The Duties Of The Groomsmen On The Day Of The Wedding.

The Groomsmen play an important part on the day of the wedding, now while they do not have the privilege of giving the Best Man speech, they do work as an aid not only to the Bride and Groom but also to the Best Man. The Best Man will have plenty on his mind, between not wanting to lose the rings to nervously waiting to deliver his speech, so he will be very appreciative of any support on the day of the wedding so today we look at the role the Groomsmen play and how they can help the Best Man.

1. Act as ushers at the church.

Ushers should greet guests in a friendly manner, introduce themselves and bring the guests to their seats in the church. Be sure to be aware of any special seating arrangements for family members etc. Similarly when the ceremony has ended the Groomsmen should assist in assisting everyone out of the church in a polite fashion.

2. Provide directions to the venue for the wedding reception.

After the ceremony there will be people looking for the directions to the next port of call be it for the photographs or the party, either way be sure to know how to get to these locations.

3. Read the faxes /telegrams/emails that arrive for the newlyweds.

Sometimes the Best Man gets the Groomsmen to read these out though in my opinion the Best Man should do this as fake faxes and emails provide great opportunities to round off the Best Man speech with laughter.

4. Dance with the Bridesmaids.

Typically the next people to join the Bride and Groom on the dance-floor are the Groomsmen and Bridesmaids, though confirm this in advance as sometimes the newlyweds parents dance after the newlyweds themselves.

5. Help with the wedding gifts.

The Groomsmen are expected to accept gifts on behalf of the Bride and Groom and to put them in a pre-arranged secure location, often hotels will have safes in which to secure these gifts.

The fact that Groomsmen do not have as visible a role as the Best Man does not lessen their importance and you can bet privately they wish that they had the opportunity to give a speech and make fun of the Groom.

Tips For Short Best Man Speeches

The joy of a thunderous applause and standing ovation after giving a Best Man speech is a wonderful experience, the cornerstone to achieving that goal relies chiefly on the quality of the material in your speech, particularly if you are giving a short Best Man speech. The length of the speech should be no less than 3 minutes anything less will seem like a lack of effort has gone into your toast, with that in mind today we look at 4 tips that are vital for a short speech.

1.  Don’t blurt out your words.

In the rush of nerves and excitement you might be tempted to speak too quickly which may mean the wedding guests don’t fully understand what you are saying and the speech will be delivered in far too short a time.

2.  Don’t rely on one long joke or story.

As Best Man you are expected to have humor in your speech but if you are giving a short speech and you rely on one joke then you are banking on that being a hit with the guests otherwise it will tarnish your entire speech. You are better served by including 3 or 4 funny jokes throughout your speech that will not take up as much time.

3.  Don’t forget the essentials.

Just because you are giving a short speech does not exempt you from covering the essential aspects so know the format of a Best Man speech and tailor your toast accordingly.

 4.  End with an uplifting Best Man toast.

Another common mistake Best Men make when ending their speech is by saying “here’s to the Bride and Groom” rather than offering a proper fitting toast that everyone will enjoy.

A good speech not only leaves a lasting impact on those who hear it, it will remain forever in hearts of the Bride & Groom and will leave a lasting memory with you. If your Best Man speech is both short and sweet then you should look forward to an amazing day, one that you will find yourself reliving over and over again.

The Magic Of Using Props In A Best Man Speech.

As regular readers will know I am a great believer in the use of props during Best Man speeches, the right prop combined with a great Best Man speech will have the wedding guests scrambling to their feet in unison celebrating the toast. One of the great advantages of using a prop is that they lighten up speeches and if used correctly can elevate speeches to “legendary” status.

A great way for a Best Man to incorporate a prop into his speech is by announcing that the Groomsmen (mention each of them by name )have bought a gift for the Groom and have asked you to present it, this will not only have the Groom nervously waiting to see what you have in for him it also incorporates the unsuspecting Groomsmen into the joke.

If there are 3 Groomsmen then you need 3 props, one from each of them, it goes without saying that the Groomsmen should be kept in the dark on the prank until it actually takes place. Each prop should be an inexpensive item with a note attached (which you have written of course) and as you announce each gift read out what the note says. You should have a bag hidden under your table or left at reception with these “gifts” in them. For the examples below our Groomsmen are John, Jack and Joe.

Make sure the gifts are unwrapped so they are there for all to see as you unveil them, examples to consider include;

A light bulb.

Present a light bulb on behalf of “John” saying that “John thought you might need this because as you are now a married man the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off.”

A pillow.

Present a pillow on behalf of “Jack” saying “Jack is a married man himself and speaking out of experience he thinks that the many nights you will spend sleeping on the sofa will be eased with this comfortable pillow.”

A pair of shorts.

Present a pair of shorts on behalf of “Joe” and say “Joe thought this would be an appropriate gift given that you are now officially a husband and no longer get to wear the trousers in the relationship.”

Props can provide welcome comic relief for everyone so be sure to include them in your speech, using the Groomsmen as “stooges” will set the stage for a Best Man speech to remember.