WEDDINGS

Groom speech examples

The five speeches below are made up. Borrow the order and the thank-yous, then swap in one true story about your partner.

A chatbot can draft a groom speech in seconds. It wasn't there the night you met, and it won't be the one standing up in front of your new in-laws. Below is a template, then five example speeches: a toast to your bride at the reception, a short one, a funny one, one for the rehearsal dinner and one you give together. After them: whether you have to speak, when and for how long, who to thank, what to leave out and how to give it.

A groom speech template

Use these six beats for a reception speech. The examples below drop or change a few of them to fit the night. Fill in the blanks, then read it out loud and cut any line that doesn't sound like you.

Thank the person who spoke before you: "Thank you, ___." If you're the first to speak, open with "Good evening, everyone."
Thank the guests: "Thank you all for being here. ___ came all the way from ___."
Thank both families: "___ and ___, thank you for ___. Mom and Dad, thank you for ___."
Thank the wedding party: "To our wedding party, thank you for ___."
Talk to your partner: "___, I knew on ___, when you ___."
Give the toast: "Please raise your glasses. To ___."

Keep each thank-you to a line or two, and spend the time you save on beat 5. One moment says more about your partner than a list of their best qualities. In example 1, it's a picnic eaten in a parked car. To learn the beats and rehearse them, see how to practice your wedding speech. For the speeches that may come before yours, see the best man, maid of honor and father of the bride speech examples.

5 groom speech examples

The names and stories are made up. The longest is under 200 words, which takes under two minutes out loud. If you're marrying a man, change the names and pronouns. The beats stay the same, and example 2 is written for two grooms.

1. To your bride, at the reception

Thank-yous first, then one story, then the toast. It opens on the best man, Mike. If you follow the bride's dad instead, thank him for his speech.

Thank you, Mike. I'll get you back at your wedding.

Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for being here, and a special thank-you to everyone who traveled. Aunt Clare drove nine hours from Ohio with a cake on the back seat, and the cake made it.

Tom and Linda, thank you for this beautiful day and for welcoming me from our very first dinner. Mom and Dad, thank you for everything that got me here. And to our wedding party, thank you for a whole year of favors.

Jess, I knew on our fourth date. I'd planned a picnic, and it poured. I was ready to call it off, and you said, "We have a car." We ate the whole picnic in the front seat with the wipers going, and you laughed the entire time.

That's you. When a plan falls apart, you make a better one. I'm lucky I get to ride along for the rest of it.

Please raise your glasses. To my wife, Jess.

2. Short and sweet

Under 80 words, less than a minute with pauses. It suits a night with a lot of speeches, or a couple who would rather get to the dancing.

Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming, and thank you to both our families for making today happen.

Daniel, on our first trip together, I got us lost in Lisbon for three hours. You never once asked for the map. You just said, "Good. Now we'll find somewhere nobody else goes." We did.

I'd follow you anywhere, map or no map.

Please raise your glasses. To my husband, Daniel.

3. Funny

If the best man speaks before you, open by answering his story. In this one, it was about a goat. If he speaks after you, open with a joke about yourself.

Thank you, Ben. For the record, I was nineteen, and the goat started it.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Chris. I'll keep this short, because Megan has written my end time on her hand.

Thank you all for coming. Rob and Karen, thank you for welcoming me into the family. You kept inviting me after my first Thanksgiving with you, when I set an oven mitt on fire. Mom and Dad, thank you for everything, and sorry again about the goat.

Megan and I met at a trivia night. Her team won. Mine came last, and I'd named it The Smart Ones. She came over to say good game. I panicked and said, "You too."

Megan, you're the smartest person I know, and you still married the captain of The Smart Ones. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve that.

Please raise your glasses. To my wife, Megan.

Every joke lands on Chris. Megan gets only kind lines, and the speech turns sincere before the toast. Ask the best man ahead of time which story he's telling, so you have an answer ready.

4. At the rehearsal dinner

If your parents are hosting, one of them usually speaks first. You can close with a few words of thanks and a toast to your wedding party.

Thanks, Dad. And thank you, Mom and Dad, for tonight.

I'll keep this short. I'm told I have a bigger speech tomorrow.

To everyone who traveled, thank you. Half of this room got on a plane to be here, and Sam's cousins drove all the way from Toronto.

To our wedding party: you've given up your weekends for a year. Last Saturday you tied ribbons onto two hundred jars and didn't complain once. Out loud.

Tomorrow I get to marry Sam in front of all of you. Tonight I just want to say thank you for getting us here.

Please raise your glasses. To our wedding party.

5. Together, as a couple

Split the beats so each of you thanks your own family and talks about the other. Rehearse the handoffs out loud, together.

Alex: Good evening, everyone. I'm Alex.

Priya: And I'm Priya. We'll keep this short, because the band starts at nine.

Alex: Thank you all for being here. Priya's grandmother flew in from Chennai, so she wins the prize for distance.

Priya: Mom and Dad, thank you for making today happen. Steve and Ann, thank you for raising a man who still writes thank-you notes.

Alex: Mom and Dad, thank you for welcoming Priya from day one. And to our wedding party, thank you for getting us through this year.

Priya: Alex, you've made me laugh every day since we met. That includes the day you built a bookshelf without the instructions.

Alex: It's still standing. Priya, you're the person I want next to me on every hard day, and on every good one.

Priya: Please raise your glasses.

Both: To all of you.

Does the groom give a speech?

He doesn't have to. Zola lists the usual toasts at a reception: a welcome from the parents, a blessing, then the best man and the maid of honor (Zola on who gives speeches at weddings). After those, some couples give a toast of their own to thank everyone. Zola calls it a modern practice, more common in some cultures than others, and suggests the groom can also toast his partner on his own.

At the rehearsal dinner, Zola says some couples say a few words of thanks and give a toast to their wedding party. At a traditional British wedding, the groom's speech is expected. Confetti, a British wedding site, calls it his biggest duty of the day after getting married (Confetti's guide to the groom's speech).

When does the groom give his speech?

In Zola's order, the couple's toast comes after the best man and the maid of honor. In Britain the traditional order is the father of the bride, then the groom, then the best man (Confetti on the order of wedding speeches). Confetti adds that more couples now hold the speeches before the meal, so they can relax and enjoy it.

Wherever you speak, give the order to your planner or DJ. A week or so before, ask the other speakers which stories they're telling, so nobody tells the same one twice.

How long should a groom speech be?

Ask your partner and your planner how long you have. Confetti says to keep the groom's speech to no more than ten minutes. You'll rarely need that long, since every example above runs under two. In Zola's guide to rehearsal dinner speeches, a professional speechwriter says all the speeches together shouldn't go past 20 minutes (Zola on rehearsal dinner speeches).

Time yours by standing up and saying it out loud, so the count includes your pauses. If it runs long, shorten the thank-yous before you touch the story.

Who to thank in a groom speech

Confetti lists who a British groom traditionally thanks: the father of the bride for his speech, the guests, both sets of parents and the wedding party. He also leads a toast to the bridesmaids, unless the bride gives that toast in her own speech. He may thank the venue and the other suppliers too. A simple order to follow:

Whoever spoke just before you, if anyone did.
The guests, and anyone who traveled a long way.
Your partner's parents, for welcoming you and for anything they hosted.
Your own parents.
The wedding party, and anyone who helped on the day, like the officiant or a reader.
Your partner, last, just before the toast.

Thank people in groups and name only a few. The venue staff and the other suppliers can share one line.

What to leave out

Exes, yours or your partner's.
Wedding night and honeymoon jokes. Your grandparents are listening.
Jokes at your partner's expense. Aim them at yourself, or answer the best man.
What anything cost.
Inside jokes. If most of the room would need the backstory, cut it.
A second set of vows. The big promises belong in the ceremony.
Someone who has died, unless you and your partner have agreed how to mention them.

How to give it

Learn your opening line and the toast by heart, and keep the beats on a card for the rest. How to memorize a speech has a method.
Use a paper card. A phone can lock itself or light up with a text halfway through your story.
Keep the microphone in front of your mouth when you turn to your partner. If it stays where it was, nobody hears your best line.
Look at your partner while you talk to them, and at the room for the thank-yous.
Wait for each laugh to finish before your next line.
Go easy at the bar until you've spoken.
If your voice catches, stop and take a breath. Then start the next beat.
For the toast, lift your glass, end on whoever you're toasting and stop talking.

For a day-by-day rehearsal plan, see how to practice your wedding speech. If your voice shakes when you're nervous, see how to stop your voice from shaking.

Rehearse your speech with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing a groom speech. Say it out loud one chunk at a time, like the thank-yous, the story or the toast. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, so end each chunk where you'd wait for a laugh. You hear the take played back, then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

To see whether you rush the thank-yous, open Voice Cam on the home screen and record them. Each recording runs up to a minute, with the camera or audio only. As you talk, it shows an estimate of your pace in words per minute, along with your pitch, volume and pauses. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, the app needs Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

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FAQ

Does the groom have to give a speech?

No. At an American wedding, a toast from the couple is optional. At a traditional British wedding, the groom's speech is expected, and it follows the father of the bride's.

When does the groom give his speech?

In Zola's order, after the best man and the maid of honor. In Britain, traditionally after the father of the bride and before the best man. Ask your planner where you fit.

How long should a groom speech be?

Confetti says no more than ten minutes, and each example above takes under two. Time yours by saying it out loud.

What should a groom say in his speech?

Thank whoever spoke before you, if anyone did, then the guests, both families and the wedding party. Tell one story about your partner and give the toast. The template above has a line for each.

Who does the groom thank in his speech?

The guests, both sets of parents, the wedding party and anyone who helped on the day. Save your partner for last, right before the toast.

What should the groom say to his bride?

Tell her about the moment you knew, and what it showed you about her. Example 1 above shows one way.

Does the groom toast the bridesmaids?

At a traditional British wedding, he thanks them and leads a toast to them. Confetti notes that the bride can give that toast in her own speech instead. At an American wedding, you can thank the whole wedding party and save the toast for your partner.

Can the bride and groom give a speech together?

Yes. Split the beats so each of you thanks your own family, and rehearse the handoffs out loud. Example 5 above shows one way.

How do you start a groom speech?

Thank whoever spoke before you, if anyone did, then thank everyone for coming. If the best man spoke before you, a light answer to his speech can get your first laugh. For more ways in, see how to start a speech.

How do you end a groom speech?

Ask everyone to raise a glass, then name whoever you're toasting and stop talking. At the reception that's usually your partner, as in example 1. How to end a speech has more on toasts.

Can a groom speech be funny?

Yes. Aim the jokes at yourself and wait for each laugh to finish. Then give one sincere line about your partner just before the toast.

More practice guides

Updated November 2, 2026.