The SPEECHES

Traditional Running Order

Father of the bride

Traditionally, the father of the bride speaks first, often before dinner. He welcomes the guests, including the groom’s family, thanks everyone for coming, talks about his daughter and her new husband and toasts the happy couple.

The groom

The groom follows, often after dinner. He responds to the father of the bride’s toast, thanks the hosts and everyone else who has helped with planning the wedding, says something about his new wife and toasts the bridesmaids.

The best man

The best man then responds to the groom’s toast. Traditionally he should talk about the groom, how he knows him, mention the bride and throw in a few embarrassing stories that will get a laugh.

So when the groom is planning and writing his speech, he may want to consider:

• Who is speaking immediately before you? It might be the master of ceremonies, your father-in-law, or your bride.
• How will they finish their speech? This will help you plan your own introduction, by referencing what they’ve just said.
• Will they introduce you? Again, you’ll need to reference this at the beginning of your speech.
• What sort of tone will they use? You don’t want to drastically change the tone.
• How long will it be after their speech before you stand up?
• What will they be talking about?

Once the groom has found out the answers to these questions, he can shape his speech around them. For example, if the bride’s father has passed away, he can use that as a link to a toast to absent friends.

If the bride is speaking after the groom, he could joke about her always having the last word. If the best man is speaking before the groom, it might be better for him toast the bridesmaids instead.

Occasionally, the content of wedding speeches can overlap. To avoid a disaster like this on your big day, the groom should check first with the father of the bride and best man and make sure they’re not intending to tell any of the same anecdotes.

There are lots of possibilities – have fun with them! Just make sure you know your place in the running order and everything will run smoothly.