Best man speech in America

Right, at the end of October my friend is getting married in Augusta, Maine, USA to an American girl. I am the best man, and am slightly concerned about the speech. This will be my 4th best man appearance so I'm usually fairly confident and relaxed but I'm pretty certain the 80% American audience:

a) won't understand my Barnsley accent

b) won't understand my sense of humour

Has anyone been to a wedding in America? Is the best man speech principally the same as here? Hw many jokes at the expense of America/Americans before I cross the line from endearing English man to extraordinary renedition?

 

Throw in some jokes about the English, for balance.

 

You've been a best man 4 times?

That's three mates you're going to lose when you get married.

 

time to pack it in kid if tha dunt know what to do after 3 attempts......

 

Re: You've been a best man 4 times?

Got married in 2009. Two were prior to my marriage (one was my uncle, one was my eventual best man), one last month (he was an usher at mine) and the latest one who was living abroad when I got married and just flew in for the wedding.

 

Any tips about how to get so popular?

?

 

Re: Any tips about how to get so popular?

Doesn't eaststander go to america a lot? He maybe the best one to ask - fron what i can remrmber he may have an American partner as well

 

Re: Any tips about how to get so popular?

As much as I would love to pretend it is because of my dazzling wit I think its more to do with the fact than I'm more socially acceptable than the remainder of my friends, who would be largely incapable of organising a stag do and would be completely incapable of giving an appropriate speech.

 

Good shout! Eaststander?

What is it the American's say - 'Lil' help'

 

Re: Good shout! Eaststander?

Plenty of Englishman, Scotsman and Irishmen jokes should get the place buzzing.

 

If its Maine then a few Boston Tea Party / tea bagging jokes

 

Well as a Brit living in North America, my observations would be these:

1) Don't use sarcasm - they just don't get it, so may/will get offended.
2) Be careful with the vocabulary - they don't understand "telly", "bog", "lav", "hoover", "boot" (of the car), and "rubber" has a very different meaning, of course! I'm sure there are a lot more.
3) You could make reference to the Royal Wedding (as it was so well received over here) - maybe some of the different wedding terms used e.g. Wedding breakfast, Hen party and stag do v batchelor party/stag / stagette. You could mention your love of Football / Soccer (I always says say"yes, football - the sport where players use their foot to kick a ball, as opposed to your football where they throw it and run with it, barely using the foot).........just think of some of the differences between the UK and US maybe? There are quite a few websotes to help with this.

4) As for your accent, maybe you could mention the Full Monty.....has been pretty popular here (also has subtitles on it sometimes!) and/or if you can do accents, pick a wedding-relevant word (or the names of the bride/groom?) and put them in a sentence and say them with various British accents (e.g. Yorkshire, Scottish, Scouse, London). I'm sure you'll try and make it as funny as you can, but I would check with the bride and groom first as to how risque you can be (generally very prudish over here, I have found, compared to Barnsley, at any rate!)

I would get your speech proof-read by an American, to make sure it will be understood. Good luck.

 

Cheers! Some cracking advice there. My key concern is my humour is solely based on irony

 

Re: Any tips about how to get so popular?

Yes i did marry an American lass, and we got married in the States but it was a small affair, just 4 guests.....ask Dave Helm as he got married in the US and lives there now, it was a bigger more traditional wedding as well.

 

Stay away from politics, don't insult them....best way is self-deprecating humour. Mention some of the differences in language. Say something along the lines of your friend had to travel all the way to teh US to find his wife

 

I married an American woman in May this year and had about 100 close family and friends. Before I moved over my bestman and myself had the speech worked out so that he would say everything in a Barnsley accent (most of it a little overboard) and I would stand next to him and be the translator. That went down so well, we also found a site that compared English words compared to American-English and printed some sheets out and placed them on all the tables at the wedding. If you are going to tell jokes make sure that they will be understood, I don't mean the American's won't get the humour (Humor) but they may not understand the meaning.
Hope this helps, and best of luck.
Dave

 

I love the idea of a "translation". As a variation on a theme, at a Robbie Burns party over here one time we read out verses of a poem: I would do one verse in a Canadian accent (well sort of!), and we had a Canadian friend attempt a Yorkshire accent for the next verse, and so on. It was pretty funny.

 

Just one more thing. As well as avoiding politics, I would avoid religion too - although you are not in the Bible Belt in Maine, you do not want to offend, and whatever you do, do not mention abortion. That would be a complete no-no.

 

Either have a big telly with the text of your speech scrolling along or have an American voice over your words shortly after you begin your speech, with your voice muted thereafter.

 

It's probably just me being a bit stereotypical

But I get the feeling American's have a very dry sense of humor, and are very patriotic so avoid any jokes about America itself, best of luck though mate