On behalf of my wife and I, we'd like to thank you all for coming here today and sharing our special day with us. There are times when it's good to be surrounded by people who are important to you, and for us this is one of those occasions. We hope that you're enjoying it every bit as much as we are and we'd like to thank you for your kind wishes cards, presents and support.
We must say we've been really impressed by the number of people that have rallied round to help us in preparation for today, if you're not mentioned by name and that's most of you, please be assured that Nell and I are very grateful. David and Nora, thank you not only for your hospitality this evening and your kindness, but for also giving me your very beautiful daughter. I promise I'll take good care of her and of course do everything she tells me to, even if it involves golf!
I must confess I did actually try it a while ago, and during one lesson with the local pro I asked him whether he had seen any improvement since my last lesson. And he said "er… yup, that's a much better haircut". So Nora, we have a present here for you.
I also want to say thank you to my parents who put up with me for all these years, you have both been there for me when I've needed you and given me a wonderful start in life and I'm very fortunate and proud to have you as my mum and dad. I've a present for you here Mum, as a thank you. I can imagine that Rupert, my best man is getting impatient to make his speech soon.
Now many people don't know that Rupert suffers from a rare medical condition which causes him to invent fanciful stories. He really does believe these stories to be true and I thank you for humouring him during his speech. I am absolutely delighted to be able stand here today with Nell, I never knew what was missing in my life before I met her.
Nell has been a source of friendship, support and love. Of course I've no doubt that she is going to tell me afterwards that the only thing missing in my life at the moment is golf, although I am still waiting for her to explain the attraction to a game that consists of a lot of walking, broken up by disappointment and bad arithmetic. And finally, the bridesmaids, thanks for calming Nell nerves and helping in her preparation today.
I'd also like thank you for getting her to the church in one piece and on time, you've done a brilliant job. We have a small gift for each of you as a token of our appreciation. Well, that's it from me for now, but, before I pass you over to my best man, Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand and lift your glasses and join me in a toast to bridesmaids.
This speech balances light moments with real emotion. It doesn't try too hard to be funny or too earnest to be heavy. That balance is what keeps an audience engaged from start to finish.
At 510 words (roughly 3.9 minutes), it's well within the ideal range — long enough to say something meaningful, short enough to keep the room engaged.
If you're not sure how to start your own version, it's often easier to talk your speech out first and shape it into a structured version. You can also explore our guide to writing a wedding speech for a step-by-step approach.
Talk through your stories and let Nail The Speech turn them into a groom speech that sounds like you.
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