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More often than not, in a typical wedding setting, the groom is required to give a brief speech where he shows due appreciation to the human factors who have made his (and his new bride’s) day a success. However, what many might not know is that there are rules (although flexible) of etiquette to follow in order to make a groom’s speech awe-inspiring.
Here is a list of things you should note when giving a speech as a groom:
- It's very important that you remember the time factor. Keep the speech below 20 minutes; don’t go on and on, although you might be tempted to.
- Acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of your parents and in-laws; that goes without saying.
- If you intend to take your time to thank people, be sure to have those guests who have travelled from distances to make it for your big day in mind. They deserve it.
- Although it is nice to appreciate people and their efforts, don’t make your speech all about thank-you’s; it gets quite boring, so keep it short.
- Don’t profusely thank the event planners and vendors if you have limited time. Since you paid a good sum for the services, keeping the thanks to a reasonable level is a great idea especially in cases where you have a list of things to touch on.
- Try to be humorous, but then again, don’t get carried away. Be more concerned about evoking emotions through your speech than laughter.
- Gaffe alert: Don’t romanticize your best man above your bride. She’s right there, remember? After the pleasantries, make her the centre of your speech.
- Share the anecdote of your first encounter with your new wife.
- Employ simplicity and be spontaneous; don’t cram the speech - many things could go wrong.
- End or begin your speech by making a toast.
In essence, make the best of your few minutes and capture all you can in the most beautiful way you can manage. A lot of people are most certainly looking forward to what you have to say. So enjoy your moments with a beautiful speech.