Groom Speech
Typically, the groom’s speech will be about his bride and their future together. The groom speech will also thank those involved in their wedding. The groom’s speech is usually the second speech made and it typically follows a general guidelines:
- First, thank the previous speaker (typically the best man) who toasted you and your bride.
- Thank the guests for attending the wedding.
- Thank the bride’s parents for welcoming you in their family.
- Thank your parents for their job in raising you. Throw in a funny memory or two. Certainly you can think of at least a dozen.
- Thank those who helped in planning and the preparations of the wedding and reception. You might specifically thank the few people who went over and above in provided exceptional help or you can give a general thank you to all who helped in the planning of the wedding. While it is generally considered uncouth to thank those who paid for the wedding for the money they spent, it is important to tell them that you appreciate their generosity.
- Share nice sentiments about your bride. The groom might add a few words about how he and his bride met and activities they enjoy.
- Thank the young attendants (flower girl, ring bearer) for participating in the wedding.
- Thank the best man, the groomsmen and ushers. Throw in a humorous story about the best man but be sure to keep it PG.
- Finally, end with kind words to the bridesmaids and maid of honor and thank them for the help they gave the bride. End the speech with a toast to the bridesmaids.
The grooms speech will thank more people than any other speakers. As you can see by the list of people that need to be thanked, there is always the risk that the groom’s speech will becomes a “Thank You” list. You can avoid this by breaking up the thank-you’s with humor or a fond story. This is especially effective if the story or joke relates directly to the person being thanked, or who is about to be thanked.
All grooms want to give the perfect wedding speech but trying to create the perfect groom wedding speech can be a big mistake. Keep it simple and keep in sincere and you will have a great groom speech. A clear and sincere speech will impress your guests more than anything else. Use your own words to relay the ideas you wish to communicate while also reflecting your personality.
Also, if you want to give an outstanding wedding speech, you must prepare well enough in advance and practice, practice, practice. If you are accustom to speaking in front of a crowd, you will want to give your speech in front of a group ahead of time. If you feel uncomfortable giving your speech in front of friends and family, consider joining a local Toastmasters club at least six months before your wedding so you have enough time to practice your speech in front of fellow Toastmaster members.?