What Needs To Be Said In The Groom Wedding Speech
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.