Now that the time is fast approaching and your wedding day is just around the corner, it is time you sat down and put some thought into your bridegroom speech that you need to give at the reception. Tradition for most cultures dictates that the bridegroom gives his speech right after that of the father of the bride, so you should have something in mind that you would like to say and just how much you want to include.
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 draw on the feeling you have about joining another family, how much your new family and your own family mean to you; and add in some little bits of funny happenings that occurred while you and the bride were putting the day together. Just be candid and poke fun at yourself, and you will see just how easy it is to keep the attention of the group as a whole, because they want to hear funny, cute little things about you and the bride in your own way of speaking.
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.
Keep in mind that as much as everyone gathered cares about you, they don’t want to listen to you for the whole reception; so keep the bridegroom speech moving along at a good pace, keep everyone hanging on your words and laughing along with you, and all of you will have the time of your lives. This is not a performance but rather just a heartfelt expression of what the day and the event means to you, and the livelier you make it and the more fun; you and everyone else will enjoy it tremendously. To finish the speech, you may want to close with a tribute to friends, or a short poem, or a toast to your wife, your parents, your in-laws, the bridesmaids; you get the idea.
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.
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