- The
wedding book of calm practical suggestions on each page
to help you deal with nerves
- Speeches
features a selection of useful tips on preparing and delivering
a memorable wedding speech. With sample speeches and advice
for the bride, bride's father, groom and best man
- How to write a wedding speech provides foundations for the father of the bride, groom, best man, bride and bridesmaids to create personalised speeches for their special occasions.
Few people are practised in the art of public speaking so the thought
of getting up in front of a wedding reception and sounding good is
pretty intimidating. Don't panic, we have all the advice you need
to prepare for making your speech.
Traditionally, the toastmaster or master of ceremonies will introduce
the speeches at the end of the meal. The formal order of speakers
is:
But if the bride, chief
bridesmaid or guests want to speak then that's great, too!
Another good idea is to have the speeches BEFORE the dinner so that
everyone can enjoy their meals without nervously waiting to speak,
and you also limit the chance of too much alcohol being drunk by terrified
best men.
- Firstly, don't panic. A little careful planning will help you
deliver a speech to be proud of.
- If you can, visit the reception venue to get an idea of where
you will be standing and the size of the room.
- You will need to project your voice so practice speaking out
loud.
- How formal is the wedding? Are you expected to say a few words
and then propose a toast or speak for a long time?
- Is the reception going to have a theme that you could refer
to or even incorporate into your speech?
- Are you responsible for presenting gifts to members of the party?
- Find out a little about the guests and if there are any subjects
you should avoid.
- How many guests are there? As a general rule, the more people
present, the more formal the speech.
Here is a brief outline of who says what. For more details and for
sample speeches, check out the links to individual articles:
Father of the Bride or Friend of the Family
- Thanks the guests for coming and sharing in the special day.
- Thanks everyone who contributed to the cost of the wedding.
- Compliments and praises his daughter and welcomes her new husband
into the family.
- Toasts the bride and groom.
Bridegroom
- Thanks the father of the bride for his toast.
- Thanks the guests for attending and for their gifts.
- Thanks both sets of parents.
- Compliments his bride.
- Thanks his best man.
- Thanks and toasts the bridesmaids.
Best Man
- Thanks the groom for his toast to the bridesmaids.
- Comments on the bride and particularly the groom.
- Reads any messages from absent friends.
- Toasts the bride and groom.
Bride
- Thanks the guests for coming.
- Thanks her parents and bridesmaids.
- Compliments the groom.
- Proposes a toast.
Chief Bridesmaid
- Thanks the bride
- Compliments the ushers
- Proposes a toast
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