ChatterBank23 mins ago
wedding speech
15 Answers
Hi everyone
My wedding day is fast approaching and I want to know if I have got the layout of my speech correct. I have seen a few videos where the groom has started by obvioulsy yhanking the brides father, then straight into talking about his wife, with the thankyous at the end.
My speech has a slightly different layout but covers all the necessary parts.
basically
*its thanking her dad for his speech
*A little comical fact about the 2 of us and a few lines about how beautiful she is
*Thanking my mum and dad (quite short)
*Thanking my uncle(he paid for all of our honeymoon to Thailand, and included him after my mum and dad as its my side of family still)
*Brides mum and dad (quite a lot to say, as they have done a great deal towards this day)
*Then my wife (her plus points, story when we met and when i proposed etc)
*The best men
*The bridesmaids
*Then a short story I feel is necessary at the end.
All in all it last about 9 mins, but I just want to know if I can get away with this layout or should her parents be thanked before mine or should I start about my wife. Basically I have left it to talk about my wife in the middle as its a bit of a bulid up for it
also I'm quite nervous about doing it........in fact sh**ing my self so any advice on that will come in very handy. The last time I had to speak infront of people i nearly fainted.
Anyway thanks in advance
My wedding day is fast approaching and I want to know if I have got the layout of my speech correct. I have seen a few videos where the groom has started by obvioulsy yhanking the brides father, then straight into talking about his wife, with the thankyous at the end.
My speech has a slightly different layout but covers all the necessary parts.
basically
*its thanking her dad for his speech
*A little comical fact about the 2 of us and a few lines about how beautiful she is
*Thanking my mum and dad (quite short)
*Thanking my uncle(he paid for all of our honeymoon to Thailand, and included him after my mum and dad as its my side of family still)
*Brides mum and dad (quite a lot to say, as they have done a great deal towards this day)
*Then my wife (her plus points, story when we met and when i proposed etc)
*The best men
*The bridesmaids
*Then a short story I feel is necessary at the end.
All in all it last about 9 mins, but I just want to know if I can get away with this layout or should her parents be thanked before mine or should I start about my wife. Basically I have left it to talk about my wife in the middle as its a bit of a bulid up for it
also I'm quite nervous about doing it........in fact sh**ing my self so any advice on that will come in very handy. The last time I had to speak infront of people i nearly fainted.
Anyway thanks in advance
Answers
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It looks fine to me.
Your thanks to your uncle should be general, not specific - can cause rifts for all sorts of reasons.
As advised, speak up - it will feel loud to you, but not to the audience. Ignore any hecklers, don;t get into a one-upmanship routine with the 'wit' of the party, there is always one.
If you are unsure, write your speech out word for word in print large enough to read easily without squinting. break it up into sections.
T
ake your time, and speak slowly, and take some deep breaths in each break.
It will go fine, have a wonderful day - and life together.
Your thanks to your uncle should be general, not specific - can cause rifts for all sorts of reasons.
As advised, speak up - it will feel loud to you, but not to the audience. Ignore any hecklers, don;t get into a one-upmanship routine with the 'wit' of the party, there is always one.
If you are unsure, write your speech out word for word in print large enough to read easily without squinting. break it up into sections.
T
ake your time, and speak slowly, and take some deep breaths in each break.
It will go fine, have a wonderful day - and life together.
If the bride's parents paid for the wedding or the wedding reception, I'd get the thanks to them in very early ("Thanks for arranging all this") as you would with any host. You have the thing pretty well set.
If you use notes (you'd best have some, somewhere to hand), make the reminders of each point very brief, with any significant quotes or quotations which need to be word perfect written in full ( but nothing else), on a piece of card, not paper. Paper flaps about when your hands are shaking and distracts the audience !
If you use notes (you'd best have some, somewhere to hand), make the reminders of each point very brief, with any significant quotes or quotations which need to be word perfect written in full ( but nothing else), on a piece of card, not paper. Paper flaps about when your hands are shaking and distracts the audience !
just go and practice in your local church or hall - take your best man or one of the ushers.
Speak slowly and clearly - emphasise your constonants, these can get lost at the back of a room full of people. Remember the daft adage, "less haste, more speed" and it will help you with your delivery - and enjoy.......I would have just a cue card for each category (not the full speech) as a spoken one, rather than read, is far more powerful and heart-felt. One of my bitches with the C of E is that too many vicars read sermons out and they are deadly boring - they could be announcing planes at Heathrow or trains at Kings Cross as an alternative - and they would be more entertaining.
Speak slowly and clearly - emphasise your constonants, these can get lost at the back of a room full of people. Remember the daft adage, "less haste, more speed" and it will help you with your delivery - and enjoy.......I would have just a cue card for each category (not the full speech) as a spoken one, rather than read, is far more powerful and heart-felt. One of my bitches with the C of E is that too many vicars read sermons out and they are deadly boring - they could be announcing planes at Heathrow or trains at Kings Cross as an alternative - and they would be more entertaining.
Don't worry about being nervous, it is expected of you!
I would suggest a few tweaks to your proposed speech.
Firstly, you thank the bride's parents for their daughter and the reception, not for father's speech.
You thank the guests for being there and helping you celebrate your special day together.
You don't merely thank the bridesmaids, you propose a toast to the them (and the best man replies on their behalf in his speech).
Do not mention Uncle paying for your honeymoon! You should not do this any more than you would reveal the amount of any cheques given to you and your wife.
Nine minutes sounds awfully long, especially if you are feeling very nervous. Best to keep it brief, and leave the funny stuff to the best man. Perhaps he could tell the story about when you met her, if it is an amusing one? There is no particular need for you to mention the best man.
I hope your big day goes well!
I would suggest a few tweaks to your proposed speech.
Firstly, you thank the bride's parents for their daughter and the reception, not for father's speech.
You thank the guests for being there and helping you celebrate your special day together.
You don't merely thank the bridesmaids, you propose a toast to the them (and the best man replies on their behalf in his speech).
Do not mention Uncle paying for your honeymoon! You should not do this any more than you would reveal the amount of any cheques given to you and your wife.
Nine minutes sounds awfully long, especially if you are feeling very nervous. Best to keep it brief, and leave the funny stuff to the best man. Perhaps he could tell the story about when you met her, if it is an amusing one? There is no particular need for you to mention the best man.
I hope your big day goes well!
MarkRae's words would make a good intro to your speech. lay off the champers beforehand - be sincere and be brief.
Get the audience on your side- tell them you've got stagefright - don't be afraid to read it from a crib.
I did a cracking wedding speech, and thanked the grandparents when there weren't any present - ie I suggested the bride was pregnant! Got a laugh...
Get the audience on your side- tell them you've got stagefright - don't be afraid to read it from a crib.
I did a cracking wedding speech, and thanked the grandparents when there weren't any present - ie I suggested the bride was pregnant! Got a laugh...
Her parents first. Not too long. Have a look on line at grooms speeches. Some good tips and a few funny lines which you can adapt to your situation. But mostly not too long. At my daughters wedding recently both dads made a short speech. So first speeches were after the starter course then the main meal was served then the grooms speech and best man. that way we didnt plough through a lot of speeches while everyone was getting hungry, bored and drunk on empty stomachs. Good luck and enjoy your wedding.
I don't think you need the short story at the end - close off with the toast to the bridesmaids, you and the guests will have heard quite enough by then. 9 minutes is much too long. My husband and I did our speech between us at our wedding, he did his bit then I did mine - didn't last more than 5 minutes between us.
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