A guide to delivering the perfect grooms speech

You’ve made it through the ceremony – you’re emotional, elated, and now you have to face a pretty important piece of public speaking… It’s no wonder some grooms are nervous about delivering their speech. However, worry not! With the right prep and adequate planning, you’re going to do great! Check out our guide below to discover how to deliver the perfect grooms speech.

Start with structure

One mistake many of us make when it comes to writing speeches or anything at all is simply to start from the beginning and run on from there. This can be a mistake; you want your speech to be rounded, balanced, and flow naturally, like a story. To that end, start by planning your structure; map out the points you have to include and where in the flow they might fit. There is no need to be eloquent or clever at this stage, just create a framework. By the time you come to fill in the details you will be halfway there.

Keep jokes to a minimum

You may have a whole draw full of amazingly funny jokes about the wedding party, now is not the time to wheel them out. Leave the gags to the best man and plan a speech that is sincere and heartfelt. Your guests and your bride want to hear you tell them how you adore your bride, and how pleased you are they could be part of the day. A little humour is fine but keep it as a background note.

Write in your voice

Remember to write a speech as you would speak it. This means the grammar doesn’t have to be flawless, and you should pick vocabulary and phrases that you use in everyday life. Very formal language and excessive use of adjectives and uncommon words will feel stilted and flat. Put the thesaurus away and say everything you write out loud to ensure it reads naturally.

Keep it Short

The number one guest complaint at weddings is overlong speeches. Don’t be part of the problem. Between two and four minutes is more than adequate for a grooms speech and your message will be clearer if you keep things pithy and short. Practice giving the speech out loud several times to get an average length and remember you may speak a little faster if you are feeling nervous. (Read what guests secretly want from you).

Praise your bride

If you take nothing else from this guide, take this point; praising your bride should be the central point of your speech. Speak about your love for her, tell her she looks amazing, and remember to refer to her as your wife. This part always raises a big cheer and will probably be the first time you refer to her in these terms. It’s easy to assume that this stuff is a given, everyone knows how much you love her, right? It’s not – shout it from the rooftops!

Thank the right people

On top of thanking your gorgeous new bride, you should thank everyone who has made the wedding day a success. Thank both sets of parents, groomsmen, bridesmaids and the best man, alongside your guests in general. It means a lot to those in the wedding party and beyond who have invested time, money, and love to make your day special.

Don’t leave it to the last minute

If you are writing your speech on the back of a napkin as the best man makes his address, you have left it too late. Seriously, don’t create an added pressure point for yourself by being underprepared. Start writing at least two weeks before your wedding day.

Practice

Practice will make your speech flow smoothly, and prevent you staring in horror down at a sheet of closely typed paper. If you feel comfortable, ask a close friend to listen to what you have prepared. Friendly feedback will help you not only perfect what you have written but give you a confidence boost prior to the day.

Not a groom? Here’s 10 tips for nailing the best man speech