Groom Speech: Common Questions
Before diving into the details, let’s cover some of the basic questions you might have about your Groom speech.
There’s a good chance you’ll know most of this already, but let’s just make sure nothing important has slipped through the net.
When does the Groom speak?
The traditional order of the wedding speeches is:
- Father of the Bride
- Groom (that’s you!)
- Best Man
However, these days it’s becoming more common for other members of the wedding party to feature among speakers, for instance: Maid of Honour, Mother of the Bride, Father of the Groom, etc.
These more contemporary speaking roles may replace traditional ones or be inserted into the standard line-up.
Ultimately it’s up to you and your fiance to decide who you want to speak. Just make sure everyone is clear on who’s speaking and who follows whom.
What should the Groom Speech include?
The Groom speech should start by acknowledging the previous speaker (usually the Father of the Bride) and thanking them for their speech.
Next you’ll dive into the various “thank you’s” – there’s a list of everyone you might want to thank in the next section. If you’re presenting gifts to any of the key players (e.g., Best Man, Maid of Honour, etc.) you should do that as part of your spoken thanks.
Once the thanks are out of the way you’ve fulfilled most of your obligations and get a chance to say whatever you would like to say on this special day. Primarily this is an opportunity to talk about the Bride and why marrying her is such a big deal.
Who does the Groom thank in his speech?
The Groom’s speech has a few different people he’s usually expected to thank in his speech:
- The Father of the Bride for his speech (which normally occurs immediately before the Groom’s) and for any support he may have given to the couple for their wedding
- The wedding guests for attending the wedding and for their generous gifts
- The Bridesmaids for their help and support on the big day (and in the days leading up to it) on behalf of the Bride
- The Best Man for his help and support together with any other Groomsmen
- Both sets of parents for their love and support
Who does the Groom toast?
Although the Groom has numerous people to thank, traditionally he only raises a formal toast to the Bridesmaids. (Technically, this toast is supposed to be a response to the Father of the Bride’s toast to the Bride and Groom.)
That said, there are no hard and fast rules so if you want to raise an additional toast to another person or group, few people will complain!
A quick warning though. Don’t get carried away with toasts as you’ll lose momentum in your speech. One is expected, two is reasonable, three is starting to push things too far.
How long should a Groom speech be?
The Groom speech is usually somewhere between five and ten minutes long.
If you have lots of people to thank and gifts to hand out things may run longer than this but try to keep things moving as quickly as you can.
While guests will be keen to hear from you since you’re one of the two main “stars of the show” they’ll also be looking forward to the Best Man speech which is traditionally seen as the flagship speech, so don’t make them wait too long.
