While there might be a lot of attention on the Best Man’s speech during a wedding reception, the speech that really counts from the groom’s side is from the groom himself. There are weddings where the groom forgets completely to make a speech of his own, which in most industry circles, is a huge no-no. If you are a groom, check out our top rules for your speech. If you happen to be a bride, you might want to forward this article to your husband-to-be because you never know if this is one of those small details he might forget about!

Tip One: Thank Everybody First

While you will want to talk about your new wife, or perhaps how great your groomsmen are, you should always lead off by thanking everyone for showing up. Remember that people often get many wedding invitations throughout the year and also make plans, but they decided to come to your wedding, get you and your wife a gift, and enjoy in your big day, so be sure to thank them. Make sure they know how much you appreciate their attendance, and how their friendship and love mean so much to you both.

Tip Two: Don’t Get Hammered

When people drink, they say really stupid stuff. That’s a fact of nature. While we do not recommend drinking at all during your wedding or the reception, in order to maximize the amount of fun you will have, if you decide to partake in a few rounds, know your limits. The last thing you want to do is get up in front of a bunch people and make a fool of yourself on the biggest day of you and your wife’s life. Slurred speech, cursing, and inappropriate topics are just some of the dangers that alcohol could present during your speech. Making a mistake of that magnitude is something everyone will remind you about for the rest of your life!

Tip Three: Pace Yourself

Many people are nervous speaking to crowds, so grooms should first reflect that feeling nervous or anxious is perfectly normal and that everyone feels those emotions. To combat this, many people get through their speech absolutely as quickly as possible by speaking at a virtual hundred words per second. Slow down! Let the words come to you! A well paced speech comes off as extremely sincere and heartfelt. These are the emotions you want to convey when giving your speech. If you hurry through it, the speech certainly won’t have the impact you hope it will.

Tip Four: Practice

While you do not want to sound rehearsed, grooms should practice their speech. This way they can hear things out loud and immediately know if it’s a good topic and comes across the way they want it to, rather than “winging it” which is what an amateur would do. The best speeches never sound rehearsed but actually are very much so, because good public speakers use pacing and intonation of certain words to convey sincerity. Don’t be afraid to take one of your groomsmen and bounce the speech off of them and ask for input. That way, you have your bases covered in case your missed something.

Tip Five: Be Sure To Complement Your New Wife At Least A Dozen Times

While you might thank everyone for coming first, you must thank your new bride at least a dozen times. Okay, maybe not that many, but be sure to thank her at least three times as much as anyone else. She deserves it! Most brides do the majority of the planning and deserve all the credit in the world for pulling off such a great event. Plus, it’ll make you look great in front of everyone since you are so honest in sharing your love with everyone (you better be!). Finally, be sure to close by thanking your new wife and telling her just how perfect she is because the entire day, remember, is all about you two and your new bond of love.