Speech by Scott Christensen

Speech Type: Best man
Speech Creator: Scott Christensen
Speech Date: May 2001
Good afternoon everyone. I'm Scott and I'm here today as Chris's best man. Thank you, Chris, for asking, I'm honored. I really am.

First of all, before I begin, please allow me to be the first to officially congratulate my brother Chris and my new sister-in-law Shelly. A round of applause, please.

(Tap glass if not kissing.)

It sure was a memorable ceremony, wasn't it? The weather was nice, the park was decorated nicely. The carriage ride sure was a surprise.

While preparing for this speech, I recently came across an interesting
quote: "It is the best man's duty to respond to [a] toast on behalf of the
bridesmaids- his speech should be light hearted and fun. It should be the
high spot of the reception and it is very often his ability to make this
particular speech, with humor and interest, that is the deciding chapter on
the selection of the best man."

Chris, Shelly: I'm honored. Believe, me, I am. But boy, are you in
trouble!

For those of you who haven't heard how these two met, here's the story:
Chris and Shelly were at the Fenton Inn celebrating a mutual friend's
birthday. Well, they happened to see each other across the smoke-filled
room, met, and began talking. A few days later, Shelly, using the excuse of needing a pack of gum, visited Chris at VG's, the grocery store where he was working at the time. Later still, they attended a New Year's Eve party together. Finally, they decided that it was time to embark on a real date. So on the big day, Chris, who couldn't wait to see her again, dashed from work, home to take a shower, and off to Bennegin's.

They settled down to a nice, cozy spot at the bar where it finally occurred
to Chris that he hadn't stopped at the ATM on the way there. So, on their
first real date, he had to ask, "Buy me a beer?"

I came across another interesting quote, as well: "If you love something,
set it free. If it comes back, it was, and always will be, yours. If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with. If it just sits in your room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, uses the telephone, takes your money, and never behaves as if you set it free in the first place, you either married it or gave birth to it."

When Chris and I were much younger we enjoyed playing football (tackle of
course) with our friends in an empty yard near where we lived. One day,
there was an older kid also playing, Chester. He was kind of like the
neighborhood bully, 3-4 years older than all of us. There was one play,
when Chris & I were on defense, where Chester caught a pass along the edge
of the yard (on Chris's side) and headed toward the end zone. He was
running full speed. Emulating a professional football player, Chris decided to stiff-arm Chester and knock him out of bounds. Well, it didn't work out quite that way. The other team scored and Chris ended up with a broken arm.

This story shows that: Chris, you're not afraid to face a challenge, even a
challenge as immense & as frightening as facing a neighborhood bully. What
I want you to do is to use this same courage the entire time you're married
to Shelly. No one ever said being married is easy or doesn't require
constant attention. If you do, you will never regret, even for a minute,
the decision that brought the two of you here today.

Shelly, I've never seen you play football so I don't have another amusing
sports anecdote to talk about.

But in the years since I've gotten to know you, one thing I've noticed is
that you're not afraid to speak your mind, to tell things the way they are,
and to be HONEST. I admire that. It's just the way you are, to everyone.
Friends & family alike. So, Shelly: Continue to be forthright. If you do,
you TOO will never regret, even for a minute, the decision that brought the
two of you here today.

Chris, Shelly: I know you both have been waiting a long time for this day to arrive, and it's finally here. So, may you live as long as you like, and have all you like for as long as you live. I wish you the best.

Or, as Shakespeare would say "I drink to the general joy of the whole
table." A toast to the new bride and groom, Chris & Shelly!