Wedding Planning On A Budget

Wedding Speech Tips

• By Administrator
• 10 September, 2010
• 1 Comment

We were recently contacted by a young woman who was FREAKING OUT!!!

She had been asked by her cousin to be the made of honor at her cousin’s upcoming wedding. This was great but the idea of giving a toast in front of everyone had her really worried.

We want to share a few tips to help you or anyone in your wedding party who wants to give a great wedding speech without their knees knocking.

Writing the Speech

Before writing the speech, you should do some brainstorming:

• How do you know the bride, groom, or the couple?
• What makes your relationship with them special?
• How would you describe them? What adjectives come to mind?
• How has their love for one another changed them?
• What advice would you give them?
• What particularly amusing anecdotes or favorite memories can you share that illustrate what kind of people they are? (Note: This is NOT a good time to embarrass them!)

Writing the speech won’t be such a big deal if you break it down. There are three parts to a good wedding speech.

• Opening
  This is when you get the audience’s attention, introduce yourself, and tell how you know the bride or groom.
• Middle
  This is when you tell a short story or your thoughts about the bride, groom, or couple. Keep it uplifting, humorous, and constructive. As long as you say nice things you will have nothing to regret later.
• Closing
  This is when you offer your congratulations and well-wishes. Make sure they are heart-felt and enthusiastic. This is a great time to propose a toast!

Here is some good news: A short speech is BETTER than a long speech. Don’t wear out the wedding guests’ attention span with a long speech. Try to keep the whole speech 1-3 minutes long.

Avoid the temptation to make a splash with an embarrassing, off-color, or X-rated story or joke. Keep it clean and don’t say anything that can embarrass any of the guests or anyone in the wedding party.

Take the responsibility of giving a speech seriously. Take time to prepare and practice so that you will do a great job at the wedding. Being ready will go a long way to making you less nervous.

Giving the Speech

If there is alcohol at the reception, lay off until after you give the speech. Giving a speech while tipsy and slurring is so not cool!

As you get up to give the speech, stand up tall (Don’t lean on the table or you’ll look like a slouch!).

Before you start speaking, take a look around the room and look people in the eyes. This will help you avoid the nervous speech giver’s tendency to look at the floor. You want to connect with your audience. They are eager to hear what you have to say AND to support you. The audience is the speech giver’s best friend so don’t be afraid of them.

Smile! Let your smile do some of the talking. Are you happy to be at this wedding? Are you happy about your part in the wedding? Smile and let everyone know!

Here is the golden rule that all good speech givers follow: Speak loudly, clearly, and slowly. You will be amazed at how time slows down and nervousness can speed up your lips to the point where it is difficult for people to understand what you are saying. You should consciously remember to speak loudly, clearly, and slowly or you will end up mumbling under your breath at the speed of lightning!

The best way to alleviate your nervousness is to take a deep (quiet) breath and keep on breathing in a proper rhythm. If you forget to breathe, then you will naturally feel light-headed and panicky. So, slow down and breathe. It’s going to be okay! Like I said about time slowing down for you, you have a lot of time in what is just a second or two from the audience’s perspective. So, don’t be afraid to slow down and take it easy.

It is a good idea to have an index card with just a handful of words on it to help you remember important items in your speech. The card should not tell you exact words to say during the speech. Only one word reminders of topics to be covered in the speech so you don’t leave out a whole story due to a brain fart up there in front of everyone.

That being said, your speech must come from your heart AND you want it to be obvious that it is coming from your heart. If the audience sees you staring at your index card, they’ll think you are just giving a prepared speech disconnected from your actual feelings. So, don’t be looking at your index card. That is only there if you absolutely need it and then only to be glanced at for that one word to trigger your memory.

You may not be the best person at giving speeches. That’s okay. You aren’t in this wedding because of your speech-giving abilities! You are among family and friends. Relax. Do your best. Do it from your heart. Be prepared. And you will do great! No one expects you to be an orator. They just want to hear what’s on your heart. I hope these wedding speech tips are helpful in letting you successfully share with the wedding guests and the wedding party.

Many people have found it helpful to receive comprehensive help along with pre-written speeches and sample toasts as guides. This is a great idea to make sure you give the best wedding speech possible.

For all the help you will need in creating the best ever wedding speech, click on the link that fits your needs:

Bride Wedding Speeches - Beautiful Words for a Beautiful Occasion!

Maid of Honor Wedding Speeches - Your Complete “How To” Guide

Groom Wedding Speeches - Saying the Right Words at the Right Time!

Best Man Wedding Speeches- How to be Fearless, Funny and Flawless!

Father of the Bride Wedding Speeches - How to be Witty and Well Prepared!

Mother of the Bride Wedding Speeches - Words of Love

Hope you found this article and the resources to be helpful. If you are planning a wedding, be sure to check out our main website for lots of wedding planning help — especially for brides with a small wedding budget who need some ingenious money-saving ideas to make their dream wedding possible.