Sample Groomsmen Speeches: Templates, Examples, and Tips for Every Role

A groomsmen speech is a toast given by a member of the wedding party who isn't the best man, sometimes solo, sometimes as part of a short group segment where two or three groomsmen each say a few words before passing the microphone along. It shows up in a handful of common situations: the groom has two close friends he considers equally important and wants both to speak, the best man is more comfortable emceeing than giving a full toast and hands part of it off, or a sibling who isn't the best man still wants to say something without turning it into a second full speech.

Unlike the best man slot, there's no assumption that a groomsman is expected to speak, so if you've been asked, it's usually because the groom specifically wants to hear from you, not because tradition requires it. That changes the tone you're aiming for. Sample groomsmen speeches worth building from tend to be shorter and more personal than a best man speech, closer to a warm, specific toast than a full narrated history of the friendship.

The rest of this guide walks through exactly how a groomsman speech differs from a best man speech, a template you can fill in for either a solo or group version, two full example scripts, and the handful of mistakes that show up most often when a groomsman gets handed the microphone for the first time.

The best man speech is the anchor of the reception's toast segment, usually the longest one, often paired with emcee duties like introducing the next speaker or announcing the first dance. A groomsman speech carries none of that weight. It's typically shorter, sixty to ninety seconds rather than three to five minutes, and it doesn't need to cover the full arc of the friendship or formally welcome the guests, since the best man or officiant has usually already done that.

The content is different too. A best man speech is expected to include a direct message to both the couple and a formal toast at the end. A groomsmen speech has more room to be a single, tight story with a lighter emotional close, sometimes without a formal "raise your glass" line at all if the best man is handling the official toast right after. If you're giving a group version alongside other groomsmen, the expectation shifts again, each person typically covers one short story or one specific trait, and the group avoids repeating the same angle on the groom that someone before them already used.

Knowing which version you're giving matters before you write a word. A solo groomsman speech that runs long starts competing with the best man's toast for the emotional high point of the night, while a group toast that isn't coordinated in advance often ends up with three people telling variations of the same story.

Because a groomsman speech is shorter than a best man speech, the shape is tighter too. Fill in the brackets below for a solo version that runs close to a minute.

Reading full sample groomsmen speeches end to end shows how much the template above can carry once it's filled in, for both a solo groomsman and a group version split between three people.

A group groomsmen toast falls apart fastest when nobody coordinates in advance and two people accidentally tell the same story or hit the same angle on the groom. A quick planning conversation, even a five-minute group text, solves most of it.

A handful of mistakes show up repeatedly when a groomsman who isn't the best man gets handed the microphone, and most of them come from borrowing best man speech habits that don't fit the shorter slot.

Every one of the sample groomsmen speeches in this guide only works if the delivery matches the writing, and a short speech is actually easier to rush through nervously than a long one, since there's less room to recover if you lose the pace early.

SayNow AI's public speaking practice scenario lets you rehearse your groomsman speech and get feedback on pacing before the reception. If you're giving a group toast and worried about a smooth handoff, the impromptu speaking scenario helps you build the kind of quick recovery skills that keep a joint toast feeling natural, and the self-introduction scenario is a fast way to nail the opening line before you get to the story.

Whether you're adapting the solo example above, splitting a joint toast between two or three groomsmen, or just filling in the template with your own story, the shape stays simple: one quick introduction, one specific memory, one line about the couple, and a warm close. Read it out loud a few times before the wedding, and it'll sound like you instead of a script by the time you're standing at the microphone.