Where to start with opening lines for a best man speech
Your first line has one job: connect you to the room. Start with who you are and why this moment matters to you, then move straight into the one story you most want to tell.
- Pick one story that shows the quality you want the room to remember.
- Write the way you talk — read every sentence out loud before you keep it.
- Aim for two to five minutes unless the event clearly calls for more.
Lines you can actually say
Copy a line only if it sounds like you — then make the next sentence specific to the person.
Opening lines
First lines that earn the room before your first story.
Good evening — the groom approved exactly one minute of this speech, and nobody, including him, knows which one.
For those who don't know me, I'm the friend from the stories he tells when he wants to look responsible by comparison.
Thirty years of friendship, and it all started with a fistfight over a lunch tray. I'll explain, I promise.
I met the groom before he could legally drive, and I have been a passenger in his decisions ever since.
They asked me to speak because I know him best. He's hoping that tonight, I suddenly develop discretion.
Closing lines
Clean final sentences — pick one and stop there.
That's how you open — now finish strong: one true story, one turn to the bride, one glass held high. To the couple!
However you start, land here with me: to two people who make everyone in this room believe in the good stuff. Cheers!
From the first line to the last, it's all been true. Raise your glasses — to the bride and groom!
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a strong first line for a wedding toast?
It does two jobs in one sentence: tells the room who you are and promises the speech will be worth their attention — usually via a tease ("he approved one minute of this") or a curiosity hook ("it started with a fistfight"). Never open with "webster's defines" or an apology for nerves.
Should I introduce myself or assume people know me?
Introduce yourself in under ten words, woven into a joke or a claim: "I'm Hugo, the only person who knew where he hid the good coffee." A bare "for those who don't know me, I'm the best man" spends your most valuable sentence on paperwork.
How do I quiet a loud reception room before I start?
Don't fight noise with volume — use the glass tap or the DJ's mic cue, then wait a full three seconds of silence before your first word. That pause reads as confidence and buys you a listening room. Starting over a chatting crowd wastes your best line.
Is it okay to open with a joke about myself instead of the groom?
It's one of the safest strong openers — self-deprecation buys instant goodwill and licenses the roast that follows. One beat is the limit, though: the second sentence should turn the spotlight to him, or the room wonders whose toast this is.
Ready to write yours?
Bring one or two real stories, and Cheers To The Groom will help you shape them into a complete draft that sounds like you.