12 August 2023 , 17:04
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Speechwriter Ewan Jones became the last word in wedding imposters as a fake best man to a groom he had never met.
Ewan pocketed a £600 fee for fooling a room full of strangers – including the bride – posing as the man’s long-lost pal and former flatmate Pete. None of the 200 guests had a clue Ewan was a stooge except the groom, who made the booking to spare his own mates the pressure.
Ewan, 34, cobbled together his speech from anecdotes after a quick phone chat – then brought the house down with his gags. But the former door-to-door salesman, sworn to secrecy over the groom’s identity, admits: “I felt like a bit of a fraud.”
The 2018 gig on the south coast of England echoes the plot of 2015 movie The Wedding Ringer, starring Kevin Hart as a best man for hire. Ewan, of Cheltenham, says the groom – in his late 20s and working in finance – hatched the idea after stumbling across his speechwriting website.
Kevin Hart and Josh Gad in The Wedding Ringer (FREE TO USE)He said: “No one knew. The bride didn’t, the family didn’t. They still don’t. I broke the ice about no one knowing who I was, threw in a few niceties and mentioned the bride looking lovely – and then some digs, which got a few laughs. I thought, I have to comedy my way through this, I can’t be heartfelt. Everyone wants a speech to succeed. They know you’re doing this out of love for the groom. Everyone’s on your side.”
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He said the best moment came when a guest complimented him and said he was due to marry soon – and he wished he could have a best man as good. Ewan added: “I stayed for some scran, then had a bit of a dance. I gave the bride a wide berth because I thought I’d feel awkward. It’s something I feel guilty for. Right at the end I just said, ‘You look lovely’. I didn’t speak to her parents either, just an uncle or two.”
Ewan, who told of the gig on BBC podcast Best Men, now runs safejawz.com, selling mouthguards to sporting celebs. He said: “It was a buzz. I was driving home on a proper high – everyone seemed happy. I did ask for videos but never got them, unfortunately.”