You have probably left as many of the preparations for your wedding up to your future bride as you could get away with but groom speeches can only be given by one person – you! Let’s face it most of us are not used to standing up in public speaking. The nerves often kick in when we think about standing up in front of our friends and family and giving a speech. However, if you put some work in before your big day you will have the confidence to deliver your groom’s speech with confidence.

The first thing you need to do to plan what you are going to say. Write out some notes of all the things you should include. Think about greetings, the things you want to say about your lovely wife and anybody you want to thank including your bride’s parents. At this stage it is just an outline to ensure that you don’t forget anything important.  Before you move on to the next stage, decide on the tone you want to set for your speech. Will it be serious, sincere or humorous?  Do you want to mix up emotion with a little bit of light hearted fun? Whatever you decide, ensure that it is appropriate to your audience and avoid any embarrassing stories that are best kept for another occasion.

Next it is time to write out your groom wedding  speech.  I advise you to write it out in full and exactly as you expect to deliver the speech. Use your own words. You shouldn’t need a dictionary for this. It is your day and the people who will listen to your wedding speech know you and don’t expect to hear a Shakespearian scholar or politician speaking.

Now all you have to do is practice your speech. Practice as often as you can and make sure you say it aloud. Ideally practice in front of a few trusted friends or family members.  The main things you need to focus on as you practice is ensuring that you are speaking loud enough,  your hand gestures and especially that you haven’t included and words are phrases that are hard to say.

YOu can now relax and enjoy your wedding day. While groom speeches can be daunting if you are prepared, know what you are going to say and have practiced you will have the confidence to deliver a wedding speech that you will be proud of . Of course you can’t rehearse your response to the thunderous applause you will receive from your audience!