If you’ve ever seen a romantic comedy movie, you’ve probably seen an unreliable groomsman speech. You know the … insulted girlfriend … angry boyfriend … quiet room, dazed and clumsy best man desperate to find the right words to fix it. It’s fine for movies, but in real life the sequels will last over 97 minutes.
To make a good godfather speech, it’s best to steer clear of the 7 most common mistakes found in those Rom-Com situations. I call them the 7 Deadly Sins, as there are 7 great bans and the repercussions can be disastrous.
# 1 mortal sin: insulting the girlfriend
Well, you’d think this would be obvious, but the fact that it’s the # 1 mortal sin means that, unfortunately for the bride, groom, and all the sensitive guests in the room, it’s a more common mistake than you might think. ALWAYS remember that the bride is the star. (Yes, put aside those thoughts that he’s getting married to your best friend!)
Definitely don’t say anything insulting or negative about the girlfriend, even if you think so. There is a time and a place for everything … not this!
Definitely don’t say anything about the Groom that insults or embarrasses the Bride. Talking about past indiscretions is a no-no. No matter how fun you think it is, remember … don’t insult or embarrass the Bride.
# 2 Deadly sin: blow it up
A few nice words here … a joke there … and a toast … right? Incorrect! Don’t confuse the job of delivering the best man speech with any old speech. Your best man speech is meant to sum up the first phase of your friends’ lives and usher in the next phase. It’s impossible to give this the credit it deserves without having at least one plan or framework to follow.
Don’t risk humiliating yourself and totally disappointing your boyfriend and girlfriend by trying to think on the go. It just won’t work. Prepare your speech and please practice it … out loud.
# 3 Deadly sin: rambling
Another good reason to prepare and practice your speech is to avoid rambling … and on … and on. A short speech is stronger than a 20 minute retrospective. You are his best friend, you can chat later. The guests are there for the bride and groom, not to listen to you all night.
They want to eat, drink and have fun, not hear about every bad habit, binge episode or how much it has helped you since you first met. Knowing when to stop is essential. As such, to avoid rambling … and on … and on, let’s move on to the next mortal sin.
# 4 Deadly Sin: Trying to be a stand-up comedian.
If you are a comedian, great, be yourself. If not, don’t even go there … again, be yourself. Stay true to your personality style; It was good enough for the groom to ask you to be best man. Just go with it. Guaranteed, the groom won’t expect him to suddenly turn into a different person with a different personality just for the sake of getting an award-winning comedy speech. That is not the purpose of the godfather speech. You’d look awkward, obvious, and downright awkward trying to be something you’re not.
Not only will you embarrass the bride and groom, but you will also embarrass yourself … and immortalize it on a DVD to play over and over again!
When you avoid them, you won’t provide new material for the romance film writers of the future. You should also have a very happy girlfriend and boyfriend … and who knows, you might be asked to be best man again!