Have you been asked to give a speech at a wedding? Or perhaps you just want to be prepared, because you plan on delivering one on your own accord.
It doesn't matter if you are the bride, the groom, the best man, the father or mother of the bride or groom, or the maid of honor; it's still a scary ordeal for anyone to have to go through.
Statistics have shown that more people are afraid of public speaking than they are of dying.
Isn’t that crazy?
Speaking in front of an audience can make you feel fearful.
And on top of that, any word that you utter cannot be taken back, especially if you say things that are offensive and disrespectful.
One of the best ways to tame your feelings of nervousness is to prepare for your wedding speech.
Preparedness naturally gives you a big confidence boost, which helps drastically with improving the delivery of the speech.
In this article, I will share 7 Tips For Giving A Wedding Speech to help you feel more comfortable, not only writing but delivering the perfect speech.
Let’s get started…
1)) Keep Your Speech Simple
When making speeches, the simpler the better, this should be easy, because you’re basically sharing great memories.
What you are asked to do on a wedding speech or toast is to tell the people something about your friends, the bride and groom, how they were meant for each other, and how you wish them happiness for the rest of their lives.
If you keep that in mind, you don't need a long-winded speech, all you need is memories and your genuine care for your loved ones.
2)) Starting Your Speech
The best way to get a wedding speech started is to thank any and everyone important to the bride and groom, and everyone who helped set up the wedding.
Depending on what your role is, you can spend quite a bit of time thanking everyone, including the bride and groom’s parents for making the wedding possible.
Telling a funny story about either the bride or groom is also a good way to get the speech going smoothly.
Make sure the funny story you tell though isn't vulgar or terribly rude and don't go spilling secrets that might hurt the marriage before it even has a chance to get started.
This is not the time to air dirty laundry to everyone in the family.
Remember, once you let the cat out of the bag, it’s hard to put it back in.
This is where you exercise some common sense.
3)) Don’t Preach
Forget the preaching, go on with those wonderful memories you have in mind. Most people give long-winded speeches because they tend to give unsolicited advice.
Please leave that to the marriage counselor or the pastor, just share the memories.
Most couples appreciate the nostalgia of a few well-chosen memories.
Find a funny or touching memory you have of the couple and share it with the room, plus a few well wishes and you're done.
The objective of your speech is to express your love for the bride and groom, guests, and whomever else you’d like to include.
4)) Keep It Short and Sweet
Go for short but effective, rather than long.
Many of us know that a long speech is very boring; you don't want to dull the night with the talks of your childhood, and your games, with your friends.
A biography is for a book, and one or two memories are for a wedding.
No matter how much the guests love the bride and groom, they also want to feast on the delicious cuisine awaiting them, because most of them in their attempt to be on time for the wedding, will not have eaten anything.
And listening to long speeches on an empty stomach isn’t ideal for most guests.
5)) Say It with a Poem
Why not write a beautiful poem? You may say that poems are old school, but that depends on your point of view.
Since a wedding is an emotional event, a poem is a perfect vehicle to provoke the emotions of not only the bride and groom but also the guests.
A well-written poem can produce some memorable watershed moments.
You may see a few tears from the strongest acting guests.
By the way, before you deliver your poem, don’t forget to introduce yourself.
For example; a simple "Michelle has been my friend since high school and I've never seen her gaga over any guy other than Andrew."
6)) Share Some Wisdom
Giving the bride and groom some advice that you've learned over the years about relationships, marriage or just generally good advice is a great way to end your speech.
If you've learned something over the many years you've lived and you feel like it would benefit the bride and or groom, then, by all means, impart your wisdom to them and the entire wedding reception.
Be certain that you don’t preach to the bride and groom.
7)) Modify a Wedding Speech Template
If at this point you still feel as though you’re not able to write a great wedding speech, I highly recommend that you use a template.
Simply modify it in your own words so that matches your unique personality and the way you speak.
Customizing a wedding template prevents you from sounding like you’re reading from a script, especially if you spend some time practicing.
Seriously, all you need to do is add your personal information about the bride and groom into the wedding speech template, and before you know it, you’ll have a memorable instant wedding speech.
Whether you're giving a father or mother of the bride or groom speech, the groom speech, the best man toast, or the maid of honor speech, there is a template for you.
You may be asking yourself, "Why should I use a wedding speech template?" The answer is simple.
Weddings are a stressful time, and by using a wedding speech template, you're freeing up time to use on all your other wedding duties.
And templates are the easiest way to guarantee that you'll give a speech that's memorable to everyone in your audience, including the bride and groom.
Conclusion
If you simply apply the 7 Tips For Giving A Wedding Speech, you should feel confident that on the wedding day, whether you're the father or mother of the bride or groom, the bride or groom, the best man, or the maid of honor, you can stand up and say "I'd like to propose a toast or speech" with self-assurance, because you’ll know that you're about to put a tear in every eye in your audience.
As I stated earlier, preparedness is the key to delivering a great wedding speech.
If you have to use a wedding template, by all means, do it!
But the main thing to remember is to relax!
It's all a bit of fun in the end and as long as you don't insult anyone or say anything vulgar and rude, everyone will think your speech was great.
Speaking at a wedding isn’t a death sentence; it’s an honor that you should see as a day of celebration for two special people making a union.
My advice is to not wait until the last minute to get prepared and just get it done.
Good luck with your wedding speech!
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