My Best Man Speech

Weddings in America today are full of tradition and heritage. Weddings are the one thing in this country that has truly remained 'old fashioned'. The grandmother passes on her engagement ring to her grandson, the bride throws the boquet of flowers to the lucky next bride to be, and the proud father gives his daughter away to her new caretaker, the husband. You may ask, what traditions does the husband have? The most famous one of all is 'The Best Man Speech'. The groom chooses his best friend, his buddy, his best man to stand by his side at the wedding and wish him well as he departs their lifelong friendship on a new journey of love and family.

Best man speeches are often anxiuosly waited to be heard by the crowd at weddings. A best man speech simply points out what a great friendship the two have had and lays the path for success at a beutiful marriage, it gives the crowd a good feeling at heart to hear to old pals giving up their quality time togethor for their calling to be a husband. I once wrote a best man speech ten years ago for my great friend Alan. Months before the wedding I was asked quite often what I was going to say in my best man speech. I replied nervously "I dont know I will figure something out I hope".

I wrote at least 25 - 30 best man speeches only to ball up the paper and throw it in the trash because I just couldnt seem to get my best man speech perfect and I wouldnt settle for less. My best man speech had to blow everyone away and make me feel good inside about letting my best friend go to a woman, which I kind of believe there was a little jealosy on my part. My best friend of twenty years was leaving me for a woman! What the heck am I gonna do now, I thought. I would no longer have a fishing buddy! After going through an 18 wheeler trailer full of paper writing and crumbling up my best man speech I finally decided the heck with it. I'll just get up there and say something and get it over with quickly and quietly, heck he knows how I feel about him, who needs speeches I thought?

Finally on the day of the wedding as I stood there next to my best friend Alan at the altar, I felt a sense of relief. We wore matching suits and ties as we waited for his new love to walk down the aisle and I could feel a great body tingling sense of joy and pride as I stood there with my Friend. I could see the happiness in his eyes as the bride made her way towards him and I knew then that this was a true friend as he glanced at me with a smile. I knew immediately how silly I'd been about the best man speech thing.

My best man speech didnt need to be rehearsed. This bond we had was far stronger than any piece of paper could ever be and when it came my time to stand up and give my best man speech, I just spoke from the heart and it was all so easy. I was sweating it all this time for nothing. I knew that no matter where his life took him with is new bride and future family, that Alan and I would always be best friends. I knew that we had a bond between us that no one could take away, not even a beautiful lady like the woman he married. I spoke of our friendship and our trials and tribulations. I spoke of how deeply proud I honestly was for him to have such a wonderful wife.

I gave a very good best man speech and after the wedding I made sure to get a copy of the tape that our friend had gotten with his camcorder. A month or so later when I popped the tape in my VCR I wondered if I'd be able to hear my best man speech because I wanted to write it down on paper. I was able to hear it and I copied it word for word. Every once in a great while I run across the copy of my best man speec in my old dusty attic and I can't help but sit and read it again.

My cousin approched me one day and informed he had to write a best man speech. I replied "Tim, I can tell you from experience that it wont be easy but in the end if he is truly your good friend you will figure out just as I did on the day of the wedding how to write the best best man speech ever written".