As the groom, you have the honor of delivering a speech at your wedding. It’s a great opportunity to share your feelings with your guests and thank them for being part of your special day. Writing and delivering a memorable groom’s speech doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Here’s how to write and give a groom’s speech that your wedding guests will remember.
When to Give the Groom’s Speech The groom’s speech typically comes after the father of the bride’s speech and before the best man’s speech. However, more and more couples are opting to have the speeches before the wedding breakfast, so you can relax and enjoy your meal.
How Long Should the Groom’s Speech Last? Your speech should be no more than ten minutes. Practice it a few times ahead of the big day and time yourself. Speak slowly and clearly. You don’t want your groom’s speech to last longer than ten minutes, so your guests don’t start to feel fidgety and bored. If you’re very nervous about giving a speech, you can keep it as brief as you like.
Who Should the Groom Toast and Thank? The groom traditionally thanks and leads toasts to the following in his speech:
The father of the bride (or the equivalent person in that role). The groom should thank them for their speech on behalf of himself and his new wife or husband. The guests. The groom should thank the guests for coming to celebrate their day. His partner’s parents. It’s polite for the groom to thank his partner’s parents for raising the person he fell in love with, as well as for hosting the day (if that applies!).His own parents. The groom should thank his parents for raising him and for any help given ahead of the wedding and on the day.
The best man. The groom should thank the best man for his help in the run up to the wedding, the stag do and for the best man duties that have been carried out on the day. Any other helpers. He should thank the ushers, any witnesses and those who gave wedding readings etc. The mothers of the bride and groom. It’s a nice touch to present the mothers of the bride and groom with gifts, such as a beautiful bouquet of flowers each to thank them for their help. The bridesmaids. The groom should thank the bridesmaids for helping the bride and planning her hen do, and he should pay them a meaningful compliment as well as leading a toast to them. This could be included in the bride’s speech though, if there is one. His partner. The groom should thank his bride or groom, lavishly compliment them and lead a toast to them to round off his speech.
How to Write a Groom’s Speech
Writing a groom’s speech isn’t as daunting as you might think it is. As long as you’ve complimented your new spouse and thanked your key guests, you’ve basically done your job! We’ve included a groom’s speech checklist for you to make sure you have included everything you need, but here are some further pointers…
Think about the moment you knew your partner was the one – what made you fall in love with them? How did you feel before you proposed? And how did you feel after they said yes? What are the qualities you admire in them the most? And can you attribute some of those good qualities to their parents? How have they made your life better? You could share one of your happiest or funniest moments with them – just make sure it’s not too much of an in-joke so your guests aren’t confused If you feel comfortable going off-the-cuff, talk about how you felt seeing them for the first time on your wedding day Talk about your plans, hopes and dreams for your shared future Be sure to practise your speech so you feel confident reading it aloud. Perhaps read it to a trusted friend or relative to get their feedback ahead of your wedding. Make sure you time it as well so you know that it doesn’t go on for too long.
How to Make a Groom’s Speech You might feel totally fine about writing a groom’s speech, but be more nervous about actually giving the speech. That’s totally understandable!
It helps to remember you’re giving your speech to a room full of your friends and family – they all love you and are there to celebrate with you, not judge you. No one will care if you stumble on a word and no one will think badly of your speech.
The old confidence trick is to image everyone naked or in their underwear but, having just got married, you shouldn’t really be imagining anyone naked! The best thing to do is take a deep breath before speaking and pick something at the back of the room – a picture, a plant, a column – and address your speech to that item. By doing that, you’re looking out across the room and directing your voice to the furthest reaches of the space – ideal if you haven’t got a microphone!
If you have got a mic, don’t hold it too close to your face and remember to keep your speech slow – it can be tempting to rush to get it over with, but no one will be able to understand you! Pause briefly between your sentences and keep focusing on that plant at the back of the room if you need to. Remember to look at your new wife or husband from time to time though, so they don’t think you’re totally besotted with a floral arrangement!
The Groom’s Speech Checklist Compare your speech to this handy groom’s speech checklist to make sure you’ve included everything you need to and haven’t missed anything off:
Thank the previous speech giver
Thank the guests Thank the staff/any other helpers (in the lead up and on the day!)
Thank your partner’s parents and family
Thank your own family Allow for gift-giving, if you’re doing that
Thank the best man
Thank the bridesmaids and toast to them Talk about your lovely new spouse and toast to them.
At Poetic Wedding Creations, we understand the importance of a groom’s speech and are here to help make sure it’s perfect. With our years of experience in speech writing and public speaking, we can help you craft an eloquent and memorable groom’s speech that you’ll be proud of. Our team of experts will work with you to understand your story and create an original speech that is tailored to your personality and the occasion. We understand that giving a groom’s speech is a daunting task and are here to ensure that the process is enjoyable and stress-free. Contact us today to find out how we can help you create an unforgettable speech for your special day.