How To Prepare The Groom’s Speech – Go from throat-clearing to ‘bottom’s up’ in style!
Normally wedged between the father of the bride speech and the best man speech, the groom’s speech definitely needs to stand out! But having said that, your speech should portray you and your personality – otherwise, chances are your guests will be inclined to think you copied someone else’s speech or printed it off the Internet!
For most grooms, this may well be their first experience of public speaking and being faced with a sea of familiar faces can actually make the task all-the-more daunting. It may not come naturally in front of a room of assembled friends and family, but try to speak from your heart. And if you forget absolutely everything on the day itself – including your notes – just remember to be genuine, honest and cheery. But this is probably the most important speech you will ever give, so please do justice to the gravitas of this big day.
TIPS TO REMEMBER:
You are NOT a Comedian!
The groom’s speech isn’t an opportunity for a 10-minute comedy stand-up routine, so try to balance your hilarious one-liners with a good dollop of sincerity.
Focus on the Bride
Although you’ll want to reference the best man and poke a bit of fun at him, remember what your wedding is about – your relationship with your bride, not your best mate, so less of the banter and more of the love, please!
Say ‘My Wife’
Early on, drop in ‘my wife and I’. It will always receive a warm cheer and will help set your nerves at rest before the speech.
Compliment Her
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tell her in front of a large collection of your friends and family, so make the most of it and make her feel amazing.
Keep it Clean
Make sure you don’t use bad language or distasteful content. Anything that could cause offense should be edited out.
Keep the Structure Simple.
All you really need is an intro (welcoming the guests), a boatload of thank yous, some humor-and-heart anecdotes about how you met your wife, and then a closing about how much you love her. That’s it!
Make Eye Contact
The more sincere elements of your groom’s speech will be more powerful if, when you’re talking about your wife, you actually make eye contact with her, and with the others you are thanking too.
Avoid Lists
Nothing can be more dull or unoriginal than a groom’s speech that resembles a school register.
Cross Reference
Find out who is speaking before you and make sure you’re not repeating what they’re planning to say.
Practice
When you’re done, practice more. Repeat. Keep practicing in the mirror until you can deliver it with confidence.
The Groom’s wedding speech is usually made on behalf of himself and his bride and uses the opportunity to personally thank the people involved in the wedding preparations. Another entertaining and sentimental part of the Groom’s speech is where you share your first encounter with your wife and how your life has changed because of it! You, the Groom, cannot forget anybody, as you will not be forgiven and you may also have to hear it for the rest of your dear life, if you do. So, here are the must-mentions for that all-important speech…
YOU MUST MENTION & THANK:
The Father of the Bride
Since your speech is followed the father of the bride speech, start of your speech by responding to what he said in his. Use a witty, but not over-the-top reply will set a nice tone for the rest of your speech. Plus, remember to thank him for all he’s done for the wedding, especially if you’ve gone the traditional route with the bride’s fam paying for the whole shebang.
The Bride’s Family
Now thank the rest of the bride’s family! Here you can tell all of your wedding guests about how they’ve helped you out with bringing this perfect day together, but also how they welcomed you into the family – chat about memories and let them know how special they’ve made you feel, and how special they are to you! It will mean a lot to them, trust us on this one!
Your Family
Thank them for all they’ve done for you to be the man you are today. It is definitely a proud moment for them to see their little boy stand tall as man who is starting his own new life. You could mention a few anecdotes from your childhood to make your family members feel special. Thank them for helping you with the wedding nitty-gritties. And finally thank them once again for being a part of the best days of your life!
The Bridesmaids
The Girl Squad! These are your wife’s VIPs! You can’t get away without mentioning these girls; otherwise you might have a squad of matching pink dresses on your case once the speeches are over. Plus, if your new wife isn’t making a speech, she’ll most definitely want you to make a thing of how great they’ve been – even the bad bridesmaids will have had their advantages at some time during the wedding planning! Also, make sure you tell them how beautiful they look, too!
The Groomsmen
And now, for your right hand men! Because choosing your groomsmen was probably one of your main tasks to do with the wedding, there’s a lot you can mention; from why you chose them, through to what these little elves have been doing to help your big day run smoothly. But try not to go all out on the private jokes, the embarrassing or ‘You had to be there’ moments from the stag do; it’s likely that most of your wedding guests weren’t ‘there’ so they just won’t get it.
The Best Man
After all, what would you be without your Wingman? The groom and the best man are usually inseparable during the highs and lows of wedding planning. The moment there’s any sign of bridezilla, the best man will know about it. He must definitely mean a lot to you. And because you’ve had so many memories, you’ll have a lot to talk about. But remember to chat to your best man about what’s in his speech – you don’t want him repeating things that you’ve said in yours.
Everyone Else Who Helped
The list of everyone did bits and bobs towards the big day might be endless, but give the main helpers a shout out! Maybe you made the most of a close friend’s baking skills for your wedding cake, or maybe your relative is a keen dress maker? Big features like that deserve to be appreciated, and if you really don’t have time to get through the list of all the helpers, a shout out to the vague ‘everyone else who helped’ will do, but remember to give them a little thank you when you see them.
Your Guests
Whilst they may not have contributed to the wedding planning process, your wedding guests deserve a bit of appreciation. Not only are they the people in your life that are worth inviting to celebrate your big day, they would have made an effort to be there. Some will have travelled a long way, most will have bought a new outfit, and almost all would have got you a special gift to congratulate you and your new wifey!
The Bride
DO NOT FORGET THIS ONE! A toast to the bride in your wedding speech is pretty crucial, but we’re sure you already knew that. Here’s what you talk about – start off by saying how beautiful she looks, then the effort that she’s put in, how well she’s done it, and of course, how happy you are to be marrying her. But it’s not as simple as that! We’re not putting the words into your mouth – embellish it with a bit of nostalgia and sentimentality. Talking about the ‘little things’ about the bride will make it that extra bit special, for her and your guests.
FINALLY, RAISE YOUR GLASS! And last but least, raise your glass and toast the Bridesmaids and to your new wife!
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