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Speech Examples
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What to Avoid
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Wedding Party & Reception

Groom at Wedding Speech Templates And Ideas

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Everyone wants to hear the groom say something at the wedding because he’s the man of the hour. For this reason, you must make the opportunity count. While it’s easy to celebrate the good fortune of finding your beloved, giving a speech is a different matter.

Ironically, brides are always prepared, but grooms often leave the speech at the last minute, probably from panic. So whether you’re shy, confused about what to do, or don’t have the time to whip up something, we’ve got you covered. See our Post for the best groom wedding speeches tips and ideas ever.

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Groom Speech Examples

As against the best man speech which focuses more on the groom, the speech of the groom is for everyone, his bride inclusive. As a result, a groom’s speech is either light-hearted, funny, or witty. It has no blueprint or strict rules but two elements are ever-present regardless of what kind of speech it is – emotion and sincerity!

It is a special day and a lot of people made the day possible. In his speech, he will thank everyone and even those absent. He will salute his new father-in-law, the bridesmaids, the maid of honor, and even the bride’s mother.

He will thank his groomsmen and especially his best man for holding him up all the way. The highlight of this speech is when he would make a wedding toast to his beloved, with so much love in his eyes thanking her for coming into his life. He’d tell his love story and show his optimism and willingness to be her husband.

My speech today will be like a mini-skirt. Long enough to cover the essentials and short enough to hold your attention. Apparently, it’s my job to do all the thank you’s, so on behalf of my lovely new wife and I, the biggest thank-you goes to all of you for coming. The day would not have been the same without you and neither would my bank balance! But on a serious note, it is lovely to see so many of you here. Particularly those of you who have had to travel many miles. Amy and I would like to thank our parents for all the love and support both emotional and financial they have given us. And a special thank-you to Vanessa who is responsible for making our fantastic wedding cake. Sharon, Sue, Vanessa, Ray, Steve We’d also like to thank Darren for his services as the best man today and of course our ushers. You’ve all done a grand job. Darren, Mark, Jon, Jim, Adam That brings me onto our bridesmaids. Thank you all for your help and for being there for Amy through the ups and downs of wedding planning! I’m sure everyone will agree that you all look stunning today. Nina, Laura, Charlotte, Kirsty, Fiona, Lillie, Jordan, and Emily. Finally, I would personally like to thank my lovely wife, Amy, for having me as her husband! I read somewhere that “You don’t marry the person you can live with, you marry the person you cannot live without”. Well, we’ve lived together for five years and I know I’ve married the right person. I’m so glad I can at last call you my wife. Now all that remains is for me to say please enjoy the rest of the day…… and mine’s a foster!

………..Good evening ladies, gentlemen, family, and friends. First of all, I must say a big “thank you” to Colin for his kind words. His speech was so good, he’s going to do mine for me too. As many of you will know, I am of the shy retiring type that likes to keep quiet and keep my opinions to myself, therefore you can understand my nervousness at standing up here in front of all of you making a speech. And as many of you will also know, I’m also a compulsive liar, but I am still nervous, that bit is true. I have been fearful of this bit for weeks, and as you can imagine, this isn’t the first time today I have arisen from a warm seat with a piece of paper in my hand. I read while researching wedding speeches that a good speech has a good beginning and a good ending. But the best speech of all is one that keeps these close together. So I will try and keep this as short as possible and will try my best not to do a “Gwinny” with my list of thanks. Firstly I would like to thank any Rangers fans for still being here and not walking out at 4.30 as usual. Pause for cheers But then again, I don’t think we’re friends with any of them anyway. I would like to thank my parents, Ian and Margaret for all the help they have given me over the years, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here now. So, Helen, if it doesn’t work out you know who to blame. I would also like to thank Helen’s parents, Colin and Sandra, for making me feel like the son they never wanted, sorry the son they never had, right from day 2. Day 1 was a bit rough, but hey, they’re over it now……….

……….You are all aware of our problems over the last few years and one of my biggest worries, especially when I was “down South”, so to speak, was that my two children, Michelle and Nick would go off the rails. I’m pleased to say that they didn’t and they’ve both made us so proud of their achievements so I’d like to propose my toast to them….Michelle and Nick. Very few of you will know, but I am an erstwhile poet when the mood takes me. Anita has always complained that I have never written a poem for her, so I will today amend that omission. It’s called Wedding Day…………

………..On behalf of Julia and myself, or should I say on behalf of my wife and me, we would like to thank everyone for coming today. Everyone has traveled in some way to be here and share this special day with us and we’re delighted to see you all. A special thank-you goes out to those of you who have traveled a greater number of miles to be here today. It’s quite humbling to realize that you’re friends and family that care so much and are willing to travel all that way to share in your special day. Thank you for your cards, kind thoughts and of course all your wedding gifts. They’re all greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, there are two people who can’t be here today, my Dad and my granddad so, it would mean a lot to me if you would all stand for a toast in their memory – To Billy McCleery and James Harrison Snr…………

………….On a serious note, I’d firstly like to say a big thank you to my new Dad Dave. I’m proud to be his son-in-law and hope I can live up to his expectations, which should be easy, compared to his other son Mick! But let us not take this Father, Son thing too seriously, as I’m not into 10-mile runs before breakfast like you were in the Paras. Both Sharon and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for coming here today and sharing this special occasion with us. Especially those who brought expensive presents. Its much appreciated! Thank you to Edwin and Elsa, Margaret and Linda and many others who have traveled a long way to be here. It’s certainly a long way from Brighouse! We hope you all enjoy the day, have fun, relax and be merry…………….

Groom Rehearsal Dinner Speech

Congratulations on your upcoming rehearsal dinner speech! Here are three tips to help you write a memorable and meaningful speech:

Keep it concise: Your speech should be short and sweet. Aim for no more than five minutes. Remember, this is just a rehearsal dinner, not the main event. You want to keep your guests engaged and entertained, but you don’t want to bore them with a long-winded speech.
Personalize it: Share stories and anecdotes that are personal to you and your fiance. Talk about how you met, what you love about your fiancé, and what makes your relationship special. Don’t be afraid to show your emotions – this is a special occasion, after all.
Thank your guests: Your rehearsal dinner is a time to thank the people who have supported you throughout your wedding planning process. Take a moment to express your gratitude and thank your guests for being a part of your special day.

Here’s an example of a groom rehearsal dinner speech that incorporates these three tips:

Good evening everyone, and thank you for joining us on this special night. I want to start by thanking our parents, who have been there for us every step of the way. Your love and support mean the world to us. I also want to thank our friends and family who have traveled from near and far to be here with us. We feel incredibly blessed to have you in our lives. As we sit here tonight, I can’t help but reflect on how lucky I am to have found my soulmate in [bride’s name]. I knew from the moment I met her that she was the one for me. Her kindness, intelligence, and beauty continue to amaze me every day. [Optional: insert a personal anecdote here] [Optional: insert a joke or humorous story here] As we prepare to start this new chapter of our lives together, I am filled with gratitude and joy. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.

The Great Groom Speech Template

Here’s a groom speech at wedding template that will help you create a winning speech with ease.

Thank the guests Say a heartfelt thanks to the guests for leaving their busy schedules to honor you on your big day. Many of them sacrificed time, money, work, and even their safety to come all the way because they love you. Say thank you, mean it, and crack a joke. This is also the time to distribute little gifts or wedding favors to the guests.
Say some words about the bride Gush about the woman of the moment. Let the guests feel your joy at getting married to the love of your life. Talk about what attracted you to her, what she means to you, and reiterate your vows. You may also seal this part of your speech with a kiss and watch her blush.
Share a memorable story Getting to your wedding day was a long journey and there are stories that bind you. Let the guests know the beautiful way you met, and share sweet memories, funny ones, and romantic events. If both of you have a favorite song, pick a line from it and incorporate it into your speech. Avoid near break-up situations, forgiveness for some errors, or unpleasant situations that happened in your relationship.
Share your impressions about the day Recount something beautiful about your wedding day. Maybe talk about how the sun shined bright because it knows an angel got married today. Talk about the beautiful reception, cake, or decor. Just incorporate something from the present.
Say some words about the best man Your best man is arguably one of your strongest support systems throughout wedding planning. Give him some accolades in your speech. Talk about how you met and him being your main man through life. Appreciate him sincerely and even take a friendly jab at him.
Thank your parents There is no better time to tell everyone how awesome your parents are. Talk about the bride’s parents too because you’re family now. Thank both families for being in your corner and promise to always behave. That will get in a few laughs.
Close with a toast Finish your speech with a toast to your wife, parents, guests, love, and happiness.

Groom Speech Tips

A lot of grooms always get confused when trying to write a speech for their wedding. Days before the wedding, they go into a fit of panic because they know absolutely nothing to write. While writing such speech, you are conscious about the introduction, body, and conclusion. You want to catch the guests at the beginning of your speech, keep them interested and close off to a magnetic finishing.

The speech tips below are simple, concise and will give answers to all your questions.

Prepare your mind and calm your nerves for the speech.
Run speech by your best man to sieve out off liners.
Make eye contact with everyone.
Address the audience as a couple. Include your wife.
Do away with vulgar words or jokes.
Include the decent but minimal amount of humor.
Don’t forget to thank your parents and in-laws
Always throw some compliments the way of your wife and make the core of your speech.
Dedicate some part of your speech to your wife. She is the main focus.
Make the last toast go to your wife.
Make your speech heartfelt and let your personality shine through.

What Not to Say in the Groom Speech

kreativwedding via Instagram

A perfect speech will give you unending applause from everyone. But a bad speech? The disasters are too much to mention. You will have in-laws getting pissed at you, the bridesmaids coming for your head. Your best man gunning to have you quartered and your wife preparing to give you hell.

To avoid the later and all other unforeseen ills that could happen with a badly given speech, here are some don’ts to the rescue.

Don’ts

Don’t build your speech around anyone else but your wife.
Don’t include vulgar words or insensitive jokes.
Don’t take too much time making your speech. 5-10 minutes is enough.
Don’t forget to introduce your best man and compliments the bridesmaids.
Don’t forget to make your last toast to the bride.

Groom Wedding Toast Ideas

The groom’s wedding toast is quite numerous, most of which he will give as he makes his speech. For every stage he concludes in his speech, there is a toast. A toast to the father-in-law, to his best man, to the bridesmaids, to the guests present, and many more. The most important toast is to his wife and both of them as a couple.

To the father of the bride

“Let us toast to my father in law for raising and giving me this beautiful woman. For being a wonderful father to her, although I’m taking over. For accepting me as a son……. “

To the best man

“To my right-hand man for being there all the way. For taking time off work to make all things ready for my big day. For all the sacrifices you made from way back until now. For being my best friend in the real sense and too many more years as friends…..a toast to my best man (insert name)”

Toast To the guests

“A toast to you wonderful people. You are all amazing. Thanks for being here today and sharing in our joy. To many more years of celebration and happiness………. “

To the bride

“Whoever thought this angelic beauty seated here will be mine? Let’s all make a toast to my heartthrob, whose smile lightens my world. A toast to you baby, for all you are, for all you’ll be. To us, to life, to our love, to your happiness, too many blissful years with me, to our future, to forever…………”

Frequently Asked Questions

What should the groom say in his speech.

The groom’s speech typically includes gratitude, compliments to the bride, thanks to guests, and a toast.

What should the groom say at the rehearsal dinner?

The groom at the rehearsal dinner can express appreciation to those involved, share anecdotes, and convey excitement for the upcoming wedding.

How Long Should A Groom’s Speech Be?

A groom’s speech typically lasts around 5 to 10 minutes. It should be long enough to express gratitude, share anecdotes, and convey heartfelt sentiments, but short enough to maintain guests’ interest and keep the overall flow of the wedding reception.

Thank you all again for being here tonight. Let’s raise a glass to love, laughter, and happily ever after! The groom’s speech is one of the most anticipated speeches at a wedding. It doesn’t need such long preparation but could flop if you don’t get the hang of it. Give the best groom speech at wedding ever with the tips, ideas, and templates we’ve curated in this post. Speak from the heart, let your love shine, add some humor and you’re home free.

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12 Groom Speech Tips: How to Make a Killer Groom's Speech

Are you nervous about giving your groom's speech? Our experts have 12 top tips to giving the ultimate speech and help calm your nerves

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Have you been worrying about giving your groom’s speech ever since you popped the question? You’re not alone! This is arguably one of the most daunting parts of your entire wedding planning journey.

You’ll need to consider how long your speech should be, your groom speech structure, and who you should be thanking. If you’re following the traditional order of speeches, your speech will come after the father of the bride (or groom) speech , and he could have set the bar pretty high.

But, don’t fret! We spoke to wedding speech writing experts to help calm your nerves. Speechwriter Chris Dance , Adrian Simpson from All Speeches Great and Small and Heidi Ellert-McDermott from Speechy gave their best advice on what it takes to deliver a great groom speech.

Groom's Wedding Speech Tips
Groom Speech Preparation
Who Does the Groom Toast and Thank?
How to Write a Groom's Speech?

What Does the Groom Say in His Speech?

How Long Should the Groom's Speech be?

12 Groom's Wedding Speech Tips

So here are our top tips on giving a wedding speech, but we've also put together a handy video for wedding speech-givers in a hurry! This video explains our best wedding speech tips for grooms, in under a minute.

1. Acknowledge This Special Moment

“A great groom speech should be a really good dollop of entertainment and fun, whilst at the same time acknowledging what a very special moment this is. It’s your chance to stand up and acknowledge the people who have brought you to this point and, of course, to talk about the person you’ve been lucky enough to marry,” explained Adrian.

2. Think Carefully About How to Begin

Heidi advises that the best way to begin your groom speech is “quickly”.

She says: “Grooms often make the mistake of thinking they should sound formal and get overly stressed about following traditional etiquette. The aim is to get people laughing as soon as possible, certainly within the first three lines of your speech as it puts everyone listening at ease.”

As well as keeping it light and funny, Adrian points out that it’s important to address your partner's father and thank him for his speech: “Make it a warm and inclusive introduction, however, don’t be tempted to detail his financial contribution. A reference to his generosity should be sincere but very general.”

3. Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience applies to all speech writing and Chris emphasises this by explaining that you should: "Keep in mind who you're talking to and make the speech accessible to everyone in the room. Don't use in-jokes that only you and your workmates will get, don't risk anything offensive or controversial, and steer clear of politics."

4. Add in a Few (Appropriate) Jokes

“There’s a lot of emotion on the big day and making people laugh with some wedding jokes or amusing stories is the best way to balance that out,” explains Adrian.

Keep your stories short, funny, and appropriate! You don’t want to be embarrassing your new wife or husband on your first day as a married couple.

“Are you already concerned that your bride’s ‘pinot posse’ have started chatting up the bar staff? Or are you finding it hard to recognise your middle-aged cycling buddies in clothes that they usually wouldn’t be seen dead in? Make your humour personal and seemingly spontaneous – your guests will really appreciate it,” adds Heidi.

Adrian advises grooms to steer away from a speech that’s more of a ‘dry procession of thanks’ as you’ll struggle to keep your guests’ attention – so even if you’re not a naturally charismatic person, make sure your personality shines through above the mere thank-yous.

Take a look at these groom speech jokes for inspiration!

5. Remember to Thank Everyone

Traditionally, the groom will need to thank the following:

Everyone for coming
His parents
His partner’s parents
His best man and ushers (if there are any)
The maid of honour and bridesmaids (if there are any)

Heidi advises that although there are probably plenty of other people who you would love to thank for their contributions and help towards your special day, try to avoid thanking half of the guest list.

A simple way to thank everyone would be to say:

"This is the best day of my life and it's because of all of you, and especially you (referring to your partner). I cannot thank you all enough for being here."

When it comes to thanking parents, there’s one thing Adrian warns grooms to be careful of. “Don’t fall into the trap of waxing lyrical about your new parents-in-law for several paragraphs, dismissing your own parents in a sentence. They should both be given equal measure.”

An example to combine them both would be to say:

"Thank you for my parents for bring me up to be the person I am today and thank you to my in-laws for welcoming me into your family."

6. Focus on Your New Partner

Heidi suggests that your new partner should be the main focus of your speech. She says, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drop a public love-bomb on your partner and considering they’ve just agreed to tolerate all of your habits and box sets for the rest of their life, it’s the least you can do!

“Remember, every groom thinks his partner is gorgeous, kind and generally amazing so avoid cliché terms and words and concentrate on what makes them unique. Nailing their individual and quirky characteristics shows that you really get your new husband or wife and your friends and family will love you for that.”

Chris recommends that you do this by giving examples: "Don't just say that your partner is kind and thoughtful; illustrate it with the story about the time that they dressed up as Boba Fett and threw you a surprise Star Wars party, or about how they still hold your hand at the dentists because you hate the sound of the drill."

7. Forget Giving Out Gifts

Heidi advises that if you’re planning on giving thank you gifts to bridesmaids , parents or anyone else, either do it earlier on in the day or announce that you’ll be personally thanking them later as to not disrupt the speech.

She says: “Gift-giving is basically an excuse for guests to start checking their WhatsApp!”

8. Don't Be Too Ambitious

The time you take to the mic to make your groom's speech will no doubt be a big moment, but Chris shares that it is important to be realistic about what your comfort zone is and stay in it.

"It's a speech to your friends, not an audition for Britain's Got Talent. If you're terrified of public speaking, keep it simple. Don't give yourself unnecessary stress by filling your speech with tongue-twisters or trying to be Billy Connolly."

9. Think Carefully About the Structure

Adrian says, “There are lots of people to talk about and you should deal with them one at a time and avoid repetition.

“Resist the urge to launch straight into how amazing your new partner looks and then pepper the speech with references to them. They are the star of the show so save the latter half of the speech to be dedicated to them and what they mean to you.”

10. Eight Minutes is the Perfect Length of Time

Adrian says that the length of a groom’s speech can really make or break it: “Too short and people are going to be wondering why you bothered. Too long and nobody will be listening. Keep it to a ‘stand up-sit down’ time of 10 minutes – that’s a talking time of around eight minutes and the rest will be made up from laughter, applause and heckles.”

Heidi also stressed the importance of not boring people with a lengthy speech, but also not coming across like you’re enjoying the attention a little too much.

11. Avoid Too Much Detail

Adrian explained that it’s too much detail that really slows a speech down: “A great speech demands the very least from the guests in order for them to enjoy it, so now is not the time to recount exactly how you know each of the ushers individually. A good guide is to aim for a total of 1,350 words – if you’re edging well over that, then it’s time to strip out some of the content.”

12. Think About Your Ending

According to Adrian: “Tradition says that you should end on a toast to the bridesmaids and a little aside to the best man. I’ve never found this works – in my opinion, the focus of the speech should be exclusively on your partner, that’s why I suggest toasting to the bridesmaids earlier in the speech and making the final words all about your partner.

“You should have talked about the best man earlier in the speech but there’s no harm in having a quick one-liner referencing him at the end but make sure it’s after the final toast.”

Groom Speech Preparation To Calm Your Nerves

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Heidi has a lot of advice when it comes to calming nerves around your wedding speech, starting with just how important the planning and preparation is.

“The key to being confident on the day is writing a wedding speech that’s so good you can’t wait to deliver it. If you know you’re going to make your friends laugh, your mum cry and your bride/groom love you even more then you’ll ooze confidence whilst delivering your speech.”

1. Film Yourself – Use your phone to film yourself practising your speech. Watch it back and channel your inner Simon Cowell – work out how your delivery could be improved and what you would change.

2. Dutch Courage Isn’t Always the Answer – Although lots of grooms swear by a bit of Dutch courage, this is based on wishful thinking rather than solid science!

3. Smile and Breathe – It may sound obvious but taking a deep breath is surprisingly effective at reducing those stress nerves and smiling is scientifically proven to be infectious, making them a fool-proof combination.

Does the Groom Give a Speech?

Traditionally, the groom will give a speech at the wedding reception, following the ceremony. You can do whatever works for you, but the traditional order for speeches is for the father of the bride to speak, then the groom, best man and any other toasts.

How to Write a Groom's Speech

If you are writing your groom's speech yourself the key points to remember are to compliment your new spouse and thank any key guests. Any other additions are nice extras!

Writing not your strength? Hiring a professional speechwriter is a brilliant option. "It’s not cheating - if it is then so is ordering a wedding cake when you’ve got perfectly good eggs and flour at home," shares Chris.

"Speech writing is a specialist skill: giving the task to someone who can mould your words and articulate your thoughts is as valid a use of your budget as any other wedding service you’re paying for – arguably more valid, given that it’s probably the bit of the day you’re most worried about."

"The groom should focus on thankyous," explains Chris. "He should thank everyone for coming to the wedding - especially Jim and Tania who’ve kayaked all the way from Gdansk; anyone who contributed to it significantly, his partner’s parents for spawning such a catch; his own parents for loving and/or tolerating him.

"When he’s done that he can get on with lavishing praise on the person he’s married and saying how deliriously happy he is. That’s what the guests really want to hear from him, so he needs to do that bit well and sincerely."

How Long Should a Groom's Speech be?

Ideally, you want your groom's speech to be no more than ten minutes. Make sure to rehearse it a few times before the big day and time yourself - you don't want your guests to start getting bored!

"Just remember, if there are two or three other speakers then you’re asking your guests to sit still and listen patiently for half an hour, which is a long time when you’re stuffed full of wine, sea bass and tiramisu and you want to stretch your legs.

"However long your speech lasts (I find seven to ten minutes is usually enough), try to keep it punchy, lively and relevant: there is such a thing as a five minute speech that’s so dull it feels like a lifetime, yet fifteen minutes can race by if your speech is bright, engaging and funny," says Chris.

Still feeling nervous? Fear not – here’s our guide on how to deliver an amazing wedding speech !

Public Speaking Experts Share Their Top Tips for Giving an Amazing Wedding Speech

Check out their best examples and advice to learn how to knock it out of the park.

Photo by Kurt Boomer

In This Article

Most people would agree that public speaking isn't easy, and this is especially true when you're feeling the added pressure that comes along with giving a speech at a loved one's wedding. Not only do you have the attention of dozens (if not hundreds!) of guests you probably don't know, but you're also trying to appeal to a group of people in a wide range of ages from all different phases of the couple's lives. What's more, you want your speech to delight the couple of the hour and be as appealing to your group of friends as it to the newlyweds' grandparents. All in all, it's a tough task.

Before you panic, know that we're here to help. Ahead, we're sharing a comprehensive guide on what you should include in your speech , how to nail your delivery, and questions to consider to get the brainstorming process started—all from noteworthy speakers, well-established speechwriters, and wedding planners (who have seen it all).

Wedding Speech Template

Every great wedding speech has one thing in common: the right flow. Factor in these guidelines to help you find your own organic rhythm.

Open With a Statement or Question

Don't lead with a joke or a reference to how nervous you are. "The goal is to engage your audience, not make it a boring one-way message," says award-winning motivational speaker Jaime Pfeffer . "You'll lose them if you do this."

Introduce Yourself

After your opener, introduce yourself, says Fallon Carter , a wedding planner, even designer, and professional speaker. "A lot of times, people don't know who is speaking, and they don't know their relationship to the bride or the groom," she says. "It's really important to identify yourself, so make sure you've prepared something."

Address Your Audience

As speaker and life strategy coach Mark Black, CSP , points out, focusing on yourself only enhances nerves. "Instead, concentrate on your audience and how you want them to feel. This will help you to speak from the heart, allowing your speech to do what it's supposed to do: Make the couple feel special while also engaging the audience."

Focus on a Few Points

Seasoned speaker Susan Bender Phelps, CEO of Odyssey Mentoring & Leadership , says her top guideline is to select one to three aspects of the newlyweds that you love and appreciate, along with no more than three short stories to illustrate each of these points (or that one point). "The simple, succinct story or stories where the bride and groom are the hero will work best." This is an excellent way to structure your speech and keep your message focused.

How Long Wedding Speeches Should Be

The ideal length for a speech is three to five minutes, with five minutes being the absolute maximum you should speak for. That's it. "I’ve never been to a wedding where anyone said, 'That was a great wedding, but the best man speech was just too short and that ruined it,'" says David Litt , the speechwriter for former President Barack Obama and author of Thanks, Obama .

Carter agrees: "I always say anywhere between two and five minutes—and no more than five minutes," she says. "You want to keep things short and sweet." It's just as important to keep in mind when the speech will take place when determining length, since toasts are often timed with meal courses: "Be mindful of how long a course generally takes or how long it takes people to eat," Carter adds, noting that most courses last between 15 and 20 minutes and that several speeches have to fit inside each window. "If there are other people speaking, you want to be mindful and give them space."

Wedding Speech Tips

Now that you've established the right framework for your words, take note of these essential tips for acing the delivery from a few speaking pros.

Rehearse Regularly

The better prepared you are, the more confident you'll be and the better your speech will be, says author and professional speaker Barry Maher . A good rule of thumb is to practice the speech enough that you can remember the points you want to make and the order in which you want to make them. That way, you can look out to the crowd and make eye contact every so often.

Record Yourself Practicing

Use your phone to take a video of yourself practicing, suggests Kate Kenfield , speaker and sex educator. "It can be a little uncomfortable to watch yourself, but you'll be able to identify distracting mannerisms, such as the verbal pauses 'um,' 'uh,' and 'like'." It's also a good idea to practice your speech in front of someone else. "A second opinion can help you craft your piece and make it that much stronger," she says.

Don't forget body language! Rehearse the speech in front of a mirror and notice things like your facial expression, eye contact, and hand position.

Avoid Alcohol

Although it may be tempting to look for some liquid courage, alcohol definitely won't do you any favors, warns keynote speaker Amy Morin , author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do . "It may cause you to slur your speech and forget your lines, so wait until after your toast to celebrate," she advises. If you need a drink to loosen up the nerves or can't refrain from participating in a toast without being rude, stick to one glass of Champagne before you address the crowd.

Use Nerves to Your Advantage

A little nervousness can actually liven up your speech. "I get worried if I'm not a little nervous," says Maher. "I'll actually try to make myself a little tense to get my energy level up." The key is to harness that energy and communicate it in a positive, genuine way; tensing up to the point that you forget your words or panic won't make for a great presentation.

Be Yourself

Keep in mind that you're not putting on a show, only sharing your personal perspective. Trying too hard to force the funny can yield the opposite of the desired effect, cautions Matt Dalley, co-founder of Simply Eloped . "I've noticed that keeping it short and sweet, heartfelt and warm, and coming across as authentic and focused on the couple is something we are all capable of and generates some very wonderful moments," he says.

Never Embarrass the Newlyweds

It's a wedding toast, not a roast. While this should go without saying, keep the bachelor or bachelorette party jokes out of it, and remember that grandma and possibly a few colleagues are in the audience, notes Laurie Battaglia , a keynote speaker and workplace strategist. "It's okay to look back at childhood and refer to something funny, but ask yourself if you'd like 200-plus of your closest friends knowing that story about you."

Use Your Notes

Reading your speech straight from a piece of paper is a big no-no. However, having a couple of note cards handy is encouraged. "You're likely to be nervous, excited, and exhausted, which can make you forget your lines," explains Morin. "The audience won't care if you glance at your notes. In fact, there's a good chance they won't even notice."

Wedding Speech Brainstorm Ideas

Need some inspiration? Ask yourself these questions to get the brainstorming process going.

Who will speak before you? After you? How will this affect the content of your toast? (Perhaps you want to include a reference to their speech, thank them for an introduction, or introduce the next speaker).
Is there someone you should thank for making the event possible and inviting you to speak?
What would you want to hear in this speech if you were in the audience?
Is there a favorite story or memory that the couple would want you to share with their friends and family?

Wedding Speech Examples to Make Your Own

So, what does it look like when all these elements come together? Wedding vow and speechwriter Katelyn Peterson , owner and creator of Wedding Words , offered us three examples of successful toasts to inspire your own.

Maid of Honor Wedding Speech Example

"Hi, I’m Maya, the bride’s older sister . With Lucy being three years younger, we fell right into our respective roles as sister-rivals growing up. We constantly fought over stolen clothes, monopolizing the phone back when landlines were a thing, and what boy band to blare from the car speakers. I’m still Team Backstreet Boys while Lucy is forever indebted to NSYNC.

Looking back on those memories, I should have stepped up and granted Lucy permission to wear my favorite sweater for picture day, to hand her the phone once in a while, and to let her play, 'Bye Bye Bye.' Even I can admit that’s a good one. But despite Lucy being the younger sister, she has always been more patient, more accommodating, and more thoughtful than me. And that’s because when it comes to the people she loves, she’s all in.

She’s the one to prioritize their desires. She’s the one to compromise first. And, she’s the one to support their dreams as if they were her own.

This is why it makes me so happy to know that Lucy has found a home in David. He matches her in compassion, thoughtfulness, and warmth. And I know he’ll spend his life prioritizing her desires, being ready to compromise, and supporting her dreams as his own.

Cheers to Lucy and David! May you always feel loved because you always put each other first."

Best Man Wedding Speech Example

"Hello, everyone. My name is Luke and I’m the best man . I met Robert eight years ago when I became his neighbor. His reputation preceded him as I had heard about the 'Block Party King' before my closing papers were inked.

Rob has never been the guy to wear fancy clothes. In fact, I’m still in shock seeing him in that tux tonight. And he’s never been the guy to show off even though the work he’s put into his vintage Mustang could make Henry Ford himself envious.

But when it comes to cooking, he should receive an award. His pulled pork is a staple at our summer block parties and his homemade barbeque sauce has remained our neighborhood’s best-kept secret. But the most satisfying part about his delicious dishes is that there’s always plenty to go around. And Rob makes sure your plate is never empty. I have no idea how he pulls it off, but Rob has a covert ability to scoop seconds onto your plate without you ever seeing him do it. I hope you all came hungry tonight, folks. You’ve been warned!

The first time I met Jasmine I could immediately tell she was an amazing person. She laughed at his jokes which I never thought anyone would get. She supported his career and the nonstop travel involved. But most importantly, whenever we’re all hanging out, Jasmine is the one always topping off Rob’s plate with more pasta, more chicken, more of everything. When she’s around, it’s never empty.

And that’s when I saw what a perfect match they were for each other. I know they will always put each other first, make sure their needs are met, and will never allow the other to go hungry.

So let’s raise our glasses to toast the newlyweds! As you begin this next chapter together, may your plates and your hearts always remain full."

Father of the Bride Wedding Speech Example

"Good evening, family, and friends. I’m Daniel Lee, the father of the bride. I’d like to welcome you to this special occasion where we get to celebrate the love between my daughter Allison and her new wife, Kristin.

Standing up here today, I’m reminded of all the moments that led to this significant one. The dance recitals that ended with standing ovations and the soccer games that concluded with winning scoreboards.

But, while those were fun and rewarding times, those aren’t the moments I cherish most with Allison. The memories that make me smile the brightest are those in-between the big stuff moments. It’s the makeshift magic shows in our living room using a bedsheet that Allison confiscated from our linen closet to convert into a curtain. It’s the countless tea parties she hosted with exclusive invitations just for me and her beloved stuffed bear, Buttons. And it’s the way she’d beg to stay up for just five more minutes but was asleep on the couch by minute number two.

Those everyday, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments with Allison are the ones that gave color to my life and filled my heart with a happiness I never knew could exist.

So, my beautiful daughter, as you begin your life with Kristin today, I have one wish for you: May your warmest memories come from the ordinary moments throughout your marriage, and may those moments give you a reason to smile brighter every day. Cheers! I love you both." —Daniel

What Not to Say in a Wedding Speech

Your job when delivering a wedding speech is to keep things light—tell an anecdote, make an emotional connection, then wish the couple well before you close out. Anything that doesn't feel definitively positive should be avoided. "I would advocate against bringing up negative details, specifically past relationships or past spouses," says Carter. "Skip anything that you wouldn't want to be physically recorded and played over and over again—this is a rule of thumb."

Keep it light, delicate, and present- and future-focused, Carter adds. "If you're going to go into the past, make those stories really intentional," she says. "Bring those stories back to who they are now. Your mission is to create a great environment and vibe and to potentially give some information about one of the newlyweds, so that it's enlightening for all guests."

A Guide to Wedding Reception Toasts

Who Gives a Speech at a Wedding Reception?

How to Write a Wedding Toast

Tips for the Father of the Bride Speech

How to Write a Best Man Toast

Advice for the Maid of Honor Speech

What to Know About a Newlywed Toast

Public Speaking Experts' Wedding Speech Tips

60 Quotes to Use for Your Wedding Toast

How To Write A Wedding Speech: The Ultimate Guide For Do’s, Don’ts, and Delivery PART 1/3: Do’s

Holiday Wedding Pros And Cons

How To Write A Wedding Speech: The Ultimate Guide For Do’s, Don’ts, and Delivery PART 2/3: Don’ts

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Someone you love is getting married, and you’ve just been asked to give a speech at the wedding. What an honor! But also, if you’re not used to giving speeches, what a nightmare! Public speaking can be scary , which is why many people prefer to avoid it. But when your bestie asks you to make a speech at his or her wedding, it’s time to rally. But now you’re wondering if you even know how to write a wedding speech! What makes some wedding speeches fun and memorable, and what makes others cringy and fall flat? We’ve got you. We’ve put together the ultimate guide for how to write a wedding speech, focusing on things you definitely should do, things you definitely should NOT do, and then how to deliver your killer wedding speech like a pro.

If you’re wondering how to write a wedding speech, here are a few “Do’s” to keep in mind.

Start planning early
Introduce yourself and how you know the bride and groom
Thanks to hosts, guests, and wedding party; congratulate the couple
Make it personal
Think of 3 traits with 3 stories
Talk about the couple
Have a beginning, middle, and end
Consider your audience
Keep it short and sweet
It’s okay to be simple and meaningful

1. Start planning early

If you don’t know how to write a wedding speech but the bride just asked you to give one, this is not a time to procrastinate. Public speaking is one of the number one fears many people have, so it’s likely you’ve avoided giving too many public speeches before this. And unless you’re a performer or a veteran improv comedian, you might not do too well winging this one. If you get nervous in front of an audience (as most of us do), the best defense against freezing up when you take the mic is being prepared.

As soon as you know you’ve been asked to give a speech at the wedding, begin jotting down notes immediately. Whenever you’re inspired by a thought of the couple or remember an anecdote that might be worth retelling, make note of it. This will help to give you a pool of ideas to draw from when you start writing down the speech.

Begin gathering ideas and writing the speech a couple of weeks to a month before the wedding. You’ll need time to edit, fine-tune it, and make it concise. And as wedding showers, bachelorette parties, and other wedding festivities begin, you might find there are entertaining stories from these events you want to add as well. If you want to write it all at once, you can do that too. However, make sure to sleep on it and come back with fresh eyes. You don’t want just “okay,” you want your speech to be heartfelt and meaningful.

You will also want to begin early to give yourself time to practice and rehearse your speech plenty of times.

2. Introduce yourself and how you know the bride and groom

No matter how large or small the wedding is, it’s likely you will not be familiar with many of the guests on one or both sides. And they won’t be familiar with you either. So don’t leave them guessing!

Make sure when you start to write a wedding speech to introduce yourself and mention how you know the couple. This will help them understand the context of your speech, which will also help it to be more well-received.

3. Thank hosts, guests, and wedding party; congratulate the couple

It’s also courteous to take this time to thank the hosts and other members of the wedding party for all the hard work that went into the event, and to thank guests for being there to support the newlyweds, especially those who had to travel far.

It’s also a good time to officially congratulate the newlyweds and offer them your personal well-wishes for their future. It is imperative that you don’t forget this part, because they are the whole reason you’re there and giving a speech!

4. Make it personal

Whether you are the maid of honor, the best man, father of the bride, or just a friend, you were asked to give a speech because of your close connection and relationship with either the bride or groom (or both).

And since you know your friend as well as you do, you probably have plenty of stories to share; so the next tip for how to write a wedding speech is don’t hesitate to make it personal and share those stories! This will also help guests get to know the other half of the couple they might not know as well or are just meeting for the first time. And those guests who do know them will love hearing some entertaining stories they might not have heard yet.

5. Think of 3 traits with 3 stories

If you’re finding it difficult to come up with anything, a useful approach for how to write a wedding speech is to think of 3 positive defining traits or qualities of the bride or groom and recount three stories or examples that illuminate a time they exhibited these traits. These stories could be comedic, heartwarming, or both. Just make sure they are relevant and entertaining!

6. Talk about the couple

If you’re the maid of honor and have been chatting up the bride for the whole speech, part of how to write a wedding speech is to make sure at some point it circles around to the groom, too, and to the two of them as a couple.

Recount the time you met him, or how you remember talking about him with the bride in the beginning stages of their relationship. If you don’t know the groom all that well, talk about how good they are as a couple and about how happy he makes her.

And If you’re not a fan of the groom, this is not the time to air your grievances. Always keep it positive.

7. Have a beginning, middle, and end

All good speeches have a good flow and take the audience along with it.

Don’t let your speech fall flat or jumble together in a haphazard confusion of disconnected anecdotes. Give it the structure of an overarching theme, with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

We are not talking about a novel here, just make sure there is a direction to where the speech is going, and that the destination, end, or sentiment is achieved. It doesn’t need to be Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator, but a three-act structure does help keep you grounded. Most people also follow a story easier when there is a clear direction for a story or speech.

8. Consider your audience

The next thing to keep in mind when considering how to write a wedding speech is to make sure you consider who your audience is.

This is not the bachelor or bachelorette party. There will be a wide range of people present from children to the elderly, and from close friends of the bride and groom to casual acquaintances and coworkers. Make sure your speech is free of any crudeness that might not be fit for such a varied audience. Also, this isn’t the time to take a shot at any of the religious cermonies.

Be considerate and keep it positive and use language everyone can relate to.

9. Keep it short and sweet

You want your speech to be meaningful and memorable; but the wedding is not about you, and yours is not the only speech.

No one ever complains about a speech being too short, but they do begin to grumble if it runs on too long. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind when figuring out how to write a wedding speech is to keep your speech between 2-5 minutes long. Any longer than 5 minutes and you’ll lose everyone to thoughts of cake and whether or not to Cupid Shuffle later.

10. Add humor

Don’t be afraid to be funny! Another tip for how to write a wedding speech is that if you’ve got a lighthearted, creative, joking side, use it and add humor to your speech! Everyone likes to be entertained.

This doesn’t mean you should scour the internet for generic wedding-themed jokes, but if you’ve got some good original material to use that helps relate a story about the bride or groom in a comedic way, do it. As long as you’re not making fun of the couple but having fun with them, jokes are great. Or you can even poke fun at yourself to illuminate a higher quality in your bestie. It’s all about making the newlyweds shine.

If you’re creative and have other talents, use them! If you are musical, bust out your instrument and/or vocal cords and make the speech in the form of a song! Use props, and get the other guests involved! The newlyweds will feel special because you created something for them, and the guests will love joining in the fun.

11. It’s okay to be simple and meaningful

If entertaining isn’t your thing, that’s okay! Don’t force it – just be yourself. It’s okay to be simple and meaningful with your speech. Always keep in mind when you go to write a wedding speech that what’s important is that you are genuine and speak from the heart.

Hopefully, you found these tips for how to write a wedding speech helpful, and can start writing today! And stay tuned to our blog for the next part in this ultimate guide for how to write a wedding speech where we highlight a few things you should definitely avoid.

Love this content and want more? Read more about weddings on our blog ! Involved in the wedding planning process and the bride is still looking for a venue ? Give us a call today and we’ll help you find the perfect place!

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How to Write a Short and Simple Groom Speech

The Groom Speech is one of the most important pieces of the wedding ‘jigsaw’.

Get it right and you’ll be a hero in the eyes of your new Bride and leave your guests with big smiles on their faces.

Get it wrong and there could be a big, embarrassing hole in the middle of an otherwise perfect day.

So the pressure’s on and while the Groom speech is not a hard one to pull off, it’s also an easy one to screw up.

But there’s no need to panic! Take a deep breath, think calming thoughts and read my Stress-Free Guide to Writing a Short and Simple Groom Speech .

An Effective Groom Speech is as Simple as ABC

Some Groom speeches are masterpieces of speechwriting - full of touching stories, memorable details and clever jokes.

But the truth is that as long as you include just three essential elements you can deliver a rock-solid Groom speech that ticks all the right boxes.

So here’s my ABC for an effective Groom speech, which tells you exactly what to say, and when to say it…

A is for… Acknowledgements

This is non-negotiable - acknowledging the important people in your life, particularly those who’ve helped with the arrangements for the big day.

Forget to say “thank you” and you’ll not only look ungrateful but your speech could leave a bad taste in the mouth of anyone who felt they deserved a quick mention.

And remember, even if you’ve thanked someone in person - or plan to - nothing can quite replace giving them public recognition in front of the other guests.

”Thank You” Checklist

Here’s a checklist of people you might want to thank:

The Father of the Bride for his toast to you and the Bride
Your parents for their support over the years
The Bride’s parents for:a) bringing up your wonderful wife, andb) for welcoming you into their family
Your Groomsmen for their help on and before the big day
The Bridesmaids for the help they’ve given the Bride

”Thank You” Gifts

If you intend to hand out any gifts you can do this as part of the acknowledgements.

Absent Family and Friends

It’s also customary to acknowledge absent family and friends.

This can be a poignant moment so make sure there’s a brief pause to remember important people, before diving into…

B is for… Bride

Once you’ve shown your gratitude by acknowledging all the key wedding players, it’s time to get to the main topic of your speech, which is of course - the Bride!

Yes, the thank you’s are absolutely essential, but they’re really just a polite preamble. It’s the bit where you start to talk fondly about your new wife that your guests are really looking forward to hearing.

Even if you’re the strong, silent type, your wedding day is the one occasion where you get to show your softer side and let a few honest feelings show through.

But don’t worry, it’s dead easy to write a crowd-pleasing Groom speech. Because although the Best Man’s speech, for example, is expected to be funny, all that the Groom’s speech really needs to be is sincere - and a little romantic.

In the spirit of minimalism, here’s a simple template to use if you’re lost for words when it comes to talking about your beautiful Bride:

Tell the story of how you first met
Say what you love about her - illustrated with a quick anecdote
Tell us something about your hopes and plans for your future together

Do this right and you’ll score some serious points with your new wife and have all the guests (well the women at least!) thinking you’re the ultimate romantic hero!

C is for… Cheers!

So you’ve thanked everyone who needs thanking and you’ve made your new Bride swoon with some well-chosen words straight from the heart.

Job done, right? Time to sit down.

Well, not quite.

Wrap it up and end on a high

All good speeches have a clear beginning, middle and an end, and the Groom speech is no exception. You’ve just nailed the beginning and the middle, so let’s wrap things up neatly and end on a high.

Nothing gets a more enthusiastic response than an invitation to drink, and it’s traditional for the Groom’s speech to end with a toast to the Bridesmaids.

In an ultra-minimal Groom speech you could simply thank everyone for listening and immediately propose the toast.

However, it’s nice to acknowledge the next speaker - usually the Best Man - before you sit back down (and hopefully receive a big kiss from your wife).

A simple template for the perfect ending

So, with that in mind, here’s a quick guide to the perfect ending:

Thank everyone for listening and say it’ll soon be time for the Best Man to speak
Say a few short words about the Best Man and how much you’re looking forward to his speech
Raise a toast to the Bridesmaids and hand straight over to the Best Man (or the MC)

So that’s it! You’ve reached the end of my Minimalist Guide.

Hopefully the prospect of writing your Groom speech is now about as stressful as gently raking the sand in your Zen garden whilst listening to an iPod full of whale song.

Now take a deep breath in, hold it for a few seconds, then slowly exhale any remaining worries and fears about your speech.

Just pick up a notepad and your favourite pen, and get writing.

Boring! 5 Groom Speech Clichés That Make You Seem Dull and Unoriginal

Groom Speech: Common Questions

Funny Groom Speech Example

The Ultimate Groom's Wedding Speech Checklist

Don't leave anyone or anything important off your list of thank yous.

The groom's wedding speech is often about covering all bases. It doesn't have the bravado and general LOLs of a best man speech , the gushing and poignant words of a bridesmaid speech, or all the nostalgia and tear-jerking words of a father of the bride or groom speech. Instead, a groom's speech is half admin, half emotion; kind of like an Oscar acceptance! A chance to shout out the wedding party, thank the ushers, and tell your new in-laws how chuffed you are to be part of the family. To help you write your speech - and to make sure you don't leave anyone out - we've put together a handy groom's wedding speech checklist . You'll thank us later!

Best man speech cheers initials champagne prosecco

A groom doing a speech solo is more common, but we've also seen lots of couples do their thank you speech together , as well as brides making speeches too ( more ladies on the mic please !). Our list covers all bases and standard family structures, but tweak it as is appropriate for you. Hopefully it comes in handy whatever kind of wedding thank you speech you're making.

Groom's Wedding Speech Checklist

(In no particular order, but this order makes for a nice crescendo!)

Thank the guests for coming - give a special shout out to anyone who's come a long way
Thank any staff or suppliers who worked on the day - only those present
Thank the celebrant - if present
Thank anyone who helped in the lead up to the day (outside of the wedding party and immediate family) - any one who gave lifts, stitched bunting, glued centrepieces, etc.
Thank anyone who took part in the day itself - ceremony readings , music, wedding cake baker, etc
Mention your new parents in law and siblings - this is a good time to tell them how happy you are to join the family, how welcome/terrified they made you feel, how you promise to be there for their son or daughter/brother or sister.
Mention your siblings - be specific about things they helped you with or special memories. This is also a good time to mention any other special family members, grandparents, step-parents, etc.
Mention your parents - if both your parents are present, thank them both individually, usually an anecdote about the kind of person they've taught you to be goes down well.
Thank your wedding party - make sure both sides get a mention, though it's fine to gush a bit harder about your best man!
Thank your other half - for marrying you, for looking fabulous, for being wonderful, and all the other good things you can think of. Remember to tell them all about why you love them and why you can't wait to get started with married life!

Need more help with your wedding speeches - we've got you covered!

30 Funny Opening Lines for Wedding Speeches
How to Begin a Wedding Speech: Great Opening Lines
The Correct Order of Speeches at a Wedding?
9 Ways to Shake Up Your Wedding Speeches
How to Give a Flawless Best Man Speech
Everything You Need To Play Wedding Speech Bingo

Listen & Subscribe to The One Fab Day Wedding Podcast

Episode 22: wedding speeches 101.

You can listen to the One Fab Day Wedding Podcast wherever you get your podcasts , and search them on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Image credits

Tomasz kornas photography, via one fab day, see more in:.

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Groom Speech Structure: Write The Perfect Speech

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(*Of course, if you’re looking for more than ‘advice’, check out all the different ways the Speechy team can help you write & deliver a great speech. Or check out our new AI-powered team member, SpeechyAI .)

Never mind ‘how’ you’ll write your speech, worry about ‘when’.

Start soon , ideally two months before the wedding. Do not be tempted to put off writing until you’re hit by divine inspiration (it rarely strikes) and do not get side-tracked by table plans or biscuits.

Don’t underestimate how long it can take to be witty, meaningful, and memorable. Yes, you know your subject rather well (we’re hoping) but even professional comedians can take months to write five minutes of content.

So, lock yourself in a room, turn off your notifications, and get STARTED.

2. The Basic Speech Structure

A speech is not about handing out gifts and it’s not (just) about thanking people. It’s about reminding everyone why they should be celebrating the newlyweds getting hitched. It’s explaining why two sane people have just promised to tolerate each other’s crazy habits and personality quirks for the rest of their lives.

So, forget the old-fashioned etiquette books, the basic structure for a modern groom’s speech is relatively simple…

Hello, welcome & thank everyone
Relationship stories and insights to make your guests smile & laugh
A meaningful tribute to your partner (poignant & unique, not cheesy or cliched!)
The thank yous (we’ll get to those next)
Possibly a tribute to the dearly departed
A toast that leaves everyone smiling (not bored by how predictable it is)

And that’s it really.

3. Know Your Speech Etiquette

There are plenty of good etiquette guides online but sound the klaxon, they come with a warning. Etiquette guides can seriously damage your speech. They can make you think your groom’s speech has to include a long list of thank-yous and old-fashioned clichés. Resist the urge.

Here’s our no-nonsense guide to speech etiquette –

Be yourself – just because you’re wearing fancy clothes doesn’t mean you need to use formalities like ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’. Your friends and family want to hear the real you.
Thank the important people – Sure, thank everyone for coming but don’t namecheck half the guestlist.
Remember those actors who win an Oscar and thank their parents, the director, the lighting guy, and their dog? Boring isn’t it? Especially when you don’t get a mention.
Simply thank both sets of parents, anyone who’s contributed financially (though don’t be explicit about that), the people who have gone beyond the call of duty to help, and any children you may have.
Don’t thank people like the caterers or anyone who you have paid.
Don’t give thank-you gifts – Well, feel free to but don’t include the gift-giving as part of the speech. It will put you off your flow and it’s awkward to sit through. Give any gifts earlier or later in the day.
Be clever – Make the thanks yous feel part of the story you’re telling. If you’re having a festival themed wedding then thank the backstage support and the incredible roadies who have helped.
Your toast – Don’t feel pressured into toasting the bridesmaids. Certainly, thank them and say how stunning they look (they took three hours getting ready after all!) but these days you can toast anything you want and we encourage you to be personal.
Why not propose a tequila toast ? Something inclusive, something about love, and something that gets people in the mood to party.

4. Wedding Speech Material

So, other than the speech ‘to dos’ what makes up the bulk of your speech? Well, stories of course…

STORY-HUNTING – Imagine you’re one of those detectives you see on TV (only without the Swedish accent or psychological problems). You have a theory, maybe that you’re marrying someone kind of special. It’s now up to you to prove it.

Retrace your romantic steps (metaphorically not literally, that could take some time) and work out the key bits of evidence.

What moments have been meaningful, funny, or illustrate a point? If you want to reference the fact your partner is a bit ditsy, remember the time they reported her car stolen only to discover they’d parked it round the corner.

GET INSIGHTFUL – Hunt down the things that make you and your partner unique. This is what adds depth, meaning, and humour to your speech. It also stops you from sounding like a generic cliche of a groom.

So, how does your partner put up with you? Are you the husband who can’t open jars? Do you eat your burgers with a knife and fork? It’s time to confess.

And what unique traits does your partner have? The ability to respond to Whatapp messages before they’re actually sent? An encyclopedic knowledge of The Great British Bake Off and its soggy bottoms? A ridiculously long tongue? Whatever it is, make sure you pay tribute to their individual quirks. It says much more than just saying how awesome they look (though it’s essential you say that too!).

5. Find a Theme

Right, this is the important bit.

Your speech is made up of lots of different elements but your job is to bind them all so your speech needs to sound like a story rather than a list of unconnected thoughts.

You need to hook people in from the beginning, establish a theme, and carry that through to an almighty climax.

There are infinite theme ideas but here are a few classics you could consider…

THEME IDEAS BASED ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Love Lessons. What you’ve learnt from each other over the years; the good, the bad and the plain ugly. A theme like this is great for starting with comedic examples and moving on to more profound ones.
The power of serendipity. This works if luck has played a part in your relationship (even if it was simply that your partner lived within a 20km radius of your online dating search).
How love changes with time. This is a good concept if you’re getting married at a later stage in life. It can include comedic insights (‘Less podium dancing, more pension haggling’) but conclude with more a meaningful sentiment (‘When you get to your sixties, you know what’s important to you and you can promise things that you only now truly understand.’)
The international language of love. A great theme if you have an international guest list. Use proverbs and words from their countries of origin to punctuate your speech. Say it in your guest’s native language and then translate. It makes everyone feel included in the speech and also brings something new to the table. There are some great proverbs out there, from Ethiopia’s ‘ Coffee and love taste better when they’re hot’ to India’s ‘It is love that makes the impossible, possible’.

You get the idea.

6. Be Funny

Even if the crux of your speech is emotional and romantic it’s still good to have some humour in there too.

Nobody is expecting you to be a stand-up comedian but try to find the comedy in your reality. Are you and your partner really alike or really different? Do you share a guilty pleasure? Do you have a distinctive style of arguing? These sorts of areas make great speech material.

Whatever you do, resist the Googled gags or cheesy wedding jokes. Instead, check out our how to be funny guide.

7. Be Sweet (Not Sickly)

Firstly, be honest. There’s no point making declarations of love if people don’t recognise the person you’re talking about.

Don’t pretend that your partner is perfect or that you don’t argue over control of the TV remote control. Love them for the crazy nut-job they really are.

Secondly, don’t go OTT. You have to get the balance right between sweet and just showing off. Leave the pet names at home and keep anything overly gushing for the bedroom.

A good trick is simply writing a list of all the little, quirky things you like about your partner a la When Harry Met Sally .

8. Be Different

Try to avoid cliches like ‘ special’ or ‘ the one’ and create new ways of describing love.

One groom said he was attracted to his wife because she looked like ‘ Bridget Bardot dressed up for a night at The Hog’s Head disco’ .

Another groom said his first date with his wife had left him with ‘ the feeling you get after the three course special at The Raj; very happy, completely satisfied but slightly nervous about what’s to come’.

If you’re really stuck, replace a generic cliche with a good, solid quote. Whilst plagiarism and being boring are never acceptable, using quotes is seen as positively inspired.

Check out our favourite Groom Speech Quotes.

9. Keep It Short

Aim for somewhere between seven and nine minutes. And that includes the pauses you leave for the laughter. Jokes are funnier when they’re short and punchy, and senitment is more powerful when it’s succinct.

You may feel you have SOOOOOO much you want to say but the real test is saying it in the least amount of words. It’s kind of like a perverse game of Scrabble.

wedding toast romantic groom advice speechy

10. Test it Out

Firstly on yourself. Read the speech out loud and if you find yourself stumbling on the same bit every time, change it.

Then get an audience. It needs to be someone whose advice you value, so don’t ask your mum if you’re going to ignore her.

Deliver it as you would on the wedding day. Leave pauses for the laughter (ironically speakers often talk over the laughter they’ve worked so hard to achieve). Remember to smile. Look at your audience.

And then – be receptive to criticism. If someone doesn’t get a joke, don’t waste your time explaining it as you won’t be able to do that on the day. The point of testing your speech is you still have time to change it.

The Speechwriting Experts

The Speechy team are TV-trained scriptwriters/comedians by trade & we’ve helped 1,000s of speakers around the world deliver their dream speech.

Our advice has been quoted everywhere from The New York Times to Grazia and from Forbes to The Observer . Our founder has also featured on the BBC Sounds’ Best Men podcast with Jason Manford and written ‘ The Modern Couple’s Guide to Wedding Speeches’ , published by Little, Brown.

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Speech edit service, £ 245, bespoke speech writing service, £ 495, delivery coaching, £ 150, or check out our range of speech templates from just £ 29 :, we’re rated ‘excellent' on trustpilot for a reason....

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Nail Your Bride Speech With These Tips and Templates

Bride giving speech during wedding reception.

Cathryn is an editor at The Knot, where she focuses on all things planning—from inspiration and design, to traditions, to invitations.
Before joining The Knot Worldwide, Cathryn spent years as a food editor
Cathryn holds a bachelor's degree from Trinity College and a certificate in publishing from Columbia University

You've reached for tissues during tear-jerker father-of-the-bride speeches and already warned your MOH to please not tell that story in her reception address , but do brides give speeches at weddings? A bride speech is not traditional or required—wedding toasts are usually reserved for the father of the bride, the best man and the maid of honor to congratulate the happy couple. But if you're a bride feeling inspired to grab the mic and shout-out your nearest and dearest (new spouse included), then we say go for it. Below, we're outlining what to say, who to thank and the best way to deliver a meaningful wedding speech , so you'll feel confident slotting yourself into the reception speech order of events. (Bonus: We've also got public speaking tips, so you won't drop the microphone—or worse, your champagne flute—with nervous, sweaty palms.)

In this article: Printable Template | How to Write | Examples | Tips | FAQs

Printable Bride Speech Template

Let this printable bride wedding speech template be your quick guide on the go. Tape it above your desk, pin it to your Pinterest board, leave it next to your computer as you search for wedding vendors for those last final touches or fold it up in your purse and look at it while waiting in line at the grocery store to keep those creative juices flowing. You'll find a deeper dive into each step in the next section.

How to Write a Bride Speech Step-by-Step

Follow these steps to write a wedding speech from the bride that'll cover all your bases, from the sentimental, to the silly, to the sweet. Plus, the outline—designed by Katelyn Peterson , a wedding vow and speech writer, will help you break up the task into manageable sections and fend off wedding writer's block.

1. Thank Your Guests

The first step when it comes to how to write a killer bride speech: thank your favorite people! The room is filled with loved ones who put in the time, money and effort to support you on your special day, so the first words you say should be a big, heartfelt "thank you."

2. Shout-Out Your VIPs

Your guests of honor—like parents, in-laws and grandparents—deserve extra gratitude. They're truly the folks that have stayed by your side through the ups and downs of wedding planning and life, so they should get a special callout. You can mention a specific moment of support or keep it general.

3. Share a Story About Your Spouse

This is your chance to shed some light on you and your partner's relationship. Whether it's surrounding a moment from the early stages of dating that turned into an inside joke or exemplifying a quality of theirs that is beloved by everyone in the room (generosity, sense of humor etc.), sharing a sweet anecdote about your relationship will remind everyone why they've gathered to celebrate your otherworldly love.

4. Connect the Story to Your Wedding Day

Tie the central theme of the story you choose into the present day to show how far you've come as a couple. Don't worry, you don't need to be a pro short story writer to accomplish this. Even a simple "they've kept me smiling from the day I met them all the way to walking down the aisle today" will help your speech feel cohesive and thought out.

5. Toast to Love

Ask everyone to raise their glasses and toast to love. It'll not only cover the newly minted married couple in the room (that's you, of course), but it also nods to the richness of the sentiment—because the room is also filled with the love between friends and family, new and old, all gathered to honor you.

Bride Wedding Speech Examples

Now that you've got the basic structure down, see it in action with these examples of a bride speech at a wedding. Get inspiration from these classic, short and sweet, and funny bride wedding speech examples to craft an address that feels true to you.

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Classic bride wedding speech example.

Good evening everyone and welcome! My new spouse and I would like to thank you all for being here today to make our day extra special. We'd especially like to thank both of our parents for their consistent support, generosity, and love, not only leading up to this day, but throughout our entire lives.

Northern Michigan is a special place for Charli and me. From first dates spent on the lake to family gatherings every 4th of July weekend, this very location has been the backdrop to our love story. And so it only made sense for us to get married in the same place where it all began. It brings us so much happiness and gratitude to know that the first page of this new chapter as a married couple is being written at my parent's lake house and with all of the most important people in our lives.

Here's a toast to everyone here who has been there for us in the past, who is here for us today and who we know will continue contributing to our love story through each new passing year of our marriage. We love you all. Cheers!

Funny Bride Wedding Speech Example

Just in case you didn't get the picture with the approximately 8,000 hugs I've already given out today, I'd like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart again for coming to our wedding. I'd like to give some special shout-outs to my parents and my new in-laws for always being there for us, now and throughout our lives, including fielding absurd questions such as: "but what if everyone gets lost on their way to our very-clearly-marked-on-Google-Maps ceremony venue?" with the utmost grace and patience.

I'm not sure how many of you know this story, but on Jared and I's second date, we went ice skating. At some point during our laps around the rink, his belt fell off because of a broken buckle—we didn't notice it until a gentleman came up behind us and handed it back to him by saying, "Sir, your belt." The deadpan delivery has us both in fits of laughter—and the broken belt ended up being a fun way for me to get pulled around the rink, no longer relying on my sub-par skating skills.

Today, I look back on that moment as a metaphor for how he has since "skated" through life with me with humor, spontaneity and shared joy. And also a preview into a long legacy of loveable, questionable wardrobe choices that make him who he is. So, if you see me getting twirled around the dancefloor with a stray belt tonight, just go with it—it's part of our relationship lore.

Cheers to our love and the love that surrounds us—we're so happy you're here.

Short Bride Wedding Speech Examples

Example 1 I'd just like to say thank you all for coming today, especially to my parents and grandparents, who have been there for every milestone—big and small.

I'd also like to draw your attention to the cannoli table getting set up as we speak—it's filled with pastries from our favorite North End Italian bakery that's open until midnight (and we snacked on their cannolis at least once a week when we lived in the neighborhood). We hope they'll be a sweet way to end your evening tonight as it was for us during our dating days.

With that, cheers to how sweet love is.

Example 2 Everyone, thank you so much for coming together with us to celebrate. I'd love to give a special thanks to my brother, who, despite a twice-delayed flight from the other side of the country, made it here today.

As some of you know, we got engaged on the beach below—and I remember how windy that afternoon was. And though it didn't do wonders for our hair, those powerful gusts made us feel so present and in the moment; and later became a symbol of our steady love for each other. So, since tonight is also an especially windy evening, I hope you can reframe the less-than-ideal weather to mean that love is all around you.

Cheers to you all, we love you so much.

Bride Speech Tips

Use these quick tips to help you avoid any speech snafus during both the composition and the delivery. (Don't worry, you'll do great!)

Use the "Thank You Sandwich" Method

When it comes to how to start a bride wedding speech and how to end a bride wedding speech, you'll want to show gratitude for your guests on both ends. The opening line sets the tone, while the last line can be a creative callback to earlier moments in your address. "A callback happens when you reference something from earlier in the speech," says Peterson. For instance, let's say you shared that you and your spouse fell in love while singing the Hall of Oates' song "You Make My Dreams Come True." Then, your last line could be: "Cheers to you all for being here and helping make our dreams come true."

Don't Go Too Hard on the Jokes

There's a time and place for that embarrassing story about your partner in college (it's called the bach party), but your wedding reception is definitely not the occasion to share edgy jokes or awkward anecdotes, Peterson says. Moreover, while incorporating jokes into your bride speech can certainly make it more entertaining, don't feel pressure to make it a "Saturday Night Live" monologue. The key with bride speech jokes, Peterson says, is sprinkling them throughout in a subtle way. "This isn't a comedy act, so you don't need to try too hard," she says. "Instead, add playful tones where it feels natural and where your personality can shine."

Write Your Speech in Advance

While you're busy planning a million other details of your special day (Venue! Flowers! Dress! Cake!), it's easy to forget about writing the bride speech until the last minute. Set aside some intentional time for yourself to write your bride speech ideally a month or two, but at least a week before the wedding to avoid unnecessary stress. Peterson suggests slotting in a few 30-minute speech writing sessions into your schedule. Focus the first session on brainstorming material, then dive into writing and editing in the next couple.

Rely on Practice, Not Memorization

On your wedding day, there's going to be so much going on and emotions will be running high in the best way. The last thing you want is to worry about forgetting your speech. This is why Peterson recommends printing out your speech and bringing two extra copies on the wedding day in case one gets lost. Also, one of the biggest wedding speech mistakes you can make is not practicing. Reciting it a few times at home will do wonders to help you feel confident and allow for moments where you can look up from your paper to gaze upon your loved ones.

Use a Microphone

Make sure everyone can hear your thoughtful address by using a microphone. Yes, they're necessary no matter how small your affair is or how much you can project your voice from your theater-kid days. Pro tip: Remember to move the mic when you move your head so the sound doesn't get lost or muffled.

Bride Speech Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions about what to say in a wedding speech when you're the bride? We've got answers below on the basics.

How Long Should a Bride Speech Be?

For a bride speech at the reception, the motto is the shorter, the better. Keep it between two to five minutes, max. There will likely be other speeches for the guests to listen to in the wedding line-up, so you don't want the speeches as a whole to cut into all of the other festivities too much.

Who Does the Bride Thank in Her Speech?

Time is of the essence, so you should only thank the VIP guests—such as your parents, in-laws and grandparents—in your bride speech. Peterson adds: "You can also add a sweet line about how your new spouse has supported you and what you're most excited about in your future together."

It's safe to skip thanking the wedding party and your wedding vendors during the reception (even though it can be tempting to shout-out the stellar work of your incredible vendor team). Thank your wedding party during the rehearsal dinner instead and send handwritten notes or leave a review for vendors after the wedding as a thank-you.

Couple raising toasts after wedding reception speeches.

How To Write The Ultimate Groom’s Speech

Help & Advice , Trending , Wedding Planning , wedding-speeches

No clue where to begin when it comes to making a speech on your big day? We’ve got you covered with all the do’s, dont’s and inspo you need to know so you can nail the best groom’s speech ever!

We get that sometimes speeches can be the most dreaded part of your wedding day, but they don’t have to be as scary as you think! This is your chance to connect with your guests and tell them all about your unique journey, so it’s important to get the right balance of informative and entertainment.

Whether you’re rattled with stage fright, suffering from ‘writers block’ or just looking for a fun way to bring your love story to life, then you’ve came to the right place – these foolproof facts can help you pull off a killer groom’s speech without boring the pants of your guests…

RELATED TO: 20 Genuinely Funny Jokes For The Best Man Speech

1. Don’t be too formal (or boring!)

Here we come with the cliché ‘be yourself’ talk, but you really have to let your personality shine through when delivering your groom’s speech. Just because it has the word ‘speech’ in the title doesn’t mean it has to be anything formal or serious – you don’t need a fancy delivery, just speak how you normally would to your friends and family and they’re sure to love it.

2. Keep it short & sweet

We all know someone who could talk for Ireland and it’s easy to glaze over as they go in and out of every detail. While detail can be great, it’s best to keep it to the main points when it comes to your groom’s speech. As soon as you cover the basics like thanking everyone for coming, the parents, bridal party and everyone who helped create your day, then focus on the significant moments of your journey – your guests want something short and easy to follow, especially after a few drinks!

RELATED TO: What Are The Best Man’s Duties? The Ultimate Checklist

3. Know your audience

If you can get your guests smiling from the get-go, this means you can relax a little and know you’re headed in the right direction. Have a think about something funny that specifically relates to your guests or wedding situation rather than an obvious overheard cliché. We would say focus on the funny, but don’t try too hard – if you’re no Jim Carrey, then don’t force yourself to be! Whatever your humour, play on this but be aware of your audience and look out for cues that things are or aren’t being well received.

4. Keep it romantic AND respectful!

If you want to share some deep moments from your love story, be sure to keep it romantic and respectful! If romance isn’t your biggest forte, you can keep it cute by sharing some sweet playful moments, but don’t cross the line – if it’s a private or personal detail your bride probably wouldn’t share with her entire family, it’s best not to take the risk with it (we don’t want your marriage ending before it’s even started!)

RELATED TO:

5. Cute Vs Cringe

Although we love a little romance in our groom’s speech, try not to fall into the trap of sounding like a compilation of all her favourite chick flicks. Rather than saying ‘I’m so lucky I’ve found you’, make it more personal and real, such as ‘my parents always said nothing good would ever come of me always running late, but I’m happy to say I’ve proved them wrong – I missed my bus that day (as usual), and the best thing that came of it was meeting you…’. This is cute but not overly cringey, so leave out the soppy details and keep it light-hearted and warm – your real love story should paint the picture.

READ OUR LATEST MAGAZINE ISSUE – SUMMER 2021 OUT NOW

6. It’s all about the timing

Okay, this is a biggie! One secret yet not-so-secret dread of many wedding guests is a never-ending speech. Don’t get us wrong, we love hearing all about your special journey together, but try to keep the speech around the 7 – 10 minute mark. This is considered the perfect amount of time for a groom’s speech! This probably ends up covering 1,000 words which is more than enough to hit the main points and get some cute and funny moments in there without anyone falling asleep.

7. Use a quote!

If you find you don’t quite have a way with words, let someone else sum up your feelings for you! There are plenty of great quotes out there from authors, famous storytellers or even your favourite movie. Whatever you choose, make sure you pick a quote that means something to the both of you (not just your favourite Avengers movie!)

RELATED TO: 33 Non-Religious Ceremony Readings That Will Leave You Speechless

8. Make a promise

This a cute and funny way to create a heartfelt moment while also surprising your partner in front of all your friends and family. We’re not saying repeat your vows, but adding a genuine promise that is unique to your person – maybe she’s a little bit of an adrenaline junkie while you’re more of a couch potato? So, promise her that you’re going to make a commitment to try new things and live life to the fullest with her. If there’s something about your other half you admire, then surprise them with a little extra commitment.

Famous Groom’s Speeches we love…

Tom fletcher.

Tom Fletcher from the band McFly did one of the most famous and unusual groom’s speeches of all time! If you’ve been blessed with a singing talent or can hold a decent tune why not replicate his speech with your own song?

Mark Wright

TOWIE star Mark Wright got a little emotional during his groom’s speech to his wife Michelle Keegan.

Through tears, he said: “Not only are you beautiful, but you are one of the most incredible people I have ever met. You truly are sensational in every single way.” Take inspiration from his touching way to be emotional without making everyone feel awkward.

Singer Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brother had a sweet and touching speech to his now-wife actress Priyanka Chopra, saying he “couldn’t be happier” with his “beautiful wife”.

“It wasn’t too far from here that I took Madhu (Priyanka’s mother) out for lunch and asked if I could marry her daughter. To be here with all of you, who have helped shape who she has become, means a lot to me. You have welcomed me with such open arms. So, thank you for that.

RELATED TO: Has Your Man Turned Into A Groomzilla?

“Tonight, is about celebrating and spending some time together. My first introduction to all of you. So, thank you again and thanks to Madhu for putting this together and my beautiful wife. I couldn’t be happier being with you.” How cute is this? Take inspiration from this classic and sweet speech and your family and friends are sure to gush.

Now for some funny groom speech inspo…

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Writing the Groom’s Speech: The Ultimate Guide to Your Wedding Toast

Wedding Planning

Unless you’re a fan of public speaking, you’ve probably found your way here wondering how on earth you’re meant to begin writing the speech for your wedding day…

Well, as a groom, you’re in luck, the Groom’s Wedding Speech is actually a very simple, straightforward one to write, and with a couple of read-throughs, you’ll nail it (even if you are reading this the night before.

In what order should the Groom’s speech be?

A Groom’s Wedding Speech is one of the four traditional wedding speeches. Typically, the Groom’s wedding speech follows the speeches of the Father of the Bride and the Best Man, and is followed by the Maid of Honour (historically, a Bride would not make a speech). Of course, it will be completely up to you as a couple to decide who will be speaking, and what order that should be in (though someone may just surprise you and wish to speak on the day!), and of course, if this is a same-sex wedding, there may be two Grooms making speeches. See all the different ways same-sex couples can reinvent the speech section of their wedding.

Why the Groom’s Speech is the Easiest Wedding Speech to Write

It’s often said that the groom’s speech is the easiest speech to write because it has a simple structure and purpose. Here are some reasons why:

Shorter length: The groom’s speech is usually shorter than other speeches, such as the Father of the Bride or Best Man’s toast. This means that there is less pressure to come up with a lot of content, be particularly funny or entertaining, or even share personal stories – leave that up to the others if you wish.
Simple structure: The Groom’s speech typically follows a very simple structure, starting with an opening thank you and acknowledgment of the Bride, followed by a brief anecdote or two, possibly about wedding planning (and how much or little you’ve had to do with it), and ending with a toast to the future. This structure makes it easy to plan and write the speech.
Personal experience: The Groom’s speech is often based on personal experience, making it easier to write from the heart. The Groom can share stories about how he met his Bride, how he fell in love, or when he knew he wanted to marry her, which can easily make for a heartfelt and meaningful speech. Trust us, all anybody really wants to hear is how stunning you think your new wife is, and what a phenomenal job she has done planning the day (even if you think you took on a fair share of it!)

How to Write the Groom’s Wedding Speech

Start with a plan

Before you begin writing your speech, it’s important to have a plan in place. Think about the key points you want to make and how you can weave them together into a cohesive message, possibly incorporating a point into both the introduction and conclusion.

Begin with a strong opening

To captivate your audience from the start, consider beginning with a strong opening. This could be a heartfelt quote or a humorous story that sets the tone for the rest of your speech. The goal is to grab the attention of your audience and set the tone for the rest of your speech.

Speak from the heart

The best wedding speeches are those that come from the heart. While it can be tempting to focus on jokes or generic sentiments, take the time to speak honestly about your feelings. Share what you love about your new spouse and what makes your relationship special. Speak from the heart, and your words will be sure to resonate with your audience.

Keep it concise

While you may have a lot to say, it’s important to keep your speech concise. Aim for a speech that lasts around five minutes, as anything longer can cause your audience to lose interest. Stick to the key points you want to make and be mindful of your audience’s attention span.

Include humor

Wedding speeches don’t have to be serious all the time. In fact, including humor can be a great way to engage your audience and lighten the mood. Consider adding a funny story or anecdote to your speech to break up the more serious moments., practice, practice.

Practice Reading Your Speech

Once you’ve written your speech, it’s time to practice. Read it out loud several times to get a feel for how it sounds and to make sure it flows well. Consider practicing in front of a mirror or in front of a friend to get feedback. The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll feel delivering your speech on the big day.

Making the Groom’s Speech Funny

If humour comes naturally to you, your speech is likely to be funny too, and your guests are the ones who know and love you best (so they’ll definitely laugh along with you). If you struggle to tell personal anecdotes, consider including some funny quotes or sweet sayings:

“The secret to a good marriage is to be a little deaf.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If at first you don’t succeed…try doing it the way your wife told you.” — Unknown
“The secret to a happy marriage remains a secret.” — Henny Youngman
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times—always with the same person.” — Mignon McLaughlin (this one’s in our ‘ I still do ‘ anniversary journal)
“To keep your marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it; whenever you’re right, shut up.” — Ogden Nash

What should the Groom actually say in his wedding speech?

Of course, the groom’s wedding speech is also an opportunity to express his love and appreciation for his partner in front of friends and family. It’s a chance to share heartfelt words that capture the essence of their relationship and the depth of his feelings. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a groom’s speech, the following tips can help create a personal and loving tribute:

Start with gratitude: Begin by thanking everyone for being there to celebrate this special day. Express your gratitude for their love and support, and how much it means to have them all there with you.
Acknowledge your partner: Take a moment to acknowledge your partner and how much they mean to you. Share a personal story about how you met or something that has strengthened your relationship over time. Speak from the heart and let your emotions guide you. Thank them, if they have worked really hard to plan the wedding , as it has probably been a huge emotional undertaking for them too.
Speak to their qualities: Talk about the qualities you admire in your partner, such as their kindness, compassion, sense of humor, or intelligence. Share specific examples that demonstrate these traits and how they have impacted your life.
Express your love: This is the perfect opportunity to express your love and affection for your partner. Use language that is personal and meaningful to you, whether it’s through poetry, song lyrics, or your own heartfelt words.
Make promises: A wedding is a celebration of a lifelong commitment, so take this opportunity to make promises to your partner about the future you will build together. Reinforce the vows you wrote to each other . You might promise to support them through thick and thin, to always be their partner in life, or to continue growing and learning together.
Thank the families: Thank both families for their love and support, and for coming together to celebrate this special day. Acknowledge any special people in your partner’s life, such as parents or grandparents, and express your gratitude for their presence.
End with a toast: Raise a glass to your partner, your families, and your future together. Invite everyone to join you in celebrating this joyous occasion and toast to the happiness and love that lies ahead.

Is there anything the Groom shouldn’t say in his speech?

Ah, yes, we’re so glad you asked, there are a few things never to include in a wedding speech .

No matter how funny the anecdote sounds to you on paper, ex-girlfriends or past relationships for either party are off the table . It’s best to avoid this topic entirely.
Controversial or sensitive topics: Weddings are a time to celebrate love and happiness, so it’s best to avoid controversial or sensitive topics that could potentially upset or offend guests. This could include politics, religion, or other divisive issues.
Inside jokes or stories that are inappropriate: While inside jokes and stories can be entertaining, it’s important to consider whether they are appropriate for a wider audience. If a story or joke could potentially embarrass or offend someone, it’s best to avoid it.
Negative comments about anyone (ANYONE): A wedding is a time to celebrate and show love, so it’s important to avoid negative comments or criticism of anyone. This includes family members, friends, vendors, or even the bride or groom themselves. Don’t resort to self-deprecating humour, this just isn’t the time. See etiquette guide to wedding speeches .

Remember, the most important thing is to speak from the heart and be true to yourself. While it can be tempting to focus on jokes or generic sentiments, take the time to speak honestly about your feelings. Share what you love about your new spouse and what makes your relationship special. Speak from the heart, and your words will be sure to resonate with your audience. Don’t worry too much about getting the words perfect – the emotion behind them is what really counts. With these tips in mind, you can create a personal and loving tribute to yo.ur partner that will be remembered for years to come.

Finally, the best, most entertaining and engaging speeches are ones which are to the point and concise. Aim for a speech that lasts around five minutes, as anything longer can cause your audience to lose interest. Stick to the key points you want to make and be mindful of your audience’s attention span.

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How to write a Groom’s wedding speech

Nail your nerves and craft a groom’s speech that’ll blow your wedding guests away.

As a groom, what makes the perfect wedding speech? Should you be funny like the best man? Emotional like the maid of honour ? Or pull the heart strings like the father of the bride? Well, the answer is, a little bit of each would be ideal! With some admin thrown in. Unlike many of the other wedding speeches being given on the day, the groom’s speech is basically one big thank you. There’s no set things you should say, no style it has to be written in, or reaction it needs to receive. Essentially, you just have to praise and complement those closest to you for all their hard work ( and money ), while thanking the assembled guests for being there. Easy, right…?

If you’re not used to speaking in public, or you’re unsure of exactly how to lay out your speech, don’t worry. We’ve put together some easy-to-follow tips that’ll help you write the perfect groom speech for your wedding day.

The people you need to thank

As mentioned, the groom’s speech is all about thanking friends and family who were involved in putting the wedding together. Alongside that, it’s nice to also welcome the other side of the family, as well as remembering those who couldn’t be there on the day. Suppliers too, if you feel they played a really significant part in your day being a success, share the ones who deserve a special mention. You never know, it could lead to one of your loved ones hiring your wedding photographer for their big day.

Give your speech structure

It could be tempting to just run head first towards all those thank-yous, desperately trying not to miss anyone out. This approach, although potentially fun to watch, will seem quite chaotic and almost certainly lead to you missing important members of the wedding party out. Instead, organise your thoughts, and create an outline. You don’t need to write your groom’s speech out and follow it word by word on the wedding day. But you should have bullet notes you can (mentally) tick off as you go. Here’s a simple outline that will work for most groom speeches: · Introduce yourself, and say a few words about the day so far. · Welcome everyone, and thank them for coming · Thank specific people involved in the wedding. · Share a personal anecdote or story about your wedding planning journey, or relationship. · Share how you feel about your spouse. · Thank everyone for coming again and let guests know any information the venue has given you. Food or bar times, when certain events will be, that sort of thing. · Raise a toast.

Keep it light, but don’t force humour

We’re not all blessed with a funny bone. If you’re someone who’s never been the joker in the pack, the wisecracker in the group. Don’t force yourself to be one during your groom’s speech, on your wedding day! Your guests know you, they love you, and they want to hear a speech that sounds like it came from you, not Seinfeld. However, if making a joke here and there is part of your personality, by all means, use humour in your speech. But it’s important to strike a balance between laughs and sentiment. Guests should get a sense of how serious you are about the day, and feel your emotions. And they can’t do that if you’re just delivering a stand-up routine. Keep wedding guests interested and engaged in your groom’s speech by bouncing back and forth between playfulness and sentimentality. Jokes, interspersed with more serious, and emotional parts, is the key to a successful groom’s speech.

How long should a Groom’s wedding speech be?

The secret to any good speech is to keep it short and sweet. However humorous, or emotional your groom’s speech is, wedding guests will soon start to nod off if it goes on too long. Likewise, if you only share a couple of words, there’s no way loved ones will get a sense of how you feel about the day, or their contribution. Recite, or practice your groom’s speech ahead of the wedding day, multiple times, so you know how long it is. And remember that nervous energy will potentially take over on the day, speeding up the whole speech , and shaving off 30 seconds from the total time. Another reason why it’s important to practice. Overall, on your wedding day, aim to keep your groom’s speech around 2–3 minutes long. In that time, you should be able to convey just how delighted and thankful you truly are. Without sending any older relatives off to sleep! We hope we have inspired your groom’s speech, and hopefully settled some nerves ahead of the wedding day! It would be a pleasure to guide you further, and introduce you to our lovely wedding venue in Co Kildare. The Abbey is only an hour away from Dublin, and has an 18th century chapel on-site, a stunning ballroom, multiple events spaces and 38 contemporary style rooms. You are welcome to have a browse of our wedding venue online , and if you like what you see, please get in touch via our contact page to book a viewing. And while you wait for your visit, you can find out more about us via our online brochure .

HOW TO WRITE A MEMORABLE GROOM SPEECH

Traditionally, the wedding reception is home to several speeches from the wedding party and the bride and groom’s parents. It’s a time to celebrate the new marriage and share stories of fond memories of the couple. Your groom speech is a chance to share how much you love your bride, but writing the groom’s speech can be daunting for those who haven’t attended several weddings this year to see them in action. Here’s an easy format you can follow to write the perfect groom’s speech for your big day.

WELCOME YOUR GUESTS

Start off your speech by welcoming those who have come to help you celebrate your marriage. Thank them for coming to share this special day with you and your new wife. You can give specific welcomes, but try to stick to the basic categories: friends and family. Sometimes is may be ideal to start out with a joke to break the ice, have a look at some of our funny examples .

THANK THOSE WHO HELPED

In this section, you’ll want to thank those who have had a significant role in making your wedding a reality. This includes those who funded the wedding (though this doesn’t need to be stated aloud during the speech), parents, supporters, the Best Man, and the Maid of Honor . You can also thank anyone in your life who had a large role in supporting your relationship before your engagement. Is there someone who introduced the two of you? A married couple that mentored you during your relationship? A community that you both belong to that supported your relationship? These people helped make your wedding happen, so take a moment to thank them publicly.

The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Speeches & Toasts . Our go-to guide.
Groom’s Speech. Deliver an amazing Groom wedding speech. Groom speech examples .
Best Man Speech. Create an awesome best man speech. Example best man speeches .
Father of the Bride Speech . A heartfelt father of bride speech. Example father speeches .
Sample Toasts & Speech Quotes . One liners, funny quotes, love parables and much more.
Recent Wedding Speech Posts . Latest blog posts about wedding speeches and toasts.

ADDRESS YOUR WEDDING PARTY

Take a brief moment to thank and acknowledge each groomsman and bridesmaid. Even just calling each one by name and thanking them for helping your big day run smoothly is enough. Everyone likes to be recognized.

FAWN OVER YOUR LADY

At this time, you can look your bride in the eyes and share how much she means to you. This part of the speech can be made very personal, and is intended to make your bride feel loved and adored in front of all of your guests. Remember to include aspects of her physical beauty as well as her character and what makes you love her. You can be sappy or you can remain more formal, but remember not to lean too far in one direction. Too formal, and it won’t feel natural and true. Too sappy, and everyone will be rolling their eyes by the end of it, including your bride.

INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AS A MARRIED COUPLE

After you’ve talked about how great your blushing bride is, you have the chance to tell everyone present what you are as a couple. You can share a meaningful or funny story, describe how you met, and talk about how she has changed your life since meeting her. You can talk about how you look forward to growing with her over the years, or share a value the two of you intend to base your lives on. If you share a religious affiliation, this is a good time to bring that up if you intend to make it the basis of your shared life. This is the first time you get to introduce yourselves as a married couple, so think about how you want to represent your new marriage to your guests.

FAWN OVER YOUR LADY…AGAIN

You’ll want to end your speech by talking once more about how much you love your bride. This is the day to celebrate how much you love her, so take every opportunity to do that! You don’t need to drag the speech on, but make sure the last thing you say is about how much you love your wife.

WHAT NOT TO SAY

Almost as important as what you do include in your speech is what you choose to leave out. Obviously, you’ll want to leave out any profanity, but make sure these don’t make it into your final speech either:

Delivery Tips

Over-used cliches. Unless it’s one that really speaks to your relationship, try to keep it original.
Excessive thank-yous. Thank the important figures in your relationship, but it’s not necessary to thank every person who helped with the wedding in a small way.
Innuendos or sexual remarks. This should go without saying, but keep it PG for the sake of your bride’s conservative grandmother.

Even the most experienced public speaker can get flustered at the thought of speaking at his own wedding, so it’s normal to feel nervous about the speech. Keep these points in mind to make sure your speech is well-received and natural:

Practice, practice, practice. The more you go over your speech beforehand, the more comfortable it will be to give it. You don’t need to feel pressured to memorize it, but make sure you can give the whole speech without reading straight from your notes
Look your bride in the eye. Don’t stare her down the whole time you speak, but you should make intentional eye contact while you’re talking about how much you love her.
Use tasteful humor to keep a lighter mood. Sharing a funny story or telling a short joke can put your guests at ease and make the whole speech feel more conversational.
Keep it brief. Choose your words carefully and intentionally to avoid dragging on your speech. A short but meaningful speech is easier to deliver than a long speech that is full of verbal fluff.

Most importantly, remember that the speech you give at your wedding won’t be the only thing people remember. As long as your bride can tell that you love her from your speech, nothing else matters.

Miss Manners: Should the bride and groom be shown the best man’s speech before the wedding?

Published: Apr. 22, 2024, 8:00 a.m.

"Miss Manners" Judith Martin Courtesy Andrews McMeel Universal

Judith Martin

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Should the bride and groom be shown the best man’s speech before the wedding? Or, if not them, someone else?

GENTLE READER: What makes you think the best man needs vetting?

Oh, right -- he is the bridegroom’s best friend, so it is not hard to guess his notion of what should be said. Miss Manners supposes that that is the problem. Perhaps that should have been considered before he was assigned the role.

But yes, the bridegroom can inquire, in the spirit of friendship, what his buddy is thinking of saying. He could even drop some remarks about the sensitivity of the crowd, and what topics should be avoided, however amusing.

But in the end, he has to trust that his best man will do his best to please him.

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com ; to her email, [email protected] ; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

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Lucy (Ella Purnell) turning and looking at something over her shoulder with a Vault hallway behind her

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Fallout’s bloody wedding continues one of fiction’s longest-running tropes

Weddings have gone dangerously wrong throughout the history of storytelling, from the Bible to Kill Bill

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The Fallout TV show isn’t particularly beautiful – at least, not like a bride is supposed to be. Its characters spend most of their time trudging through the irradiated grime of derelict California, avoiding pools of who-knows-what and drinking animal piss if they really need to. It’s a tough reality to witness, but that’s what makes the Prime Video game adaptation ’s violent first episode so critical; its bloodbath wedding welcomes viewers to Fallout’s no-nonsense approach to love and desperation. To do it effectively, Fallout mines the ancient trope for every last perversion.

The concept of a bloody wedding (or Red Wedding , as Game of Thrones popularized in 2013) goes back as far as humans were capable of idiotic passion — so, kind of forever. Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 22 in which heaven is a king throwing a wedding banquet, but those invited decide to kill the king’s servants instead. Even earlier, the Odyssey describes how Odysseus instigated a grisly massacre after a team of suitors attempted to marry the queen of Ithaca, his wife Penelope. “And therewith the head of the arrow through his tender neck thrust out, [...] The thick gush of the man’s-blood, [...] And the bread and the roasted flesh were defiled,” writes poet William Morris in his 1887 translation .

It was only natural for red weddings to make their way into contemporary media. Some of the most recognizable instances are in TV and film, including the aforementioned Game of Thrones , the 2003 revenge drama Kill Bill , Bella’s nightmare in Breaking Dawn , and the 2019 wedding slasher Ready or Not . But whether the cataclysmic wedding occurs in classic literature, a video game like Bloodborne , or famous art like Marc Chagall’s 1950 painting of red-soaked La Mariée , it challenges your expectations for the blushing bride. Fallout protagonist Lucy is at least prepared for this test — she’s spent her whole life learning how to be useful in crisis.

Lucy (Ella Purnell) and her dipshit husband get married in Fallout as Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) looks on

Before her doomed wedding, Lucy establishes herself as a toned and peppy Vault Dweller: the ideal post-apocalyptic woman. She has repair skills, she says, speech skills, gymnastic ability, and has no issue handling a rifle — she’s demure about it, too, disclaiming that she’s “not very good” at shooting despite impaling her Vault Boy target repeatedly in the heart. All that’s missing from Lucy’s life as a resourceful Miss America is a healthy Mr. Reproductive System, and so her Vault 33 council approves her application to breed with a Vault 32 tribute.

33 will provide the purportedly famished 32 with seeds in exchange for a husband, Monty (Cameron Cowperthwaite), at the Triennial Trade; Lucy prepares with red lipstick, pearl drop earrings, and an Audrey Hepburn wedding gown cut below the knees. She nearly perfectly follows Leola Coombs Kelley’s guide on “How to Conduct a Perfect Wedding” from 1957, which instructs a bride to wear satin white, but warns that “the formal wedding gown should just clear the toes to prevent tripping [...] Anything shorter is ugly.” Oh, well; things are different after a nuclear apocalypse.

Most bloodbath weddings aren’t presented as flawless. Kill Bill ’s somber black-and-white opening shot is of The Bride’s big day (Uma Thurman) already ruined, her dress smeared in blood that glues her tulle veil to the floorboards. The first boss fight in gory 2023 zombie game Dead Island 2 is with Becki the Bride , whose mutations have turned her form-fitting wedding dress into grim sausage casing.

Ella Purnell, wearing a bridal gown, laughs while the rest of the wedding party talks at a table in Fallout

But Vault-Tec became so powerful by luring its test subjects with false promises of safety; it convinced people they’d rather eat nuclear-resistant green beans in perpetuity than risk the uncertainty of the real world. Fallout’ s first episode deftly copies this deception by showing us a bit of Lucy’s wedding ceremony, which seems as lovely and interchangeable as any other: the bride and groom kiss under a wedding arch tied with sunflowers, and soon it’s time to enjoy the reception and talk sperm count. “I mean, sperm is pretty important in perpetuating America,” Lucy says at dinner. But trouble starts after she consummates her marriage.

Monty and the rest of Vault 32 are actually surface dwellers planning to take Lucy’s dad, Overseer Hank , hostage for reasons she doesn’t yet understand. In the moment, she can only accept the force of her instinct. She doesn’t stand idly as history recommends her to, a silent “bride of Hades,” as ancient Greeks described unmarried female virgins. Lucky for Lucy, she’s not even a virgin. So when her new husband starts to strangle her, she kicks him in the gut. When he sinks a carving knife into her already bruised abdomen, she uses a cracked blender to scoop out his throat.

A healing stimpak and tranquilizer pistol help her stay alive once she finally leaves her sweetheart behind, to hopefully die alone on the ground. With bullets slung across her chest and dark blood blooming around her stomach, Lucy now looks like Ready or Not ’s Final Bride Grace — goodbye, Audrey Hepburn. Lucy abandons a bride’s stereotypical elegance because she has no other choice.

Lucy (Ella Purnell) in a bloody wedding dress, with tranquilizer darts slung over her shoulder, in Fallout

But, with all of her Vault 33 education, she manages to hold onto some of it. Even disheveled and beaten, Lucy fares better than her wedding party. Fallout protects her with a sense of specialness, her inherent belief in justice and the determination to pursue it. This is, again, unusual for the bloodbath wedding trope. Though Roslin survives her notorious Red Wedding in Game of Thrones , two other wives, Catelyn Stark and Joyeuse Frey, are unceremonious victims of battle. They don’t get to supplant their “wife” status with complex personhood, like Lucy does. The math of their deaths is simple: Catelyn cuts Joyeuse’s pale throat to punish the woman’s husband, and then her own throat is slit, and blood pours out like wine.

Still, Vault 33 sees similar carnage, and worse. Its residents are no match for the surface dwellers’ uninhibited brutality, and, in excruciating, V.A.T.S.-type slow motion combat, we spend the next few minutes watching them get crushed into powder. An infiltrator smooshes a handful of wedding cake into his mouth before someone else starts shooting, and a man’s blood sprays into the air like peaking ocean waves. Another man gets punted across 33’s cornfield like he’s a football. You have only a moment to feel his skeletal pain before a surface dweller shoves an assault rifle into someone else’s mouth. After blasting the back of his skull, the trespasser demolishes a small crowd and innocent jelly mold with brain-stained bullets.

“Remember, there’s a danger in overdoing [wedding parties],” warns Good Housekeeping’s 1957 Complete Wedding Guide. “Gaiety and fun [can turn] into strained nerves and exhaustion.”

Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) and Lucy (Ella Purnell) dance at the latter’s wedding in Fallout, smiling at each other

But Lucy is the Overseer’s daughter — a leader, then a woman — before she is a wife. The rules for her are slightly different. She can’t fully become Agamemnon’s antihero Clytemnestra, who butchers her husband after he sacrifices their daughter to a god. “How should a woman work, to the utter end,” Clytemnestra says in defiance of an admonishing chorus, “My husband, dead by my right hand, a blow / Struck by a righteous craftsman.”

Fallout doesn’t want Lucy totally veering into traditionally masculine territory the way Clytemnestra does. Lucy, instead, teeters around it (she has a gun, but it’s non-lethal; she’s dirty, but she’s also wearing pure white). She never wholly abandons her ’50s values, which encourage her to be constantly deferential to her father. So there’s panic in her wide doe eyes when she joins the fray, gawking at the spilled blood and devastation, barely reacting to the sparks and bullets flying right over her head. But she collects herself when her family is at risk, popping a tranquilizer into a woman’s eye a second before she can slice apart Norm (Moises Arias), Lucy’s brother, with a machete.

A young blonde woman screams as she fires a gun with a fork in her eye in Fallout

For this small moment, Lucy gets to be an avenging angel, a loose foreshadow of the hardened morality she’ll grow into later in Fallout . But, for now, Lucy lives in a blurry Romeo and Juliet world, so much like the one they experienced after their blighted wedding: “All things that we ordained festival / Turn from their office to black funeral,” remarks Lord Capulet, “Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corpse.”

Lucy seems to be sleepwalking toward the same fate. Her maimed husband approaches her with pieces of his face flapping open like a jacket, but then her dad, Hank, smashes the back of his head. Barefoot Lucy watches quietly as Hank drowns Monty in a barrel, and the last thing she sees on her wedding night is a bomb that trashes the already sparse remains of Vault 33.

And there goes another cursed wedding. Fallout makes it look as nasty as centuries of poets, bards, and Quentin Tarantino have necessitated it to be. But the show also manages to pull new information from it — Lucy’s wedding is at once the start of her tarnishing innocence, as well as the audience’s, and it forces her to demonstrate her competence. Always the survivor, never the bride.

Fallout is streaming on Prime Video.

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Something borrowed, something Bluey: why we love a TV wedding

Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney

Disclosure statement

Liz Giuffre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Technology Sydney provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU.

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There is nothing like a wedding episode. Bluey’s first 28-minute special, The Sign, was the ultimate wedding television.

Full of family, and family-friendly, the wedding between Bluey’s godmother Frisky and uncle Radley was the sticky cake that held longer-than-average toddler attention spans and drew in broad audiences around and beyond Australia.

As Bluey creator Joe Brumm explained :

If you think of Bluey as a sitcom, they all have a wedding episode, so I fancied a crack. The idea lodged in my head and the story grew from there.

Bluey’s huge international success is due its creators’ ambition to make more than just a kids’ show. By drawing on tropes of other television shows like wedding episodes, as well as developed character arcs and references to pop culture, it has become some of the best Australian storytelling of all time, of any genre.

This process of creating “ easter eggs ” – hidden references for the audience to look for – is a tactic a variety of television makers now use to reward audiences of all ages.

The Sign rewarded longtime viewers of Bluey. Aunty Brandy had been wanting a baby, and now seems to finally be pregnant. Nana and Grandpa Bob are doing a flossing dance they learned in series one. Bingo’s “big girl bark” has finally developed, and baby Socks is now able to talk. Instead of Nutbush City Limits or other standard wedding music, we had “ dance mode ” and everyone’s favourite fictional cartoon-within-a-cartoon theme song (and earworm), Catsquad .

The wedding march also built to include a guitar solo a little reminiscent of 80s Oz Rock – a nod to Angry Anderson’s Suddenly for Scott and Charlene, perhaps?

Read more: The subtle sophistication of Bluey's soundtrack helped propel it to stardom

Why do we love a TV wedding?

Scott and Charlene walking down the aisle in Neighbours marked a generation of weddings for some of us. Kath Day and Cal Knight’s Pumpkin-style coach in Kath and Kim was the pinnacle for others. Both were huge ratings winners locally and internationally.

Audiences love TV weddings because they are spectacular. Amid the “ flow ” of broadcasting, wedding episodes draw us in by design. In the age of streaming, wedding episodes still have the potential to be appointment television.

From Joanie and Chachi in Happy Days to The Doctor and River Song in Doctor Who to David and Patrick in Schitt’s Creek, the appeal is the coming together of the couple – but also an excuse to draw together different groups around them.

Weddings can create big “television moments”, sometimes even overshadowing the couple at the centre. The multi-award winning second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag built its entire storyline (and excuse for new character of Andrew Scott’s “hot priest”) on the upcoming wedding of her father and godmother. Building to a “love is awful” speech by the priest, it was a plot device to underpin an ultimately doomed relationship.

Even when the characters aren’t entirely fictional, a “wedding episode” is almost always successful.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer broke broadcast records with their 1981 wedding. Even though the wedding itself only lasted 15 years, the 40th anniversary of the broadcast was marked with a “wedding of the century” documentary.

Reality, documentary and other forms of semi- or non-scripted television also use weddings to gain audiences: Married at First Sight is now in its 11th season in Australia.

Bluey’s wedding episode drew on events that many screen weddings deal with: a dramatic fight between the bride and groom; a sweet reunion; charming if not slightly sozzled family members and kids stealing the show with impossible cuteness. The supersized episode also provided some other big plot twists (was it a “sign” that the show might end for a while?), and promises of new beginnings.

An archive of weddings

The National Film and Sound Archive’s Australian Screen collection includes a huge range of wedding related pieces – both real and fictional.

Real weddings are captured in the 1914 silent clip “ society wedding ” of an unknown but clearly very upper-class couple and their family, clips from a 1950s Greek wedding reception in Canberra, and the 1973 ABC documentary series Chequerboard episode called It’s A Big Day In Any Girl’s Life .

The archive includes clips of beloved fictional weddings such as Muriel’s Wedding , and explorations of the value of marriage like in Brides of Christ .

Other worthy examples not yet in the archive are 2019’s Top End Wedding and Neighbours’ first same sex wedding for David and Aaron in 2018, officiated by Jemima Davies-Smythe (played by Magda Szubanski).

Surely The Sign is destined to join these forebears as part of the history of Australian screen weddings. As my children and I watched Bluey, we talked about my wedding to their dad and the weddings of family and friends. We talked about what makes a great story and having to wait to see an episode of television – something they are really not used to anymore.

During the episode we had a good laugh, we had a little cry, and a big dance – just like weddings “for real life”, as Bluey would say.

Read more: A bumper Bluey episode is about to hit screens. 5 ways to get the most out of watching the show with your kids

Australian television

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Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy

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An isanti wedding venue closed without warning. now these couples have 'nowhere to go.'.

The wedding was less than two weeks away.

Everything the bride and groom had planned for the past year was ready: Church, dress, flowers, caterer, photographer and the reception at an airy, light-filled wedding barn in Isanti County. Soon, 185 guests would be packing their bags; family would be flying up from Alabama to see Minnesota at its best.

Everything was ready — except the Circle B wedding venue, which was out of business. Effective immediately. Without warning. Without a refund.

In tears, bride-to-be Katelyn Stalboerger posted an appeal on TikTok.

She and her fiancé chose the picturesque barn for their May 4 wedding reception. Then on Sunday evening came a curt email from the business, owned by Wayne and Angi Butt , who also own the Historic Furber Farm wedding venue in Cottage Grove. Subject line: "Circle B Permanently Closed."

The Butts cut the ribbon on the Isanti County wedding barn in 2023, but the message from Circle B said the "historic" venue was closing due to rising costs, a changing economy and competition from newer businesses.

"[W]e understand that this news will not only be disheartening to many of you and your families, but for many of you this will been devastating for your plans, for that we are truly sorry," read the message, concluding with: "Nobody is available to take calls or emails."

Circle B's website and social media had been deleted. Couples who managed to reach the Butts or their attorney were told brusquely that all the payments in full the Butts had required — including fees that some couples said were requested just days before that email went out — would not be reimbursed.

For couples left with little time to find a new wedding venue and no money to pay for one, "devastating" doesn't begin to describe this situation.

"We have nowhere to go and we're not getting our money back," Stalboerger said in her post, which had garnered more than 2 million views by the end of Monday.

Now the community, online and off, is rallying to clean up Circle B's mess and save dozens of big days.

Vendors and venues across the state have stepped up with discounts and offers of help. Strangers have offered their own backyards as wedding venues.

"The community has been incredible," Stalboerger said in an interview. "There have been so many people who reached out, just to be supportive. Which has been really nice."

The marriage is the important thing, people remind her. And she knows it's true. The venue, the celebration — all those things would have been beautiful. But they're just things. And not the important things.

"It is about the marriage," she said. "The response on TikTok just reminded me. That's how I'm trying to stay positive."

She and her fiancé, Isaac Nelson, will be getting married on May 4, no matter what, surrounded by love and the people they love.

Neither the Butts nor their attorney, Ryan Kaess , have responded to calls or requests for comment.

Stalboerger isn't alone in having to scramble to find a new venue.

Heidi Kafura and Matthew Niemeyer are getting married on Aug. 31, as planned. They just won't be getting married at Circle B, as planned. They have too many guests who have booked flights and too many relatives who are first responders to change the date at the last minute.

Just a few weeks before, the venue reached out to her with a routine question about one of her vendors. The news that the wedding barn was going out of business was a complete shock. She tried emailing, but her messages bounced back. She tried calling, but the phones just rang, unanswered.

"I was just in tears," she said. "Their logo was gone, their name was gone, there was no way to contact them."

She called her caterer, who told her: "You're my third bride this morning."

Kaitlin Gulstad and Justin Lynch snapped selfies under the chandelier-strung roofbeams of Circle B, where they were supposed to celebrate their wedding on Sept. 14.

They had relatives planning to fly in from out of the country, they had alpacas booked to join the party. Lynch is a medical student with a packed schedule, so he and his fellow residents had requested time off for the wedding 15 months in advance.

Looking over the many photos she took on their walk through Circle B, Gulstad mulled her limited options. Would they start fresh with a new location, new vendors and less money?

"Are we going to have to wait another year to get married, just to have people there?" she said.

Her sister set up an online fundraiser to help, and Gulstad has marveled at all the vendors and venues and total strangers that have stepped up with offers of help.

The Minnesota Rural Event Vendors Association — MNReva — has mobilized in the Circle B aftermath the way communities rally after a natural disaster. It wasn't just dozens of couples who had their plans disrupted — it was every caterer, photographer, wedding planner and vendor they worked with.

Many of those vendors have been kind to the couples in need. Gulstad even received a refund of her nonrefundable deposit for her wedding alpaca rental.

Dennis Davis owns another Isanti County wedding venue, Erickson Farmstead. With peak wedding season looming, he and the other venues have drafted spreadsheets, desperately trying to match couples to venues with space available on the dates they need.

Many venues — including his own — are completely booked for the year. Some do have space and have offered bookings to Circle B clients at a discount.

So many people are trying to help. It hurts to see couples robbed of their wedding day, their peace of mind and a small fortune all at once.

"I think we've been able to help several of them, at least give them some options that might work for them," Davis said. "We've got 40 or 50 members [of MNReva] that we've been tapping into over the last 12 or 15 hours to see who has openings."

Jennifer Brooks is a local columnist for the Star Tribune. She travels across Minnesota, writing thoughtful and surprising stories about residents and issues.

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Wedding Speech
Father of the Groom Speech: Structure, Examples & Ideas 2024
Help to write a wedding speech
Wedding Speech
Groom Wedding Speech Guide with Examples| TopWeddingSites.com
FREE 44+ Speech Samples in PDF

VIDEO

How To: Groom Wedding Speech #WeddingSpeech #GroomSpeech #Groom
Wedding Time Perfect Groom & Bride❤️ #wedding #love #bride #circuslove #favoritetime2023 #ytshorts
Groom's speech, wedding speech
Groom speech
What To Say In A Wedding Speech
3 Wedding Speech Experts Share Tips For Giving An AMAZING Wedding Speech

COMMENTS

Groom Speech Examples And Writing Tips (+ Free Template)
Say some words about the bride. Gush about the woman of the moment. Let the guests feel your joy at getting married to the love of your life. Talk about what attracted you to her, what she means to you, and reiterate your vows. You may also seal this part of your speech with a kiss and watch her blush.
12 Groom Speech Tips: How to Make a Killer Groom's Speech
9. Think Carefully About the Structure. Adrian says, "There are lots of people to talk about and you should deal with them one at a time and avoid repetition. "Resist the urge to launch straight into how amazing your new partner looks and then pepper the speech with references to them.
Everything to Know About Your Groom Speech
Preparing your groom's speech? Pete Honsberger, author of Wedding Toasts 101, shares a complete five-step plan to nailing the perfect toast. Here's how to write and deliver a speech every guest ...
The Groom Speech: What to Write, Say & Do
Writing and delivering a memorable wedding speech is no easy feat, though, especially if it's your first time. It requires preparation, creativity, and a hefty dose of confidence. To help ensure you give a great groom speech on your wedding day, we chatted with wedding vow and speech writer Alexis Dent of XO Juliet. Ahead, learn how to write a ...
How to Write a Wedding Speech: Your Easy Step-by-Step Guide
End with a toast. Cap off your speech on a fun and sentimental note by ending with an actual toast. Dalo recommends this foolproof example: "Please join me in raising a glass to the happy couple. Cheers to X and Y, and best wishes for a lifetime of laughter!" Afterward, go in for a hug with the couple, making for the perfect photo op!
How To Write Your Wedding Speech (Grooms' Edition)
2. Do A Soundcheck. Make sure to test the mics beforehand. If you don't have time on the day, ask one of your groomsmen to step up. 3. Get It On Camera. If you don't have a videographer, make sure someone films your speech (as well as everyone else's). You don't want to forget this moment! 4.
How to Write a Groom Speech
Note: Time yourself reading the speech, and make sure it fits within the allotted time at your wedding. Adjust content as needed. Go Write Your Groom Speech! Now you know how you write your Groom speech, you can just follow these steps and you'll have a heartfelt, well-structured Groom speech in no time.
Top 10 Groom Speech Examples
Speech Example 4: The Humorous Twist. Introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen, family, and friends, thank you for being here today to celebrate this incredible milestone in my life. I must say, I'm feeling a mix of excitement and relief that I managed to tie my tie correctly. It's a big day for me!".
How to Write a Wedding Speech: Examples, Tips, and Advice
Father of the Bride Wedding Speech Example. "Good evening, family, and friends. I'm Daniel Lee, the father of the bride. I'd like to welcome you to this special occasion where we get to ...
Groom Speech Examples & Tips
THE TOAST. So, without further ado, if you'll all kindly be upstanding, and join me in a toast to my best friend and love of my life: The new…. Mrs Misty Ferguson! (Raise toast). Written by Ed and Tom, Speechy Writers. GROOM SPEECH EXAMPLE - Delivered by Alejandro. BACKGROUND: Alejandro has married Michelle.
How To Write A Wedding Speech: The Ultimate Guide For Do's, Don'ts, and
Introduce yourself and how you know the bride and groom; Thanks to hosts, guests, and wedding party; congratulate the couple; Make it personal; Think of 3 traits with 3 stories; Talk about the couple; ... A good rule of thumb to keep in mind when figuring out how to write a wedding speech is to keep your speech between 2-5 minutes long. Any ...
How to Write a Short and Simple Groom Speech
Here's a checklist of people you might want to thank: The Father of the Bride for his toast to you and the Bride. Your parents for their support over the years. The Bride's parents for:a) bringing up your wonderful wife, andb) for welcoming you into their family. Your Groomsmen for their help on and before the big day.
The Ultimate Groom's Wedding Speech Checklist
The groom's wedding speech is often about covering all bases. It doesn't have the bravado and general LOLs of a best man speech, the gushing and poignant words of a bridesmaid speech, or all the nostalgia and tear-jerking words of a father of the bride or groom speech.Instead, a groom's speech is half admin, half emotion; kind of like an Oscar acceptance!
How to Write A Killer Bride or Groom Wedding Speech
This one is easy! You start your speech by giving a round of thank yous. Thank all of your guests for coming, thank your wedding party for supporting you, thank out-of-towners for making the trek, thank your parents for all their love, thank your new spouse's parents for welcoming you into the family, thank special people who made the day ...
Groom Speech Structure
1. Start. Never mind 'how' you'll write your speech, worry about 'when'. Start soon, ideally two months before the wedding. Do not be tempted to put off writing until you're hit by divine inspiration (it rarely strikes) and do not get side-tracked by table plans or biscuits. Don't underestimate how long it can take to be witty ...
8 Tips for How to Write a Groom's Speech
Tip #8: Practice Reciting Your Speech Out Loud. Writing your groom's speech is a huge task but to really leave a positive impression, practice your delivery. Here are my top public speaking tips to keep in mind: Speak loudly and slowly. Use a microphone. Don't try to memorize your speech and don't read it from your phone.
How to Write Your Bride Speech With Examples & Tips
Thank Your Guests. The first step when it comes to how to write a killer bride speech: thank your favorite people! The room is filled with loved ones who put in the time, money and effort to support you on your special day, so the first words you say should be a big, heartfelt "thank you." 2. Shout-Out Your VIPs.
How To Write The Ultimate Groom's Speech
2. Keep it short & sweet. We all know someone who could talk for Ireland and it's easy to glaze over as they go in and out of every detail. While detail can be great, it's best to keep it to the main points when it comes to your groom's speech. As soon as you cover the basics like thanking everyone for coming, the parents, bridal party ...
Groom Wedding Speech Guide with Examples| TopWeddingSites.com
Just remember what your wedding is about. It is about you and your wife: fewer jokes, more love. Yes, call her 'my wife': We recommend you do this early in the groom's speech. Mention 'my wife and me.'. Do it right, and you will. It will always receive a warm clap and will help set your nerves.
Writing the Groom's Speech: The Ultimate Guide to Your Wedding Toast
A Groom's Wedding Speech is one of the four traditional wedding speeches. Typically, the Groom's wedding speech follows the speeches of the Father of the Bride and the Best Man, and is followed by the Maid of Honour (historically, a Bride would not make a speech). Of course, it will be completely up to you as a couple to decide who will be ...
How to write a Groom's wedding speech
Here's a simple outline that will work for most groom speeches: · Introduce yourself, and say a few words about the day so far. · Welcome everyone, and thank them for coming. · Thank specific people involved in the wedding. · Share a personal anecdote or story about your wedding planning journey, or relationship.
HOW TO WRITE A MEMORABLE GROOM SPEECH
Keep it brief. Choose your words carefully and intentionally to avoid dragging on your speech. A short but meaningful speech is easier to deliver than a long speech that is full of verbal fluff. Most importantly, remember that the speech you give at your wedding won't be the only thing people remember.
Miss Manners: Should the bride and groom be shown the best man's speech
Miss Manners supposes that that is the problem. Perhaps that should have been considered before he was assigned the role. But yes, the bridegroom can inquire, in the spirit of friendship, what his ...
Fallout's bloody wedding continues one of fiction's ...
The concept of a bloody wedding (or Red Wedding, as Game of Thrones popularized in 2013) goes back as far as humans were capable of idiotic passion — so, kind of forever. Jesus tells a parable ...
Something borrowed, something Bluey: why we love a TV wedding
Bluey's wedding episode drew on events that many screen weddings deal with: a dramatic fight between the bride and groom; a sweet reunion; charming if not slightly sozzled family members and ...
An Isanti wedding venue closed without warning. Now these couples have
Community rallies to help after the Circle B wedding venue closed without warning or refunds. The wedding was less than two weeks away. Everything the bride and groom had planned for the past year ...