In this blog post, we will be going over some of the key components of writing the groom wedding speech. Although most men dread speaking in public,the groom wedding speech is actually one of the easier speeches of the evening. The reason why say this is because in the groom wedding speech most of the time is actually spent on showing appreciation and gratitude for the people who put the wedding together. In other words you end up spending a lot of time thanking your parents and the bride’s parents for contributing to the wedding festivities.

Nonetheless I would like to offer some tips to help relieve some of the anxiety associated with wedding speeches. First of all, we’ll want to remember that the groom wedding speech is only about five or 6 min. in length. The biggest mistake that most grooms make in their speech is that they go over the suggested time and end up speaking for 10 or 15 min. What you usually hear at weddings are a groom that simply rambles on and on without any core or spine to their stories. After the first two or 3 min. the audience is usually yawning and thinking about when the DJ is going to start playing music again so they can hit up the free bar. The most important thing to remember is to keep your speech short and sweet.

The second major tip that I can offer for the groom wedding speech is to is to try and deliver one interesting story about your bride that portrays her in a positive light. In other words, you want to tell a story that shows why the bride is special to you. For example, I recently helped one man with his groom speech. After a quick consultation I learned that the bride spent an entire year in Africa where she was a nurse in the underserved community in Burkina Faso. We crafted a short story about the bride’s  sense of altruism that really impressed the groom when he met her. This altruism was a key defining characteristic of the bride that made her special and unique. Rather than trying to tell the audience three or four stories about the bride I suggested to the groom that he only focus on this one story in Africa.

The final tip that I would like to offer relates to the delivery of your groom wedding speech. After all, your content can be of professional caliber but if you deliver the speech in an amateur or nervous fashion you can actually ruin wonderful content. Rather than delving into the details about how to deliver your groom wedding speech in a professional manner I think that most people should focus on simply rehearsing their speech in front of the mirror at least 10 times prior to actually delivering it on the wedding day. You would be surprised at how many men actually decide to wing it on their wedding day! The most common thing that I see is that a guy will whip together a wedding speech on the morning of the wedding while there are 1 million other responsibilities that need to be attended to. Believe it or not, most men do not even practice their wedding speech. If you can simply adhere to the rule of practicing your wedding speech in front of the mirror or in front of a trusted friend, you will be absolutely astonished at how you will be able to deliver the speech without any anxiety.  You will be able to deliver any type of groom wedding speech whether it be funny, poignant or even romantic and always impress the audience.

In this article, I’m going to outline the ten steps you need to take to write the groom speech. This is the step by step process that you use to create a page or two of notes. You can then fine tune some of these thoughts and include them in your groom speech.

Before you stress out too much, always remember that the groom’s speech is largely a speech of appreciation as you can tell from this sample groom speech.

Groom Speech

1. Start by writing down anecdotes and your feelings about the Bride
2. What are the top five adjectives that you think of when describing the bride? (These don’t all have to be positive as quirky things can be spun into a funny anecdote.
3. What were you like before meeting the bride? Have you changed for the better?
4. Why do you think that you are a good match for the bride?
5. How did you meet the bride? Were you introduced by anyone that should be mentioned?
6. Did your parents ever share any wisdom about marriage that you find to be important? You could share that wisdom in the toast.
7. How do you expect that your life will change now that you’re married to the bride.
8. Who are the top 3 people that you need to thank in your groom speech?
9. Who paid for the wedding? You should probably thank them!
10. Choose a traditional quote or toast to close out your speech.

By now you probably have brainstormed at least one page of ideas for your groom speech. Of course, you want be able to jam in all of your thoughts and ideas. The key now is axe 80% of what you have written as it most likely is not important. You want to focus on only the most important ideas as you only have 5-7 minutes to deliver your groom speech.

If you need a little bit more ideas for your groom’s speech you can use our handy resource that is packed with 10 sample groom speeches and loads of tips.

I’ve listened to dozens of speeches in my years as a professional speech writer. Usually when a groom comes to me with his speech ideas I find one common problem. One of the common mistakes that men make is focusing on humor.

Rather than coming up with sincere and emotional stories, most men will start the groom speech writing process with a few jokes or puns. Men are not famous for showing their feelings especially in front of dozens of strangers so this is no surprise.

My recommendation is that you start with the hard part of the groom speech first. This means trying to write a nice word or two about your lovely bride.  Obviously you will compliment her on her beauty and thank her for being your wife. However, what is most important is trying to come up with a touching story.

For example, you might tell a story about the first time that you knew you were in love with your wife.

“I remember going home and playing love songs over and over again. I played Frank Sinatra’s “Got You Under My Skin” and “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins. I just sat in my room and while playing these songs I dreamed of how nice it would be to wake up and make breakfast with her on a Sunday morning with these songs playing in the background. I thought that would be just about the most amazing thing that I could experience. A simple moment that I could share with her.

For a split second I snapped out of my daze. I looked at myself in the mirror and said “Self, looks like you’re in love. Ohh crap.”

At that moment in time I knew that I was in love with Andrea and that I wanted to marry her. It became just about the only thing that I wanted and I’m so grateful that now my Sunday morning dream is about to come true.”

Now it’s not easy to stand up and admit your feelings to the audience. However, two paragraphs of touching and genuine reflection will go a lot further than some witty one liners in your groom speech.

One of the key points about the groom speech is that you must remember to thank all of the right people. In this blog post I’m going to provide you with a checklist of all of the people that you should mention in your wedding speech.

If you’re struggling with other aspects of your speech, review a groom speech example before you continue.

The groom should thank the guests for coming to the wedding. You may also want to single out the guests who have traveled from afar in order to attend the wedding. Some people make a great effort and incur a great expense to attend weddings and it is customary to mention them.

You also might want to thank the guests for their generous gifts. This will just be a generic show of gratitude and you do not want to single out any guests in particular.

The groom should then thank both sets of parents. In order to make your thank you more sincere you should brainstorm how the parents have added to the wedding. Did they make a financial contribution? Did your mother organize all of the caterers? Did your mother in law hand roll all of the cutlery? Try to make a list of all of the specific things that the parents have done in order to make the gratitude seem more sincere.

In a groom speech it is also customary to thank your parents for all of their love and support over the years. This is usually a boilerplate thanks but if you have time it is always best to brainstorm a specific character trait that your parents have nurtured. For example, maybe your parents were always supportive of your artistic abilities and they spent thousands of dollars on piano lessons. You should come up with one story that supports the idea your wonderful parents loved and supported you over the years.

You can also thank your in-laws for welcoming you into the family. There is no need to brainstorm any specific stories or interesting anecdotes. A simple thank you is more than sufficient.

If you’re looking for more groom speech examples our best selling guidebook has templates that can help you finish your speech.

Everyone enjoys the sound of audience laughter. We know that laughing and being entertained by a comedic speaker is a wonderful experience. For that reason, many grooms want to add humor to their groom speech.

The fact is, whenever you know how, it isn’t really that hard to write and deliver a funny groom speech. The next few paragraphs can assist you to reach your goal and write a funny groom speech.

The first step you need to take is to focus on funny stories rather than witty one liners. This is important because jokes can seem cliche or “old” if you simply grab them off the Internet or a joke book. The material will not seem fresh and the audience will know that you did not actually write the joke. With this first step, avoiding offensive jokes is of paramount importance. A wedding is not the time to try out your Dane Cook style material.

Step number 2 would be to brainstorm for embarrassing stories about the bride. What you should avoid here are things that she is sensitive about. Maybe she was a pudgy teenager and she’s still sensitive about it. Again, tread lightly and focus on slightly amusing stories rather than the “laughing in the aisles” type of stories.

Your third and last step will be to think about a funny story about your relationship with your wife. The audience wants to hear an embarrassing story about your first date or the courtship process. Maybe you were so nervous to talk to your wife that you needed to down six shots of tequila. Maybe you were three hours late for the first date. This is important because anything that incorporates embarrassment and your relationship will work just fine. For this final step it will be important that you avoid sex related humor. There is a tendency for grooms to make self-deprecating comments about their sexual prowess and it’s not a good idea.

Carefully follow each one of these three simple and easy steps, for the reasons given. Make sure you steer clear of the pitfalls and potential problems mentioned. Carefully observe the suggestions above and you ought to have few or no problems.

Having carefully followed the suggestions given here you can expect to to write a funny groom speech rapidly and successfully. All that will be left for you to do will be to celebrate your success!

Are you trying to brainstorm ideas for the groom’s speech?

At first this might seem like a difficult task. How do you cram in all the gratitude for your parents, love for your wife and appreciation for the people who helped out with the wedding in under five minutes?

The groom’s speech is largely a speech of appreciation as you can tell from this sample groom toast. It is not a speech where you are expected to tell dozens of funny stories and entertain the audience.

First of all, I’m going to lay out all of the people that you must thank since that is the core of the groom’s speech.

1. You will want to compliment the father of the bride for his kind words. Most likely right before your speech, the bride’s father spoke and he paid you a compliment – eg – welcome to the family.
2. Secondly you want to thank the guests for their participation and their generous gifts.
3. You then want to thank both sets of parents for their contribution to the wedding and for being wonderful parents over the years.
4. You will then want to compliment the beautiful bride. The groom may also want to thank the best man for fulfilling his obligations.
5. Finally the groom will deliver toast to the bridesmaids.

To add a little spice to your groom’s speech try this:.

Break the ice with a joke about yourself. Self-deprecating humor works well for the groom because he is the star of the day and he’s up on a pedestal. By making fun of yourself you endear yourself to the audience. Making a quick joke about yourself also has a tendency to calm the nerves.

Here’s an example where you make fun of yourself and the institution of marriage:

“I wrote a great speech for you today, but (bride) has told me what to say tonight, so I guess you could say I’m getting my first taste of married life.”

For the body of a groom’s speech, one idea is talk about how you met your wife. There is almost always a comical story behind the first meeting. Were you nervous? What was your first impression of her? What did she think of you? Could you ever imagine that a short while later you would be marrying her?

The groom’s speech will also usually talk about the person who was instrumental in bringing you together to meet your bride. There is usually one friend or family member who is directly responsible for kick starting the romance.

To thank your parents in a groom’s speech, I’ll offer one suggestion. Try to pick one thing that your parents taught you over the years. Of course they taught you many things but focus on just one or two because you will not have time to discuss more than one character trait. One great idea is to talk about how your parents were a great example of stable, loving marriage that you hope to emulate. Another idea for your groom speech is to talk about the support that your parents gave you. Did they support you through school or offer other financial contributions?

If you need a little bit more ideas for your groom’s speech you can use our handy resource that is packed with 10 sample groom speeches and loads of tips.

I’ve written a lot about how to brainstorm groom speech ideas but the one question I always get asked is – “how to write a humorous groom speech?”

First of all, there are a number of reasons why you might want to write a humorous groom speech. You might want to look witty in front of your wife and her family, you might want to liven up the wedding reception or you might simply want to showcase your comedic skills.

My first recommendation to any groom attempting to be like Chris Rock is to make sure that your humor is “age-appropriate.” What this means is that you’ll have to keep your groom speech humor clean. There will be a number of kids in the audience and a number of older people who might be easily offended.

Secondly, the most humorous groom speeches come from stories, not witty one-liners. Humorous stories are the best way to engage the audience because the stories are personal and unique. Unfortunately, a lot of grooms try to use material that is better suited for a stand up comedy show. The audience does not want to hear an amateur deliver stand up comedy at your wedding reception. They want to hear stories about you. They want to hear embarrassing stories like when your car broke down on your first date with the bride or the crush you had on your first grade teacher.

The other thing that you need to be careful with is jokes about the bride. You may be tempted to poke a few funny jabs at her but this can be a risky move. A lot of brides can be quite emotional on their wedding day. Even brides who normally have a great sense of humor can get bent out of shape on their wedding day. I would go so far as to say that you should clear your humor with the bride before the speech.

My last tip on how to write a humorous groom speech is to make your humor obvious.  If you are a sarcastic person and want to use sarcastic humor it may fly over the heads of a lot of people in the audience. And if the audience doesn’t get your sarcasm then you just look like a prickly character which is not the image you’re going for on your wedding day.

If you want a sample groom speech that you can use to model your speech after

One of the questions that you might be dealing with is what is the point of your groom speech?

The main purpose of groom speeches is to thank the people who need to be thanked. This includes your parents, best man, family, bride etc. Since you are not the host of the wedding (the father of the bride is the host) you do not need to thank the guests.

You might feel that groom speeches are a little too formal. You might want to have a more humorous groom speech or something that does not feel so rehearsed. However, that’s not the point of groom speeches. The point is to show gratitude and to please the bride.

This means that you’re going to have to limit your intake of alcohol. I’ll actually go one step further and say that most grooms don’t really enjoy their wedding day. If you feel like you’re working and not partying – that’s totally normal.

When it comes to groom speeches, the degree of formality depends on a few factors.

First of all, is the wedding outdoors? Outdoor weddings are usually a little more casual.

Secondly, is the wedding black tie? Are the groomsmen wearing tuxedos? Are the guests in black tie attire?

The last consideration for determining the formality of groom speeches is the cost of the wedding. I know that money does not equal a formal wedding. I’ve been to a number of “budget” weddings that were extremely formal. However, if the wedding costs more than a new car, chances are the wedding is formal and your groom speech should be more prepared.

Check out our package of ten groom speeches that include both formal and short and sweet speeches for your upcoming wedding. In most cases, it can save you a few hours of time.

A wedding speech for the groom is probably the most simple wedding speech of the evening. If you’re nervous about dazzling the audience – don’t be.You are not expected to make the audience laugh or to deliver an entertaining speech.

Take a look a sample wedding speech for the groom. In the example, below, you will see exactly what you are expected to say in your wedding speech for the groom. Put in your personal information (eg- name) in the brackets.

If you’re looking for more samples these wedding speech tips will help you with dozens of sample jokes and toasts to include in your speech.

“Reverend (name), Ladies and Gentlemen –

I am told that the success of a marriage depends on patience, understanding and true love among other things. If that is the case, then I have hit the jackpot. To have the fortune of marrying someone like (bride) feels as though I have stumbled across a great field of diamonds. Of course, all those diamonds were appropriated by my loving wife to make her wedding ring but that is another story.

I will give you another reason why I am the luckiest man in the world – because all of you have been kind enough to join us this afternoon. It seems that everyone who has ever been close with us throughout our lives has joined us. Thank you for coming and sharing this with both of us.

On the subject of gratitude, there is something I need to get off my chest. I’ve been meaning to say it for about (enter age) twenty five years and now is as good as chance as any – and that is a deep gratitude to my mother and father for being such loving and caring parents. You supported my every decision and scraped away to contribute financially to my schooling. I don’t think that it’s possible to distill all the precious lessons you have given me. Most importantly, you gave me the love and warmth that encouraged me to create my own happy home with (bride). I experienced a text book happy and comfortable home life that was ingrained on my memory. Your loving devotion will forever serve as the template for my life with (bride).

Now (bride), you listened to me rehearse the speech but there is one part that I never shared with you. I wanted to express my gratitude in front of everyone we have ever known and thank you for becoming my lovely bride. You can’t help being lovely … but you could help becoming my bride!

I must say special thanks to (Best man) for completing his best man duties and standing by my side. However, I’m a little hesitant to thank him too much because I haven’t heard his speech yet.

Finally, our thanks must go to the delightful young ladies who have done such a great job in helping (bride) up the aisle – although I hope she came to the church of her own free will. They have been wonderful and added so much to the occasion. So please join me in drinking a toast to (list bridesmaids).

Ladies and Gentlemen, the bridesmaids!”

There’s a sample of a groom speech that can help with your wedding preparations.

If you’re looking for more groom speech samples our popular E-Book has speech templates that can use to save time.

One of the easiest ways to write a groom toast is to review a sample. That way, you can see exactly what you are expected to say in your wedding speech. Put in your personal information (eg- name) in the brackets.

If you’re looking for more samples of groom toasts these wedding speech tips will help you with dozens of sample jokes and toasts to include in your speech.

“Reverend (name), Ladies and Gentlemen –

I am told that the success of a marriage depends on patience, understanding and true love among other things. If that is the case, then I have hit the jackpot. To have the fortune of marrying someone like (bride) feels as though I have stumbled across a great field of diamonds. Of course, all those diamonds were appropriated by my loving wife to make her wedding ring but that is another story.

I will give you another reason why I am the luckiest man in the world – because all of you have been kind enough to join us this afternoon. It seems that everyone who has ever been close with us throughout our lives has joined us. Thank you for coming and sharing this with both of us.

On the subject of gratitude, there is something I need to get off my chest. I’ve been meaning to say it for about (enter age) twenty five years and now is as good as chance as any – and that is a deep gratitude to my mother and father for being such loving and caring parents. You supported my every decision and scraped away to contribute financially to my schooling. I don’t think that it’s possible to distill all the precious lessons you have given me. Most importantly, you gave me the love and warmth that encouraged me to create my own happy home with (bride). I experienced a text book happy and comfortable home life that was ingrained on my memory. Your loving devotion will forever serve as the template for my life with (bride).

Now (bride), you listened to me rehearse the speech but there is one part that I never shared with you. I wanted to express my gratitude in front of everyone we have ever known and thank you for becoming my lovely bride. You can’t help being lovely … but you could help becoming my bride!

I must say special thanks to (Best man) for completing his best man duties and standing by my side. However, I’m a little hesitant to thank him too much because I haven’t heard his speech yet.

Finally, our thanks must go to the delightful young ladies who have done such a great job in helping (bride) up the aisle – although I hope she came to the church of her own free will. They have been wonderful and added so much to the occasion. So please join me in drinking a toast to (list bridesmaids).

Ladies and Gentlemen, the bridesmaids!”

There’s a sample of a groom toast that can help with your wedding preparations.

If you’re looking for more groom toasts our popular E-Book has speech templates that can use to save time.