Dos and Dont’s for your Groom Speech
By Lawrence | September 14, 2010
The wedding ’season’ is coming to an end, but I have had a flurry of enquiries about Groom speeches over the past few days. Every Groom requires a different approach. And every speaker has a different style. But these tips will be relevant to most Grooms. I hope you find them useful.
A Groom SHOULD
- Thank your guests for attending, particularly those who have travelled from far and wide
- Mention any special guests (i.e. elderly relatives)
- Thank your new in-laws (particularly if they are hosting the wedding)
- Mention your own parents – this is an opportunity to thank them for all those years of help and support
- Talk about the Bride, in a way that balances warmth with a little bit of humour
- Introduce the Best Man
- Finish with a toast to the Bridesmaids
A Groom SHOULD NOT
- Spend more time building up the Best Man than the Bride
- Waste too much time thanking people who’ve been paid to do a job (e.g. caterers or planners)
- List so many ‘Thank yous’ that the speech resembles a school register
- Talk for too long. Generally I recommend 10 minutes as an optimum speaking time
- Forget this is a celebration of love, not an opportunity for a 10 minute comedy stand up routine
A Groom MIGHT ALSO want to mention
- Any friends or family who have made huge efforts in organising the day
- Flower girls and page boys
- Those who are not able to be there on the day
- The ushers
- A relative/close friend who has been a particular source of strength to the Groom over the years
- The Vicar/Priest/Rabbi or whoever conducts the ceremony
The balance between sincerity and humour is a difficult one for the Groom. The hardest task is to fit so much in to such a short space of time. The ultimate objective is to weave all these together in an original, memorable way. If you do have any concerns about your own speech, I would be delighted to chat, edit your draft or even write it for you.
Best wishes
Lawrence
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