Dominic Smithers
The best man speech is a crucial part of the wedding day. You don't want to be too soppy and it can't just be 20 minutes of ripping into the groom. It's about finding that balance.
And one woman was left sweating when her hubby's mate stepped up to do the honours:
Sophie tied the knot with her husband Ryan, 35, on New Year's Eve last year, celebrating their special day at Merrydale Manor in Knutsford.
But as the guests and newlyweds sat down for their reception, probably a few drinks into the evening by this point, it was time for the dreaded speeches.
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Now, as I said at the top, there really is an art to a good best man's speech; it's got to cater for everyone in the room, many of whom you've never even met.
And when Ryan's best mate Neil stepped up to deliver his, he really pushed it to the limit, and things got very uncomfortable... for Sophie at least.
In a video shared to TikTok by wedding videographer Videos By Tone, Neil says: "Him and Sophie also had not long moved into their new home, and he asked if I could do him a favour whenever he was working away.
"He asked me if Sophie was ever in need, would I go round and check up on her.
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"Obviously, as a best mate, I said of course. So every now and then, I would go round and just make sure she was okay."
At this point, Sophie looks very, very confused. Either because she has no recollection of these supposed visits or she is terrified for what he's about to say.
Neil goes on: "Now, over time, this becomes a little bit more and more frequent, so much so that in fact Sophie actually got me a spare key because she used to just tell me to just let myself in.
"And this has kind of carried on for quite some time."
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It's here where the bride looks really bemused and can be seen laughing extremely nervously.
Rounding off the mysterious tale, Neil says: "But as I think, as of today, and the fact you two have finally tied the knot, I think it's only right of me to give you that spare key. So, Sophie, here is that spare key."
The best man then pulls it out of his jacket pocket and places said key in front of the bemused bride, quickly followed by half the men in the room, who also return their keys.
The awkward titters then turn into full-on relieved laughter as the penny finally drops.
Speaking to LADbible, 27-year-old Sophie said she didn't have a clue what was going on, and she had no idea about this apparent special agreement between Ryan and his mate.
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"I can't even tell you how confused I was," she said. "Although we are really close to Neil and his fiancée, Leanne, so I knew that if Ryan was going to ask anyone to look out for me then it would be Neil.
"But then as soon as Neil mentioned about him popping round becoming a regular thing and me getting him a spare key cut, I was completely baffled."
Confusion quickly turned to panic as Neil's story went on.
"I was so confused but also worried," Sophie recalled. "Because I knew it weren't true, I had absolutely no clue where it was going and was terrified what the punch line was going to be."
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Fortunately, it didn't end in tears and Neil didn't have a scene from The Graduate planned.
Sophie said: "The ending was absolutely hilarious! I genuinely nearly fell off my chair laughing.
"When he handed me his key, I was still confused, but it was like a lightbulb moment as soon as the other lads appeared in front of me with their keys too. There genuinely wasn't a person in the room who weren't crying with laughter."
Very well played, Neil.