Wedding Speeches 101 – Ultimate Guide to a Great Wedding Speech!

How Important Are Wedding Speeches?

More than 1 in 2 wedding guests say the speeches are the most memorable part of the day.

More than 1 in 2 wedding guest admit they have seen a bad speech almost ruin a wedding day.

More than 9 in 10 wedding guests say the speeches are the main talking point after a wedding.

Checklist for Men’s Wedding Speeches

Traditionally, the 3 people who deliver a speech at a wedding are:

The father of the bride ( speaks 1^st )
The groom ( speaks 2^nd )
The best man ( speaks last )

There is an order of the speeches & a general set of rules to follow.

Father of The Bride

Proposes a toast of ‘heath & happiness’ to the bride and groom.
Thanks all of the guests for attending the wedding.
Welcomes the groom into his family.
Shares special words about his daughter with the wedding guests.

The Groom

Thanks his new father-in-law for his kind comments.
Takes the opportunity to thank his parents for their love and support.
Acknowledges all of the people who assisted with organizing the wedding and thanks everyone for coming.
Presents the mother of the brides and his mother with a bouquet of flowers.
Most importantly, the groom must say some carefully chosen words about his new wife.
Finishes with a Toast to the bridesmaids, congratulates theme and gives them a small gifs as a token of appreciation.

The Best Man

Acts as the Mc introducing the other 2 speakers initially.
Speaks about how fantastic the wedding day has been so far.
Thanks everybody involved in the planning process, not forgetting the wedding venue and staff.
Comments on how well the brides and groom both look.
Compliments the bridesmaids.
Reads out any well wishes from guests who could not attend
Entertains guests with humorous and witty stories from the groom’s past.*
End with a toast to the happy couple.

*What to avoid in the best man’s speech!

Getting drunk.

Waffling, mumbling and panicking.

Reading from A4 sheets of paper.

Making crude or insulting remarks.

Mentioning any ex-girlfriends of the groom.

Bringing up any serious misdemeanors in the groom’s past.

Suggestion for Women’s Wedding Speeches

At many modern weddings, the maid of honour of bridesmaids will say a few words. In some cases, the brides will get up and speak. As neither would have spoken in the past, there is no order or general set of rules for their speeches.

The Bride

A brides’s wedding speech is still
It should include a thank you to the guests includeing a mention about looking forward to opening the gifts.
Piont out how helpful the bridesmaids and groomsmen have been.
Don’t forget to thank the people who personally contributed the the wedding.
Take the opportunity the mention any flower girl or page boy and how well they did to make them and their parents feel special.
End with some loving words about your

The maid of honour

The speech does not have to be sentimental to provide a contrast to the best man’s speech. If you are naturally funny, then be funny!
Talk about a personal favourite memory, joke or story you have about the bride.*
Instead of toasting the newlyweds at the end, read an original poem.
Just make sure to practice, practice and practice!
Keep your speech short and sweet❥.

*What avoid in the maid of honour’s speech!

Stating the bride is your last friend to get married.

Comparing the groom to the bride’s former boyfriends.

Saying if the marriage breaks down the groom knows where to find you.

Talking about yourself.

Mention thinly veiled ‘inside jokes’ about the bride.