To speech or not to speech?

Question: Are you, as the bride, planning on making a speech at your wedding? I am interested to find out how many brides are planning to speech or has done so at their weddings. Tell us by leaving a comment on this post!

So onto who, traditionally, says what, about whom, when!



Master of Ceremonies:

Your MC is there to keep your guests informed as to the order of events and to introduce each speaker. Make sure your MC is someone who is comfortable with public speaking and that he/she knows exactly how you want the event to run.

Father of the Bride:

Traditionally the father of the bride is the first speech-maker and he should toast the bridal couple. His speech could include some advice to the newlywed couple, anecdotes about the bride as a young girl, and a welcome to the groom into the family.

The Groom:

The groom needs to thank everyone involved with the planning of the wedding, compliment his bride and toast the bridesmaids. He could also tell the guest a little more about how he and the bride met, thank her parents for their permission to marry the bride and thank his new father-in-law for welcoming him to the family. He should also include a tribute to his parents.

The Best Man:

The best man's job is to toast the groom, and he might want to tell a few humorous stories about the groom as a young man. He compliments the bride and wishes the newlyweds well. He could also read messages from absent family members or friends.

How to write your speech:

The most important thing to remember is to keep your speech short and sweet. There is nothing more draining than listening to someone drone on and on while your stomach is rumbling! The ideal length of a speech should be between 3 and 8 minutes - NO MORE!

Inject humour into your speech where possible, but remember to keep it clean! Your younger guests might not mind a dirty joke, but some of the older folks might be offended and you don't want them to only remember the horrible joke at your wedding. Keep jokes relevant, short and above the belt at all times!

Avoid repetition - Once the groom has thanked everyone by name, you don't have to do that again.

Don't rush through your speech. Take your time to collect your thoughts and deliver your speech clearly and allow guests to react to what you've said.

The golden rule is to speak from the heart and be sincere. And if your emotions get the better of you, don't stress - most people will find it endearing :-)

Here are a few sites that have wonderful ideas and tips on how to write the perfect speech:

HSG

Speeches.com

SpeechBuilder.com

Hitched.co.uk

PresentationHelper

Celebration.co.za

Please don't forget to tell us if you made a speech at your wedding, or if you are planning to do so! We would love to hear from you!