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For the mother of the groom

The mother of the groom speech

This speech is becoming much more common, and there is less received wisdom about it, which is freeing once you stop looking for a template that does not exist.

Read one out loud →Takes about a minute. No account.

How long it should be

Three to five minutes. Shorter than the father of the bride, and it does not need to do any of the hosting or housekeeping work.

The shape that works

Four beats, in this order. Not a template to fill in, just the structure most speeches that land turn out to have.

  1. Him

    One story from before he was the adult in the room. Specific, and ideally slightly embarrassing in a fond way.

  2. Her, or them

    Welcome your new daughter or son in law by name, and say what you saw change in him. This is the heart of it.

  3. Something you mean

    One honest line about marriage, or about them. Skip it entirely rather than reaching for a quotation.

  4. The toast

    To the couple, by name.

The part that goes wrong

Talking about your son to the exclusion of his partner

It is the most natural thing in the world and the most commented on afterwards. A good check is counting the sentences: if your son has ten and their partner has two, rebalance before the day.

You can write a good speech and still have it come apart out loud.

Most people rehearse by reading silently, which tells you nothing about pace, and nothing about the lines you skip when you are nervous. SpeechPrep listens to you read and gives you the timing, the what you actually said versus what you wrote, and one thing to fix.

Try it on a sample speech →See pricing

Questions people actually ask

Is a mother of the groom speech traditional?

Not historically, but it is increasingly common and nobody will find it out of place. Treat the absence of tradition as permission to write something that sounds like you.

How long should it be?

Three to five minutes. Time it out loud rather than by word count.

What should I avoid?

Comparisons to previous partners, anything about grandchildren, and any joke that has an edge to it about the couple's plans. Warmth is the whole job here.

Should I speak with my husband or partner?

You can, and it works well if you genuinely rehearse the handovers. Two people who have not practised passing the microphone is the most common way a joint speech loses the room.