Mother of the Groom Speech

Mother of the groom speeches are not very common at receptions, but you never know when you might be called upon to say a few words. Perhaps the father of the groom is unable or unwilling to speak for some reason, and so you as the mother of the groom have been called upon to speak instead. Below, you will find some tips as to how to write an effective mother of the groom speech for your son's marriage.

First off, begin by thanking everyone for having traveled to attend the wedding. Keep in mind that many of the guests might have traveled a long distance to get there that day.

It is good etiquette to begin by thanking them, and thanking anyone else who might have worked towards making the occasion a successful one.

If you were personally involved with hosting the wedding celebration, this is the time to let everyone know who you are. This is why it is also important to introduce yourself in the beginning of the mother of the groom speech to let everyone know what your relationship to the groom and bride is. Most people will probably already know who you are, but there is a good chance that not everyone will.

It is a fine idea to keep your speech short and sweet to say, five minutes maximum. If you are a skilled public speaker, then you might want to go on for a bit longer, but not too long as you do not want to bore your wedding guests or take the focus off the groom. Remember, your job this day is to put the focus on your son and not upon yourself.

It is okay to allow emotion to enter in to your mother of the groom speech. After all, this can be quite touching because it is your "little boy" who you are giving away on this very special day. But, be sure to balance your emotions with humor, where and when appropriate.

You can say something about how happy you are that you and your husband will finally have the house to yourselves, for example. Be sure it is clear that you are joking, as you do not want to offend anyone, especially your son and his new bride.

In the mother of the groom speech, you'll want to say a few words about your son's personality, traits and talents. Talk about his relationship with his other siblings, if he has any. Also, talk about your new daughter-in-law and how happy you (and your husband) are that she has become a part of the family.

You might also wish to say a few words of welcome to the bride's mother and father, toasting them and letting them know how happy you are to welcome them to the family. In fact, this can be a good way of bringing your speech to a close.

In order to make sure your speech is successful, you should write it out beforehand and practice it several times, to avoid giving a stale delivery. Also, as tempting as it is at such celebrations, do not overdo it on the alcohol beforehand. You do not want to say something you will regret which will be caught on tape and played over and again for years to come. Youtube is no place for a drunken mother of the groom speech!