The Things That Really Matter About Making the Bridegroom's Speech (Essentials)

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $12.00

Amazon Price: $4.95

You are officially now a bridegroom-to-be and the wedding day is fast upon you, and you know that you are expected to give a bridegroom speech at the reception, but what to say, and how to say it; that is your big dilemma right now. As most cultures dictate, after the official ceremony and at the beginning of the reception, you are expected to speak immediately after the father of the bride says his bit.

By most traditions, your speech should follow that of the father of the bride at the reception, and the best beginning is to have a good opening line. There are all kinds of sites on the Internet that can give you ideas for good opening lines for your bridegroom speech, but mainly remember that your purpose is to catch the attention of the crowd and hold it, and sound sincere in all you say. Some guys like to start out with a quip about the wedding, or something on the jokey side, where others admit they are nervous in the opening line, or still others start out conservatively and just welcome everyone before they move into the body of the speech.

The very first thing you should do after the opening volley, is to give thanks and show your appreciation for what folks have done for you. Usually in a traditional bridegroom speech, you would start out by thanking the bride’s parents for all they have done; then thank your parents for your upbringing and whatever contributions they have made to the wedding; thank the guests for coming and for all the beautiful gifts they have brought; and if you wanted to extend the thanks to the minister and the bridesmaids, the best man—that is all well and good as long as you mean what you are saying. This is the most expedient time to make a positive and mature impression on all in attendance simply by what you say and how you say it.

Now you can expound on your thoughts about the big day; how much it means to you, how much you appreciate becoming part of your bride’s family, how much happiness you feel, and then you could begin dropping a few little tidbits about some events that led up to the big day. You don’t have to drone on and on about any one of the subjects; just be yourself and have fun telling the gathered folks a little bit about what all this means to you because all they want is to hear from you in your own words and feel your sincerity.

A bridegroom speech is a good time to tell a little bit about how you met because not everyone in the gathered group of people may know the whole story. There is always some little piece of information that is not known to everyone, and you could mention something like that. Talk about how beautiful your bride is to you, how lucky you are to be in this situation, and how much you love her. Then you could tell some funny thing that happened to the two of you that led to this relationship and to the wedding day. Everyone likes a good chuckle and wants to hear what they think is inside info, just remember not to embarrass anyone during your talk, most of all your wife and yourself, or the in-laws.

To close your bridegroom speech, you could elaborate on the things in your life that mean so much to you and include your new family and members of the audience; or even quote a poem or read something you had written yourself just for the occasion. The more of yourself you can inject into the talk, the more the group will love what you are saying and will hang on your every word. This is the time also to offer a toast to your new wife, or her parents, or your parents, your best man—whatever feels right at the moment. None of this is set in stone; just be yourself and be candid. You will find your nervousness will disappear as the group warms up to you, and all of you will remember the day for a long long time.

Just remember, a bridegroom speech can be the most powerful thing you have ever done in front of a crowd; and if you are prepared, with a few cryptic notes if you need them just so you don’t forget anything; you will find that not only will this be the most satisfying experience you have ever had, but you have left an indelible impression on the crowd and the gathered families that will last a lifetime. Just be yourself, be sincere, and mean every word you say; and the crowd there will join together in wishing you and your wife every happiness for the rest of your lives.