What are the secrets to creating and delivering the best wedding speeches? Whether you have one speech or several and whether they fall before or after dinner, follow these top tips for words that wow, whatever your speech-making experience.
1 Know your audience
Whether you’re the happy couple, best man or father of the bride will determine the tone of your speech. The best wedding speeches are those that fit the brief perfectly, which is often very personal and will vary from wedding to wedding.
Some father of the bride speeches will be fairly formal, while others are more low-key. Some best man speeches could rival stand-up comedy, while others will take a gentler approach. Keep the couple at the heart of your plans and consider what they would want. If they’re happy, everyone else will be too.
2 Take the cue
Finding the right words can be tricky. Most of us aren’t natural public speakers, so making wedding speeches can seem daunting.
The good news is that there are lots of simple ways to make your wedding speeches easier. When writing the speech, you could include quotes, funny stories and anecdotes too.
Write down some of your best memories and you’ll instantly have content to weave together to form your wedding speech. The trick is to keep the anecdotes short and sweet, rather than diving off into a 10-minute tangent. Ensure that in-jokes are balanced with tales every guest can engage with for a crowd-pleaser across the room.
3 Speak from the heart
We’ve all seen the videos of those wow-factor wedding speeches, involving guest appearances, live video or even live music. But you don’t need an all singing, all dancing extravaganza to deliver a wedding speech that is remembered.
Remember that weddings first and foremost are a celebration of a couple’s love. It’s an emotional time and giving yourself the opportunity to inject a little bit of your own feeling off-the-cuff will add winning charm to any speech. So while planning and practice will certainly calm nerves and come in handy, a sprinkle of spontaneity on the day can really add sparkle.
4 Photo bomb it!
Including pictures and video clips is an engaging way to transport all your guests back down memory lane. Some may be there to make people laugh, while others will fill the room with ‘ahhh’.
Adding a slideshow of photos also takes peoples’ eyes off you. So, if you’re feeling nervous about making wedding speeches, this is a great option for you.
5 Perfect the tech
Speakers, microphone, projector displays – these are all often included in wedding speeches.
If you are going to be using technology, make sure your wedding coordinator is aware of your plans ahead of time and that someone is responsible for ensuring everything is ready to go on the day. Be sure to double check batteries are charged too – in the last minute wedding rush, this is easily overlooked.
The very best wedding speeches will also use tech when practising. Most phones will offer a timer function these days – use it! Your wedding speech should typically fall around the five-minute mark.
Timing your speech will ensure you don’t ramble on, while also giving you the chance to become familiar with it and slow your speaking down. A 30-minute epic may not leave guests in the party mood, where as a speech that is short and sweet will strike all the right notes.
We hope these tips for the best wedding speeches come in handy for your big day. Our team of wedding experts are on-hand throughout the planning process, promising a stress-free, flawless experience for your Chalk Barn wedding. Get planning and book your show around today!
