We’ve all had to give one ourselves or seen someone else deliver one. For some people Wedding speeches come natural and for others, they can be a nightmare!
Standing in front of a crowd while everyone waits for your next word can be a palm sweating experience. But giving an awesome wedding speech doesn’t have to be frightening. In fact, it can sometimes be a fun and exhilarating feeling knowing that all eyes are on you! Here are a few pointers to help you prepare to give a great wedding speech.
1.) Start with a story.
Weddings are all about family and friends so try starting your speech off with a story about the bride or groom. Everyone at the wedding reception somehow knows the wedding couple so instantly you’ll be able to grab everyone’s attention with something familiar. As far as what kind of story to tell…well, that is up to you. But please use your best judgment! I’m sure “Na-Na Mary” could do without hearing stories about the groom’s wild college nights!
Here are some great story ideas:
- The time you met either the bride, groom or both for the first time
- If you’re related to the bride or groom bring up a childhood story.
- Tell a story that illustrates how great the bride or groom really is.
Once you have your finger on which story to tell, try to personalize it as much as possible. The secret to making your speech “Pop” is to bring up moments that the crowd can really admire. Tell your story in a way that makes the audience wish they were there.
2.) Practice makes perfect
Your parents have told you this a million times and they were absolutely right! Practice does make perfect. You should write your speech 2 or 3 weeks ahead. This should give you a enough time to not only remember the speech by heart ( don’t read your speech off a piece of paper – so tacky! ) but also nail down your delivery. Your delivery is the way you will say your speech. You obviously don’t want to sound like a computer so play around with your speech and figure out where you should change your volume, pause, giggle to yourself, etc. Adding these “delivery marks” can help you remember your speech faster and make it sound more natural.
3.) Relax and Have Fun!
OK, I know I shortchanged you on this last point, but sometimes it’s the obvious tips that we always forget. Before I give any wedding speech ( I’ve done a few in my time!), I always try to remind myself that no matter how bad I screw up everyone will still clap for me! It may seem ridiculous, but the point is the wedding guests aren’t there to judge you or grade your performance. All of the guests realize you’re someone special to the bride and groom, so much so you’ve been given an opportunity to tell everyone how much you love them.
So take a big deep breath…smile and laugh between awkward silences and don’t forget just HAVE FUN!
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