Tips On Giving A Bridegroom Speech
You are officially now a bridegroom-to-be and the wedding day is fast upon you, and you know that you are expected to give a bridegroom speech at the reception, but what to say, and how to say it; that is your big dilemma right now. As most cultures dictate, after the official ceremony and at the beginning of the reception, you are expected to speak immediately after the father of the bride says his bit.
One of the basic building blocks of a good speech is starting out on the right foot, and one way to insure that that will happen is to have a good opening line. Many people when pressed to give a speech don’t have a clue what constitutes a good opening line, and if you are among that group, then you need to investigate the sites that are available on the Internet for giving an impressive bridegroom speech and how to start it off. There are several different camps as to how to open a speech and they are all equally effective; for example, one may start off with a little joke or humor just to break the tension, or another could be a very conservative way of beginning and just extend a welcome to everyone there.
Now is the time, after the opening line; to show your appreciation to the folks gathered there and to give thanks all around to those who have contributed to making the day possible. In a more traditional bridegroom speech, the bridegroom would start off by thanking the parents of the bride for all their contributions and support; then thank his own parents for his upbringing and all they have done for him and their contributions; and then thank the guests for all the beautiful gifts and the fact that they came to the wedding; and so on. Sometimes the bridegroom will thank the minister and the bridesmaids, and the best man—the situation is different in every wedding; but the main factor here is to be sincere and mean what you are saying. Giving this speech is the best time to show everyone gathered just how mature and positive a person you are, and for making a very good impression on them.
Now you can expound on your thoughts about the big day; how much it means to you, how much you appreciate becoming part of your bride’s family, how much happiness you feel, and then you could begin dropping a few little tidbits about some events that led up to the big day. You don’t have to drone on and on about any one of the subjects; just be yourself and have fun telling the gathered folks a little bit about what all this means to you because all they want is to hear from you in your own words and feel your sincerity.
Remember to include your feelings about the day in general, how terrific you think your new wife looks, and what a lucky son of a gun you are to be standing in this position with all this great stuff coming down around you. A great feeling will permeate the room if you keep the crowd laughing along with you while you tell funny little happenings that went on during your courtship with your new wife; and make your bridegroom speech one that the group will remember for a long time, because they enjoyed it so, and felt that you were being sincere and open about what you were saying. Just keep in mind that the last thing you want to do is embarrass anyone, so be careful when poking fun at your wife or your new in-laws and don’t let things go too far.
Keep in mind that as much as everyone gathered cares about you, they don’t want to listen to you for the whole reception; so keep the bridegroom speech moving along at a good pace, keep everyone hanging on your words and laughing along with you, and all of you will have the time of your lives. This is not a performance but rather just a heartfelt expression of what the day and the event means to you, and the livelier you make it and the more fun; you and everyone else will enjoy it tremendously. To finish the speech, you may want to close with a tribute to friends, or a short poem, or a toast to your wife, your parents, your in-laws, the bridesmaids; you get the idea.
If you have your notes in order, and you are prepared to give your bridegroom speech when the time comes; you will find that you will have the time of your life talking up in front of the crowd and they in turn will enjoy every minute of listening to you. Just don’t let the talk drag on and on because people will get antsy and bored, so keep it light and funny and emotional, but not ponderous. Remember the group gathered in front of you is there to wish you well and they want only the best for you and your new bride, so most anything you say, if it is said from the heart and in a meaningful way, will be well received and remembered by the group as wonderful.
