The Groom’s Speech

One of the key roles of the Groom on the wedding day, after turning up, is to give a speech at the reception. This is something that fills many people with dread. Not many people are used to addressing a room full of people let alone such a mix of family and friends. Then pitching your speech to your audience can be tricky too. There is one other factor to consider, your wife. Put these elements together and you soon realise the task facing you. 

Some people make the mistake of looking up a speech on the internet, this approach hardly ever comes across as well as it is intended. You can look up some ideas for a joke or two on the internet but by using the words of another person the speech can lack sincerity. The content of the speech that you write traditionally follows the format of thanking your guests for coming, giving presents to those who you want to thank, a few words on how you met your wife and a few more on how special she is, then toast the bridesmaids. Sounds simple, and start it all with a, “Ladies and Gentlemen, my wife and I” (then pause for a huge round of applause). If the words you write are your own, and you practice your speech well then it should all go swimmingly.

The best speeches that I have heard have been heartfelt and honest but I have heard some very poor ones. Ones where the groom has been overconfident and left it to the last minute, even tried to wing it and make it up on the spot. Myself I agonised over what I wanted to say, thought about it for ages and eventually put it all together the morning of the wedding. I practised a number of times which helped prevent the nerves kicking in. I thought the speech went well, my mother in law cried, till I was upstaged by our 3 year old taking the microphone and giving an impromptu speech of his own involving snakes and candles!

J