Tag: Best Man

The Emcee runs the show, directs traffic and delivers some hilarious wedding jokes and one-liners like the host of a comedy show. It is therefore very important to have good, clean, humorous material in his or her arsenal.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to where or when the Emcee should deliver jokes. Good jokes can and have been delivered practically anywhere during the reception. However, one of the best times to share some jokes is when introducing the guest speakers. A few of the attendees who usually give speeches and toasts at most wedding receptions are the Best Man, the Maid of Honor and, of course, the Groom.

The Emcee must have enough funny material for the entire reception because there are other guests who may want to say a few words, particularly the bride and groom’s parents.

The Master of Ceremonies must not take over the proceedings with too many jokes at one time. The jokes should be spread throughout the entire program. Jokes can be delivered before the introduction of each guest speaker or after the guest has given his or her speech, or both. Balance is the key.

If the Wedding MC is not too familiar with the speakers, here is a good tip that can make things a bit easier. A few weeks before the big day, he should gather all the relevant background information from the bride and groom concerning the various guest speakers.

With some background knowledge at his disposal, he will be more confident that he will not embarrass anyone or himself by incorrectly pronouncing the person’s name or telling an inappropriate joke.

Without this background knowledge one could easily introduce the groom’s father by commenting that he is a good example to follow, not knowing that he has been divorced 4 times over the last 10 years. Before the reception, it is always a good idea to run a joke by any one of speakers if, for any reason, the MC feels it may embarrass that guest.

Another good time to give some humurous jokes is during the announcements. Throughout the reception the Emcee will be required to give a few announcements. Some of these announcements may include the arrival of the newly married couple, how long the formal part of the program will be, when the speeches and toasts will begin, the sequence in serving the meals, where and when the bouquet and garter toss will start, directions to the bar, the name of the DJ or band, and what time the dancing will commence.

Other announcements may include directions to the restrooms and where the designated smoking area is. These are great opportunities to deliver some related jokes to liven up and entertain the guests.

Jokes can also be introduced during the various activities, whether its when the meals are being served, while the guests are eating, during the selection of the music, before the sticking of the cake or during the bouquet and garter toss.

Proper selection of jokes is vital to avoid embarrassing or humiliating the audience. Generally, the use of dirty jokes which include swearing should be avoided at all cost, particularly if there are children around. Of course, there are weddings where only adults are invited and the couple may request or allow dirty jokes. One must never assume this is the case.

Wedding jokes are an important part of any wedding reception and proper delivery of jokes is essential to be successful as an Emcee. Jokes can be found almost anywhere, but it takes know-how and practice to deliver them effortlessly to bring the house down.

The Grushie or Wedding Scramble is a wedding tradition which comes to us probably from Scotland originally; Possibly, when they were seeking refuge in Ireland during one of their many wars with England. Before that, the influence was likely purely Irish, which was a favored place to hide from the English, lick their wounds and regroup. Prior to this, the tradition may have it’s influence from Rome. The Roman wedding tradition of paying by coin at various steps in the proceedings probably held some influence here. Since it was Rome who first brought the concept of coin to the Celtic tribes as a means of trying to corrupt them economically, this may have transmuted an earlier Celtic tradition.

The word Grushie in Scots means ‘healthy and thriving’, so in truth, this tradition is about prosperity and getting the bride and groom off to a good start. The best way to do that is by giving back a little. At the end of the ceremony as the bride and groom are to step into the carriage, the bride will throw her bouquet to see who may indeed be the next lucky bride.

Well for the men, there is the Grushie, which was traditionally a handful of coins tossed alongside the bouquet. The person who tossed it was generally related to the groom, his father, elder brother, sometimes the Best Man and even upon occasion the groom himself. There are different traditions for different places and times. Some places require thirteen coins; some require the highest denomination that can be readily afforded, while others recommend the least amount in denomination but the most in quantity. There are even some tales which talk about throwing bags of coins (small though they may be) while others sometimes talked of gifting them as party favors for each guest.

Today, Modern Grushies have survived and are often aimed at the children, where like a pinata falling, handfuls of candy, coins and small toys are tossed for them to scamper after, which is likely why in Scotland this tradition is now called a Scramble.

No matter what the source for this custom was, it is a useful and supportive tradition. It supports the cycle of prosperity for all concerned so in that sense it goes beyond merely the happy couple and moves into the wider community. In this sense it is also an honoring for the place and for the energies therein, always a strong sentiment for Celts of all tribes and affiliations.

The wedding speech for the groom traditionally includes a toast to his wife, his groomsmen (including the Best Man), and both sides of parents. The easiest way to accomplish this in one toast is to start by giving thanks to each person or group of people in turn and mentioning why these people are important to him.

For instance, the wedding speech for the groom might start out by saying something along the lines of First of all, Id like to say a few words about my parents. This opening could lead to citing one or two examples of leadership, love and support that the groom has received from his parents, along with thanks to them for providing these benefits. He can follow this with acknowledgements and thanks to his wifes parents for their love and support, as well.

Eventually, the wedding speech for the groom should make its way around to the groomsmen, acknowledging any and all support and the help they have provided along with giving thanks to them as well. Lastly, the groom should properly acknowledge his wife and express his thanks and love to her. The wedding speech for the groom should end with a toast to those whom he has mentioned.

There is no set rule that says the groom must thank or acknowledge all these people in this particular order or even in one single speech. However, since proper wedding speech etiquette demands that he acknowledge all the aforementioned people at some point during the reception, the easiest way to do so is to include everyone in one wedding speech for the groom and then toast at the end.

This will necessarily require that the groom make the proper acknowledgements and thanks in a timely manner in order to finish his speech within a reasonable amount of time. The recommended time frame for wedding speeches is between 4 and 7 minutes. Going beyond 7 minutes during your speech will cause the audience to become bored and often people stop paying attention after several minutes. The last thing the groom should want to happen is for the audience to stop paying attention just when hes gotten to the last person on his list, which usually is the bride!

Because the groom has plenty of people to acknowledge and thank, the groom wedding speech should be one of the easiest to write, as he will have very little extra time to fill up. In fact, its quite possible the groom will be challenged to get his entire speech said within the allotted time.

In trying to decide exactly what details the groom wishes to share with the audience about those whom he speaks about, he should start by making a list of what he wishes to thank each person for and perhaps what he feels each person has contributed to the wedding, to his friendship with that person, and even to his upbringing. For instance, he might start by writing down the values his parents taught him that have enabled him to be a good husband.

He might list two or three of his wifes best qualities that have always attracted him to her and that have made her a desirable wife. He might think of a few examples of friendship that have made him consider his Best Man and groomsmen to be his friends. His wifes parents obviously taught her a few strong values which have enabled her to be what he considers a good wife and partner and which he could mention in acknowledgement of them.

After writing down all of these things, he can then whittle it all down and fashion it into a speech that reflects not only his own personality but his basic feelings as well. If need be, he can involve a friend to help write a wedding speech for the groom, or even involve his soon-to-be wife, if he feels like it.

Generally, it is not expected that the groom needs to involve any humor in the wedding speech for the groom; however if the groom has a humorous side, certainly there is nothing wrong with him sharing an anecdote about his father, Best Man, or anyone else he acknowledges in his speech, provided the anecdote is in good taste and doesnt offend anyone.

If there is any doubt about the taste level of a humorous anecdote, the best thing to do is leave it out. Its better to be safe than sorry. The last thing a man would want to do with his wedding speech for the groom delivery is to offend his brand new in-laws, or other members of the wedding party, so if its questionable material, leave it out.

Above all enjoy yourself during this very special day when addressing the wedding speech for the groom.