Wedding speech opening lines that settle the room immediately.
Nine proven opening lines across every wedding speech role — best man, maid of honour, father of the bride, and groom. With five tips on what makes them work and how to make them yours.
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The opening line of a wedding speech is the hardest sentence to write and the most important to get right. Land it well and the room trusts you from the first breath. These examples cover every role and every tone — so you can find the version that fits your voice before you generate your full speech with Speech Smith.
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A short sample — your speech will be personalised to your stories and people.
Best man opening lines: 1. "Good evening. I've been told to keep this under five minutes. I've also been asked not to mention the stag do, the Spain incident, or anyone called Greg. So I'll do my best." 2. "My name is Tom. I've been Jake's best man for six months and his friend for fourteen years — which means I know every story worth telling and every reason not to. Tonight I've decided to ignore the second list." 3. "Good evening everyone. Before I begin, I want to say that everything I'm about to say is true. Some of it I wish weren't." --- Maid of honour opening lines: 4. "I'm Kate — Emma's maid of honour, and the person who has received voice notes about this wedding for approximately fourteen months. I am ready." 5. "My name is Zoe. Rachel and I have been friends for seventeen years, which means I have enough material for a three-hour speech. I have been persuaded to do five minutes. Under formal protest." --- Father of the bride opening lines: 6. "Good evening. I've been writing this speech since approximately 2019. I'm still not ready." 7. "I was given two pieces of advice about this speech: keep it short, and don't cry. I intend to achieve one out of two." --- Groom opening lines: 8. "Good evening. I had this completely prepared until about twenty minutes ago when I looked at Hannah and forgot everything I'd planned to say. So. Here we are." 9. "Right. I'm James — the groom. I know most of you know that already, but my mum asked me to say my name clearly, and I have never not done what my mum asked."
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What makes this speech work
Every detail you share becomes part of your speech. Here's what to think about.
Open with a voice, not an introduction
Your first sentence should sound like you — specific, confident, and with a hint of what's coming. Don't waste it on 'Good evening, for those who don't know me, my name is...' That's throat-clearing. The room doesn't need it.
Self-deprecation is the safest and most reliable tool
An opening that gently mocks yourself — your nerves, your preparation, your relationship to the task — immediately makes the room sympathetic. You're not trying to be a comedian. You're showing them you're a real person.
Hint at material without revealing it
The best opening lines suggest there is more to come — without giving it away. 'I know every story worth telling and every reason not to.' The room is now invested in finding out which list you used.
Use understatement — it's distinctly British and consistently effective
Saying less than the situation warrants is a comedy technique that lands reliably with British audiences. 'I'll try to get two out of three' implies the third thing without saying it, and lets the audience fill in the gap.
Make it yours — adapt rather than copy
Any opening line from a list is a starting point. The version that works best is the one built from your actual situation: your real relationship with the speaker's target, your real story, your real anxiety. One true detail transforms a borrowed line into something genuine.
Frequently asked questions
A great opening line does three things at once: it gets the room on your side, it establishes your relationship with the person you're speaking about, and it signals the tone of what's coming. Self-deprecation, understatement, and well-timed misdirection all work consistently across every speech type.
Not necessarily a joke — but something with a punchline or a surprise works well. The key is landing something in the first 30 seconds that makes the room exhale and settle. It doesn't have to be comedy. It just has to be surprising, warm, or honest in an unexpected way.
Yes. Avoid: 'For those who don't know me...' (everybody knows you're about to introduce yourself), 'I'll try to keep this brief' (signals you're already worried about losing the room), and 'I've been asked to say a few words' (everybody already knows this). Start with something that creates engagement, not context.
Yes — every speech generated by Speech Smith includes a personalised opening built from your actual material. You also receive three optional one-liners you can drop anywhere in the speech, including right at the start.
The opening is just the first 30 to 60 seconds — one or two lines that settle the room and establish you. Don't extend it. Once you've landed the opener, move directly into your first story or your first point. The worst thing you can do after a strong first line is follow it with three more setup sentences.
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