Your hands are shaking, you feel like you are running a fever, there is a cold sweat running down the center of your back; malaria? Dengue fever? The flu? None of the above. You have to give a speech at an upcoming wedding, and you have never given a wedding speech or toast of any kind; you hardly paid attention to any of the speeches you have heard at weddings, and you are in emotional overload just thinking of how to write a speech that anyone would want to listen to. Right? Well, straighten up; it’s not as bad as it seems—in fact writing and giving a wedding speech can be a truly wonderful experience.
The main thing to remember when considering how to write a speech, is to use the information you have in your head and your heart about them. Make the speech personal about them, but be sincere and don’t dig up any skeletons or dirty little family secrets. Let on what they mean to you, the good times you’ve had together (without going into excessive detail); and fun little things one or the other of the couple have said about each other. Be sure to express your admiration of them, your respect, and convey your feelings….now what is so hard about that?
One of the best mantras to use when figuring out how to write a speech for a celebratory occasion, is to stay focused on the bride and groom and keep your inclinations to drivel off into the sunset talking about “me,me,me” and “I,I,I” to the very minimum. No one wants to hear the story of your life, or how you are such an integral part of the couple’s relationship—-they want to toast the newlyweds with you, not listen to a litany of your escapades. You are not the main event here, and the more you take that into account while pulling your speech together, the better your speech will be for everyone concerned, including you.
The audience at a wedding reception is a very diverse group of people, and a lot of wedding speech givers tend to forget that, and do not target a middle of the road approach that will include everyone in the room. How to write a speech for a group like that can be initially intimidating, but with a little thought and feeling put into it, you can muster up something that will be acceptable for children as well as older adults, and people from all types of backgrounds and customs. Keep your language clean, and don’t go letting cats out of bags that are better left untouched; also, save the ribald humor for another time when there isn’t as much of a chance of offending people. The folks gathered at the reception are connected in some way to the newly married couple, and by treating the couple with respect and admiration, you will insure that they will also and your speech will be warmly received.
One point that cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to the factors on how to write a speech especially for something like a wedding celebration, is to be concise. Brevity will be accepted with open arms by all gathered before you and no one will appreciate that more than the newlyweds themselves. After all, they have to listen to many speeches and if several of the speakers get carried away and just drone on and on and on….well, you know how quickly boredom will come in and take over. There are many facets to a wedding celebration, and the speeches are just one of many; they are not meant to be the main event by any stretch of the imagination and should be kept to a bare minimum so the audience and the couple are not put upon. Short and sweet says it all.
Another thing you can do when laying down the particulars about how to write a speech especially for something like a wedding; is to pull out some of those often used old reliable phrases that everyone has heard and used for years. Phrases like: “may all your dreams come true”; or “much happiness and good health to the two of you as you start your new life together”; or how about “wishing you both a long and happy life as one”. People have heard these for years, and still use them because they mean something positive and heartfelt and say it all in just a few choice words. There is nothing wrong with using something like that in your speech to give it a little oomph and make it more memorable to those hearing it—–and you will see heads nodding in agreement as you speak those phrases.
So, we’ve covered a few suggestions on how to write a speech the next time you are tapped to be a speaker at a wedding, and if you take the writing of the speech to heart, and speak with honesty and good will when you give it; you will find that it will be one of the most memorable occasions of your life, and will be remembered with affection and thanks by everyone who heard it—especially the couple for whom it was written.
Amy Bartlett is an author and publisher on such topics as Wedding Quotes. For more information on Wedding Sayings visit our site.
