Speech by Ben Travis

Speech Type: Best man
Speech Creator: Ben Travis
Speech Date: 23/11/2011 21:11:29

BEST MAN SPEECH       19/11/2011

Before I undertake the customary duty of giving Barry an uncomfortable few minutes it is part of the official duty of the best man to thank the bridesmaids. I have to say they all look wonderful and have done a fantastic job not least of which was getting Charlotte to the church – as I understand she put up quite a struggle!  Our bridesmaids today are eclipsed only by Charlotte herself, who, I'm sure you'll all agree, looks absolutely stunning. I'd also like to thank the ushers Lee and Darren for doing a great job. I know Barry had a tricky time selecting two of his friends capable of doing the hugely difficult task of pointing at seats today!

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They say a good best man speech is like a MINI SKIRT …… SHORT enough to be interesting but LONG enough to cover the ESSENTIALS… So here goes………

It was a great privilege to be asked by Barry to be his best man and I obviously accepted the offer without hesitation. There's nothing I wouldn't do for Barry, likewise there's nothing Barry wouldn't do for me, in fact we spent most of our time doing nothing for each other. My main responsibility for today was to ensure that the groom arrived on time, relaxed, and looking good. It was a difficult task because after all, I'm best man, not a plastic surgeon!

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I had to get some tips for the best man's speech, so of course I went to the internet. I found some terrific sites, but after about 3 hours, I remembered I was supposed to be looking at speeches. It wasn't a complete waste of time though, I ended up with 2 Russian marriage proposals and some pictures of a transvestite hells angel. PAUSE. My sincere apologies to all the parents with children in the room, who are now being asked ‘What's a transvestite?’

During my research on the internet into best mans role I also looked into weddings in general, I looked at the three key elements of the wedding service itself: -The Aisle – it's the longest walk you'll ever takeThe Alter – the place where two become oneThe Hymn – the celebration of marriage

I think Charlotte must have done the same research as I did, because as she was approaching the front of the church today I distinctly heard her saying I'll alter him!

Well what can I tell you about Barry? He was born on 22^nd January 1982. I tried to link this to some major world event, but it seems that nothing of importance happened that day… although I'm reliably informed the staff at the hospital where Barry was born they still refer to that date as “Ugly Wednesday”

He was a bit of a slow starter and at nursery was different to the other 5 year olds…….being as he was… 11.

I can however tell you that he is very well read – and got through all 45 of the Mr Men books from cover to cover, although he still calls me to help him with some of the longer words.

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I also looked through some photographs to jog my memories of Barry. I did find one that was a particularly lovely photo of Barry at the seaside, sitting on a donkey, face painted like a clown, with an ice cream in one hand, candyfloss in the other. I was going to show you all today, but thought it would be a little bit embarrassing – mainly as it was only taken in July this year.

Like most brothers we've always had our fair share of sibling rivalry, we always used to try to beat each other up, always tried to get each other into trouble we've certainly had our fair share of ups and downs. I remember back to times when a petty argument would arise from nowhere. Barry would call me smelly, and I'd call him stupid and then it would spiral out of all control and we'd both end up running to Mum in floods of tears. But sure enough, the next day, Barry would drop me an e-mail from work and we'd make up.

Some of Barry's colleagues are here with us today and I asked them if Barry has any nick names in work. I was reliably informed that he is called God. This is because he is rarely seen and if he does any work it is a bloody miracle.

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Charlotte's parents must be thinking how quickly time has passed since she was a baby. It strange how history repeats itself, almost 30 years ago Phil and Jo were sending her off to bed with a big dummy…..and here we are again!

Joking aside Barry has been a great brother to me and we've had some excellent times together and I'm sure we'll have more in the future and it's been an honour to be the best man today.

You will be happy to know that we are coming to the end of the speech. I can tell that everybody is having a great time here today and this is mainly down to the weeks and months of planning by Barry and Charlotte. They have done an incredible job to make this such a special day.

On behalf of the entire wedding party I would like to thank you all for coming to share in this wonderful occasion. Also a very special thanks to the bride and grooms parents, without whom none of this could have happened.

So it now gives me immense pleasure to invite you all to stand once more and raise your glasses in a toast To love, laughter and happy ever after. To Barry and Charlotte.