by Amy Bartlett

The big day is approaching and you have to give one of the most important speeches of your life, in relation to the rest of what is going on with you; and you probably wish there was a way someone else could give your bridegroom speech for you. Well, face it; the commitment is yours, and if you want to stay in the good graces of your soon-to-be wife, her family, and yours; you had better prepare and get together what it is you should say and when.

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.

Nothing unites a listening group more than a good old fashioned belly laugh or good chuckle over something the speaker said about the subject at hand, and this still applies to a bridegroom speech as well. The group wants to celebrate with you and share your feelings, so if you let them in on some funny thing that happened with you and your wife while working your way toward the wedding day, and tell it from the heart; they will laugh and giggle along with you and you will all have a great time. Tell them all how beautiful your wife looks, how much you love her and what a lucky guy you are; and they will nod their heads in approval and applaud. Just be careful what you say and do not embarrass anyone, most of all your wife and your new in-laws.

Above all, don’t let the bridegroom speech drag on and on; the folks came to party and celebrate with you and they certainly don’t want to listen to you drone on and on ad infinitum. They want to hear just what the day means to you, some funny cute things about you and your new wife, some little secrets involving you and the in-laws (always good for a laugh), and above all they want to feel that they are an integral part of the celebration, and your sincerity in your speech can accomplish that. To close the speech, you could call for a toast to your wife, your parents, your in-laws, a tribute to your friends; or read a short poem that is meaningful for the day or maybe something you wrote yourself.

This day is the most important day in your life and you will want to grab the moment and make the most of it, so when it is time for you to give your bridegroom speech, make sure you are ready with a few notes if you need them so you won’t forget anything you wanted to say, and keep it light, sincere, and heartfelt. The folks gathered there for your big day are there to wish you well and join in celebrating your happiness and your new beginning, so keep that in mind and act accordingly, don’t be nervous, and you will find that giving your bridegroom speech will be one of the most satisfying things you’ve ever done in your life.

About the Author:
Amy Bartlett has written and published other works regarding wedding speech. For more information on Irish Drinking Toasts visit our site.

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