A wedding is one of the most important days of many people’s lives. They’re getting ready to say “I do” to their soul mate, and the occasion will hopefully be a wonderful experience through and through—from a perfect ceremony to great food and a charming atmosphere. If you’re chosen to be a part of the bridal party, or you’re a close loved one who wants to honor the new couple, a wedding speech is a great way to make the whole event memorable.
With that said, most people who deliver these kind words aren’t professional public speakers, and that’s okay! The best wedding speeches can come from the most unexpected source—the shy sibling or reserved friend. They (or you) just need to know what to say and how to deliver it. If that seems daunting, don’t stress about it too much; we’ve got some wedding speech ideas and tips to help you honor the bride or groom in a truly special way!
1—Plan and Prepare Early
Don’t treat this like your final college paper. Waiting until the night before the wedding to even jot anything down is a great way to botch your speech. Give yourself time to write a first draft, make structural tweaks, change wording, and generally refine it into a final version that will resonate with everyone listening. When you begin early, you’ll be confident when it’s time to stand in front of everyone with the mic in your hand.
2—Know Your Audience
There’s a wide range of people at any given wedding—young, old, serious, silly, and so on. When such a mixture of personalities gathers in one place, a speech becomes a balancing act. You don’t want to get too sappy and just end up making everyone cry, and you also want to avoid turning it into a stand-up comedy act. Find a nice mixture of humor and heartfelt words, and your speech will stick the landing.
3—Keep It Short and Sweet
An otherwise great speech can cause people to lose interest or become impatient if it goes on for too long. Avoid going off on tangents, tell a couple of nice stories, and toast the newlyweds. Three to five minutes should be the sweet spot.
4—Open Strong
First impressions are everything, so you want to grab the audience’s attention from the get-go. This is where a good punchline comes in handy. It’ll get everyone invested, but we know not everyone will want to include humor. If it’s not your style, open with a heartfelt quote or particular story relating to the bride or groom that you hold dear to your heart. When you open strong, you’re effectively setting the tone for the whole speech.
5—Be Personal and Sincere
Everyone sees through generic platitudes. When you’re speaking, make sure it’s from a genuine place. Say something only you could say—a lesson you’ve learned from the couple, the impact they’ve made on your life, why you’re excited for them, or a bit about their love story from your perspective.
6—Practice, Practice, Practice
Even the best wedding speeches can fall flat if you aren’t prepared to deliver them. Allow yourself plenty of time to rehearse. Yes, you’ll probably have a printed copy of it with you, but the more you can recite without squinting at a page or struggling to remember, the more genuine your words will be.
7—Speak Clearly and Slowly
We don’t mean you should speak at a comically slow pace, but it’s important you don’t rush your wedding speech just to get through it—a mistake too many people end up making. Speak clearly and allow time after each thought to let your words sink in.
8—Maintain Eye Contact
There’s nothing wrong with having notes or even a full printed copy, but your wedding speech is directed at the audience, not the piece of paper in your hand. Be sure to make eye contact frequently while all eyes are on you, prioritizing the newly married couple. There’s a lot of power in connecting with those you’re speaking to in this way.
9—Avoid Inside Jokes or Embarrassing Stories
Reminiscing about crazy college moments or anything else that would make family members blush is fine in the comfort of privacy, but you should definitely leave it out of your wedding speech. Keep it respectful. The bride or groom likely won’t be too happy if you share a little bit too much with every guest at the wedding.
10—End with a Toast
When your words of wisdom, love, and well-wishing have been spoken, it’s time to turn the attention back to the festivities or towards the next speaker. To close out your wedding speech, have everyone raise a glass in honor of the newlyweds.
Here’s to the Happy Couple!
If you only get one thing from this set of wedding speech ideas, take this away with you: speak from the heart. When you convey your genuine feelings and warm wishes towards the happily wed couple, your speech will be a heartwarming part of an amazing evening.
Union Mills Public House may just be the ideal place to deliver a wedding speech. With a 12-speaker over-head audio system that broadcasts clear sound evenly throughout either space, and high-quality microphone, anyone who stands up to speak won’t have to worry about not being heard loudly and clearly. The sound-abatement panels we’ve installed provide plenty of sound clarity!
If you need tips on anything wedding related—planning and food to vendors and technical details—we’re happy to chat. Get in touch!
