Wedding Speech Tips
You have come to the right place if you want tips for writing wedding speeches that are creative and fun.
If the couple has asked you to give a speech at their wedding, then you, my friend, are considered a good friend.
There’s something beautiful about being asked to give a speech at the wedding of someone close to you.
It’s thrilling, it’s exciting, and it can be overwhelming for some.
If you know you are attending a wedding soon, and the couple has graciously asked you to say a few words on their big day, it’s only suitable to be prepared as much as possible.
And if you have never given a speech, let alone a wedding speech, you will want to plan what you say as early as possible.
Whether you are doing a wedding speech for a friend or a bridesmaid writing a wedding speech for the bride, we are here to help you.
Public speaking is not for everyone.
And neither is speech writing.
Being as prepared as possible for your wedding speech is essential, especially if the couple has personally asked you to speak.
Writing wedding speeches is a job that people do for a living.
That’s how difficult people sometimes find them.
If you take your time and start early, you can ultimately come up with the best wedding toast for the couple, especially if you follow our wedding speech tips below.
Writing sentimental wedding speeches.
When two loving people decide to spend the rest of their lives together, their wedding day is a special occasion worth celebrating and showering with praise and well wishes.
If you are here looking for tips for writing wedding speeches so you can convey your love for the couple and easily express your best wishes, we have your back.
Finding the right words of congratulations to the new couple can sometimes be challenging.
Most people never know quite what to say when writing wedding speeches.
Your wedding speech or toast should aim to wish the new couple health and luck in their union.
Where do you begin working on something as important and unique as a wedding speech?
We outlined a few essential tips for writing the perfect wedding speeches.
Follow these simple ideas to ensure your speech hits right when the big day rolls around!
So what do you say in a wedding speech?
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What to write in your wedding speech
Your wedding speech must be sweet, sentimental, and addressed to the couple.
Whether you address one or both, it’s best to customize it to suit the couple or individual.
Don’t generalize it.
The couple will truly appreciate it if you took the time to come up with an excellent wedding speech, and it’s a great way for them to look back and watch what you said about them and the day, especially if they have a videographer.
Lucky for you, we have a few wedding speech ideas and tips for you to use when you are ready to write your toast of congratulations to the newly married couple.
We are going to focus on the following:
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Unique wedding speech ideas
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What to write in your wedding speech
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Examples of great speeches for weddings
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Fun ideas for a wedding speech
Whatever you are having difficulties with, we hope to help you with all your needs.
It doesn’t matter whether you are family, close friends, or part of the wedding party, we have great ideas for a wedding speech that will leave the couple feeling appreciated.
You don’t need to over-complicate your speech; just follow our ideas below.
How To Write Wedding Speeches
Now we will go into a few details on how to write a wedding speech.
Grab a pen and paper, and let’s write a speech.
1. Quick Details
Start writing your wedding speech by outlining your main ideas and writing down a few details of what you think you may want to say.
There are some details that every wedding speech needs to include: who you are, how you know the couple, and who you’d like to thank.
This doesn’t have to be funny or lengthy.
Just about who you are, how you know everyone, and how honoured you are to be at the event.
Most speeches take place at the wedding reception, and if you didn’t make the rounds during the cocktail hour, then be sure to introduce yourself.
The guests will want to know who you are and your relationship with the couple.
Keep it short but say something sentimental.
Similarly, there’s no need to spend much time giving thanks to everyone involved.
No one saves money at the wedding by giving extra thanks to the caterer.
Usually, the bride or groom will handle necessary acknowledgments with a wedding program.
Keep all your thanks short, and move on to the next part of the wedding speech.
2. Focus on Two Traits of the Couple
Thinking about two traits is an excellent way to decide what should be included in your speech.
Think about two things you love about the bridge (or groom) as well as two traits that you enjoy about them as a couple.
It’s ok to focus on the person you are closer to, but it’s best to talk about both individuals and what they bring to the table as a couple.
Think of two positive features that stand out to you about those getting married, and paint a picture of what that looks like for everyone at the wedding.
For example, let’s say that you’re the best man at the wedding.
You know your best friend and his future spouse to be inviting and caring.
During the speech, you tell a story about the first time you met your best friend’s spouse, and she made sure to have your favourite coffee creamer on hand.
3. Plan the Arc (Beginning, Middle, End)
Once you know what you want to talk about, break it down into pieces: beginning, middle, and end.
The flow of a speech needs to be even.
It should keep moving, and the audience should be able to follow along clearly.
Make sure you know what points to hit and when so that no one is confused by your speech.
Structure the speech to talk about those positive traits in a clear, orderly way.
Share one or two great stories focussing on the couple.
Go step by step in chronological order.
4. Stay True to Yourself
A lot of advice columns say that you should crack a lot of jokes for fun, entertaining atmosphere when giving a wedding speech.
Instead, it’s better to focus on being yourself.
Don’t force humour if it’s not your thing.
There are people out there that are just naturally funny.
I am just not that person.
And if you are not a comedian at heart, stay true to yourself.
Sweet, sentimental speeches are just as excellent as those that make you laugh hysterically.
Express yourself as you naturally do when giving your wedding speech.
It will show that your feelings come from the heart.
Writing wedding speeches from the heart will mean so much more.
5. Limit Your Love
As valuable as your love is for the couple, that value isn’t shown in the length of your speech!
Keep things short and straightforward.
The best wedding speeches are between two minutes and five minutes long.
If they run longer than five minutes, people will lose focus and might even start snacking on their favours!
Focus on your details and keep things succinct.
Be sure to offer a unique insight into your friend or loved one’s life and what has brought them to where they are today.
To wrap up your speech, signal its ending (in under five minutes) with a toast of the couple’s favourite signature drink.
6. Plan Early and Rehearse
Finally, don’t forget to plan ahead of time.
Procrastinating is just going to make the speech more stressful.
Write up a copy soon – you can always change it.
If you are typically anxious, practise your wedding speech as much as possible.
Talk to yourself in the shower, imagining what you might say.
Once you have your speech plotted, make sure that you rehearse. It’s not easy to speak publicly, and you don’t want to be exceedingly anxious on the big day.
Ask friends or family if you can practice aloud for them.
The speech doesn’t need to be perfect, but practice will help you perform better!
Photographer source: Hugo Coelho Photography
Things to skip from your wedding speech
Your wedding speech should be as positive and loving as possible.
Don’t embarrass yourself or the newlywed by talking about specific topics that are just not it.
If you are ever unsure, please check with the couple.
Don’t talk about past relationships the couple might have been, whether good or bad.
Whether it’s a previous marriage or the death of one of their spouses, please don’t talk about it.
Just don’t do it.
It’s not the place nor the time for it.
If possible, avoid discussing addiction concerning the spouses, such as sex, drugs, alcohol or gambling.
Again, it’s not the place to do so.
Dark humour is not recommended, either.
And no sex talk.
How long should it take to write a wedding speech?
Sometimes less is more, which is what your wedding speech should be.
I know writing wedding speeches can be challenging.
But writing your wedding speech shouldn’t take long, especially if you know the couple well.
I would work on it over a few days to ensure you have the right words written down and you are sure of exactly what you will say.
But if you find yourself rambling on and on while reading your speech, you better cut it short.
So how long should a wedding speech be?
When working on a wedding, I usually tell the couple to allocate between 3 to 5 minutes per person for the speech.
Any longer, and people start to lose interest.
Unless the speech is unique and funny in a tasteful way.
Most parents tend to go on and on during their wedding speech or toast.
Please tell them not to go over 10 minutes.
Yes, I have seen wedding speeches go on for 10 minutes.
Ten minutes is a long time when there are other wedding activities to go through.
Your wedding speech should be long enough to introduce yourself to the guests, tell a short story about the bride and groom, and tell a sweet story about their love.
Wedding speech examples
Here is a generic wedding speech that you can customize.
“I have the pleasure of standing here today to honour my dear friend [name] and their beloved partner [name] on their special day. They have both been such fantastic addition to my life. They bring so much joy to those around them, and it brings me great joy to witness their love and commitment to each other.
For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is [name], and I have known the bride and groom since high school. I was completely honoured when the couple (use names) asked me to speak today. I met (the couple) when I first attended the (name school).
A short story about your time together goes here.
Tell them how you got here today.
Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in both of their lives. I wish them the best on their journey together, and I have no doubt they will have a long, happy life together.
May they always know unconditional love, joy, and peace! May their lives be filled with laughter, adventure, and blessings. May they always look to the future with hope and optimism!
Today is a day to celebrate, and I encourage all of us to revel in their happiness, congratulate them on their union, and wish them the best in all they do.
Congratulations, [name] and [name]!”
Groom wedding speech example:
And that’s all we have for writing great wedding speeches!
Wedding Speeches should be an honour for those tasked to deliver one.
I hope our tips have encouraged you to get writing something special.
Keep it short and natural, and don’t forget to include a sentimental story and share your love for the couple.
Read next:
- Ways to write heartfelt wedding wishes
- Gifts to Get A Newly Engaged Bride
- Positive affirmations for couples
- Romantic anniversary wishes for wife
- Relationship goals for marriage
- Newlywed Bucket list ideas
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