When it comes to giving speeches, and talking in front of lots of people, I’m sure we would all like to be as funny and entertaining as we can possibly be. But many times, what we think is funny, can be entirely inappropriate for the situation.
Your wedding day is NOT the place to be sharing those stories about your bachelor escapades that you and your groomsmen think are funny!
And since this is going to be one of the biggest days for both you and your bride, creating a speech that is both entertaining and serious at the same time, can become a difficult task. Rest assured though, that it doesn’t have to be that way.
There are steps and measures you can take to reduce the risk of being inappropriate, and help you deliver a great speech that is entertaining and humorous, while still being serious enough to incorporate the necessary etiquette required for a groom’s wedding speech.
The things I found helpful when I was creating my speech, are simple measures that we can all easily implement. Just remember these tips when you create your speech and you’ll be fine.
- While we would all like to give the funniest, entertaining speech possible, a note to think about, is that the groom’s speech should still be heartfelt, sincere and maybe even formulaic. While it doesn’t have to be completely serious, you DO NEED to remember you have a responsibility to your bride, and your families, to speak about important matters.
- The Groom’s speech is the pivotal moment to a wedding reception. It is the biggest test of your sense of responsibility, so you DO need to step up to the mark. Don’t let this intimidate you though, because if you plan, create and rehearse your speech properly, you CAN develop the confidence to really deliver a knockout speech.
- Remember, while it does help to be funny, your new wife and your guests DO NOT want to listen to your comedy routine. They are there to listen to a man who is likeable, sincere and occasionally funny, who can speak clearly and confidently about what matters most.
- Having said that though, nobody wants to listen to you mundanely speak like you are going through a check-list of thank-yous. BORING! Sprinkle humor in with all the MUST-DOS that you need to be speaking about.
- It is highly expected of you to lightheartedly rip into your best man, and shred his character to bits. Just remember, he WILL return the favor as soon as it’s his turn. Just remember, there are going to be people of all ages present, many of whom will be yours and your wife’s family, so DO keep it clean. Nothing will get you in the bad books faster than telling stories of your adventures and how you just can’t trust your best man with your sister or your mother.
- When you deliver your speech, it does NOT have to be a long, drawn out affair. While you don’t want it to be too short (anything under a couple of minutes), you definitely don’t want to ramble on for an hour. If you plan what you NEED to say, along with what you WANT to say, and structure it all in a way that flows evenly from point to point, speaking for 5-15 minutes is more than enough time.
- If you are nervous about having to speak in front of a group of people, I highly recommend that you take steps to reduce your fear of public speaking. One of the best things for you to do, is to get your speech created and perfected early, and then practice, practice, practice. In my experience, it is the lack of preparation – both mentally and materially – that leads to our fear of looking like a fool. If you go in unprepared and ramble about unimportant matters, or talk without structure and confidence, then you WILL surely look like a fool. So once again, practice, practice, practice!!
So those are some of the things you can do, to create and deliver a great and memorable groom wedding speech. If you implement these things when you are planning and creating your speech, you can create your own perfect groom speech as well.
Just remember, YOU are the Groom, and therefore NEED to LEAD the way. Nothing will discredit you faster in the eyes of your new bride, her family, and everyone present on your wedding day, more than you NOT having the courage, confidence or ability to do something as simple as getting up and speaking on behalf of yourself and your new wife.
Don’t make the same mistake I did, and be in the position of NOT having a suitable speech prepared just days out from your wedding. Start your preparations early, get your speech created and perfected, and then practice, practice, practice.
If you need help with ANY groom wedding speech matters, I highly recommend you check out The Groom Speech Guide. Everything you need to create and develop a knockout wedding speech is covered, and can really be the difference between a good speech, and a GREAT speech.
