Best Man Speech - you are not the story

It's very rare that people get the opportunity to talk about themselves in an indulgent way. Yes, we might be asked in job interviews what we like to do in our spare time, and what our strengths and weaknesses are, however, this is all well and good, but it's boring, and you rarely tell the truth, and God forbid, say anything funny. It's little wonder then, that when so many best men are given the job, they revert to their favourite subject: themselves.

Every week I will receive answers from best men whose focus is not quite on the groom shall we say. Yesterday I ploughed through a 175 word story, that had its legendary status as a drinking session underlined in biblical terms, only to discover the groom was merely in attendance. It happened to be at the best man's luxury apartment, and nothing at all to do with the groom, so no mater which way I looked at it, there was no point in including it. Having sifted through the hyperbole, the bottom line was: everyone got hammered in a posh flat. Story? there is no story.

I'm still staggered by the myopia that young guys in their thirties suffer from, and it's not until I point out that the story or memory is actually abut them, that the penny finally drops. Luckily in these case we got there in time, but so often people make best man speeches, and the guests are in collective disbelief that they've just spent 20 minutes hearing the best man talk about themselves. I heard from a friend recently that he attended a wedding where the maid of honor spoke about how great she was for 15 minutes, so this whilst this isn't gender specific, I do think the boys are more afflicted. 

So, think about the content you've got, and if the guns are all pointed towards you, then think again. Also think about the quality of what you've amassed. Is it genuinely funny? Is it relevant? Will it upset the bride? If the answer to any of these is in the negative, then go back to the drawing board. You've only got one chance, so make it the best it can be.