Being a groom at a wedding can be tremendous stress for most people. The entire ceremony often takes its toll for various reasons, but planning and writing a good wedding speech can be the most frustrating part.
You always want to please everyone, make sure to make the speech entertaining and memorable for every participant of possibly the most important day of your life. The speech for your wedding should therefore be carefully planned and even then, you have to ensure you won’t freeze under the pressure of public speaking.
Public speaking and performance is a common fear many people have and if you’re not used to them, even if your speech is amazing it might not turn out well unless you practice it.
This article will help future grooms with all stages of wedding speeches: writing, providing examples, teaching you how to be funny and handle the pressure. I was once like you, so I hope some of my experiences can be helpful.
Adding humor is crucial
One important thing you have to understand when writing your wedding speech is that it’s not a corporate presentation or a political rally. When preparing good wedding speeches you should always consider to slip in light humor and a couple of jokes. The groom wedding speech is supposed to be funny, witty and entertaining, and reflect your emotions and experiences.
Even if you’re not good at telling jokes, you really should try. Obviously you’re not doing stand-up comedy, but an occasional joke can help you and your listeners relax, and they will be sure to pay more attention to what you’re saying. It can also help hide your inevitable nervousness over the whole ordeal.
As with many public speaking events, making eye contact with your audience is also very helpful. Don’t just stare at your feet or the ceiling, but try to interact with your listeners. Even if your speech is funny, it’s hard to appear humorous when you look like a complete anti-social tool or talk like you’re at a funeral. Your wedding is a happy occasion, and your speech should reflect that.
One of the best ways to make your speech funny is to share some of your and the bride’s common experiences. Think about all the things you went through and see if any of the situations you found yourself in are funny. Perhaps those situations weren’t funny when they happened, but reflecting back on them can score you some laughs. There’s always some anecdote about how you two met or fell in love, and real-life experiences are always better than imaginary stories.
You could even say how her parents hated you at first or something along those lines, but make sure you don’t insult anyone, intentionally or otherwise. Your toast should always aim to please everyone in the audience, and you should avoid saying anything that might not.
In one of the following articles I’ll go over some frequent joke examples that anyone can use in their speech. In the meantime, be sure to check Wedding Speech 4U book for dozens of fantastic examples of best groom wedding speeches.