Groom Toast and Speech Test Runs
Saturday, April 3rd, 2010You finished your first version of your groom toast and speech. You have a good feeling, but there are a few things you are still unsure about. So what to do next? One possibility is to just continue to work on your speech and make revisions. The problem is you have no idea really if any change is useful to improve your speech. You could give your speech to a friend and get feedback that will hopefully help you to improve your speech. And then start the whole process all over again.
But do not worry, there is another even better way!
Have a speech test run. Invite one or two friends. Consider to invite the best friend of your bride as well. A close friend of her could provide valuable feedback! You could also consider inviting someone of her parents. There are different opinions about if it is a good idea to invite your bride as well. Since the whole groom speech is about you and her it sounds like a good idea. But people do not want to spoil everything and keep a few surprises. I think there is no right or wrong. Trust your instincts on that. I did invite my wife to the speech test run and she enjoyed it.
For a successful speech test run it is important to set a few ground rules. Let everyone know the purpose of the speech test run. Tell them to not interrupt the groom speech and not give feedback every time they feel the need to. Ask them to let you finish it and then discuss the groom wedding toast and speech all together. If your bride will be present too, place her next to you and the rest of the audience in front of you. By doing so you can practice the speech itself but also your interaction with the audience as I mention in another post.
It is time to begin!
Start with your groom toast. When you greet someone turn to them as they would be there. Continue with your groom speech. Pay attention to the reactions especially when you use passages that are meant to be funny. If you notice any reaction you do not understand make a mental note. The best way to get feedback is to ask actively questions. So try not to be shy later. During the discussion make notes! Write everything down even if you do not agree right away. It might give you useful insights later when you go over it again!
So the speech test run is over and you got valuable information. What now? First thing you will do is putting everything away at least for two days. Give yourself time to relax. Try not to think about your speech. Do something else. Put your mind at ease. That is important to be able looking at everything from a different angle later. Then grab your groom wedding speech and the feedback and go through it. Make adjustments. If you are not convinced of something, do NOT change it. Never forget it is your groom speech and it should reflect your character and no one else.
Hi there. My name is Justin and when i got married to my beautiful wife Alaria i had to held my own wedding speech. The whole process give me a hard time. Luckily for you i will use this page to write down my experiences. I honestly hope it will help you to have a much easier time.