if they are doing the same. 

• "The beautiful bridesmaids have been amazing. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you all to raise your glasses. I give you… the bridesmaids."
• "I would like to say a special thank you to the bridesmaids, who have been wonderful throughout the day. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses."

Make sure you read our guide to overcoming wedding speech nerves to ensure you deliver your speech flawlessly!