Brian joins Conan O'Brien to talk wedding vows, toasts, the art of the perfect speech, Norm MacDonald, and sex robots!
Conan O'Brien Needs a friend
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Press, Media Coverage, guides, & Blog posts
the "needs a fan" episode - "The Wedding Ringer"
"I'm glad you're out there. This is going to help people immensely, and mostly you're helping their audience, because I want more and more people who are giving toasts at a wedding to get some advice before they do it. I don't want to be sitting there. I don't want to get violent."
- CONAN ON BRIAN FRANKLIN/VOWS & SPEECHES
The AP asked us how to keep politics out of a wedding
In October 2024, the Associated Press called Brian for a story on keeping wedding guests from turning the reception into a battleground — a fair question to ask a recovered political consultant. His answer was simple: the toast is not the place to do a comedy routine or scare up votes.
The piece went out on the AP wire and ran on more than 50 news sites nationwide, including Yahoo, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Times, and dozens of local ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates — KTLA in Los Angeles, WGN in Chicago, KRON4 in San Francisco, WAVY in Norfolk, KSAT in San Antonio, WFLA in Tampa, and on down the list.
Read the original at AP News →
When The New York Times covered the couples turning to professional wordsmiths for their vows and toasts, Brian Franklin was one of the writers they talked to — on why the interview matters more than the writing, what people get wrong when they go it alone, and the craft of being funny at a wedding without being that speech. The piece is also where the Times dubbed him "The Humorist," a line we have never once stopped using.
Read the original at The New York Times →
New York Times and Vows & Speeches
New York Times Feature:Overwhelmed With Writing Your Vows? A Professional Wordsmith Could Help. New York Times Read Full Article on NYTimes.com
Our vows were a total home run!
"We both surprised each other with how heartfelt and funny/cute they were and everyone loved them. We got so many compliments and people said they were the best vows they’ve ever heard!”
