How to Write a Good Wedding Speech

A wedding speech has to be planned out.

Giving any speech is difficult, especially in front of a group of your closest friends. This goes double for a wedding speech, which reflects on the bride and groom as well as yourself. A wedding speech should never be something off the top of your head. Write it out weeks before the wedding, which will give you time to edit it and practice it until it's what you need for the occasion.

Instructions

1. Make a list of the things you appreciate about the bride and groom. Cut the list down to the most important items, and think about what you can say about those items.

2. Write out some thoughts based on your speaking points, but don't worry about the exact words unless you plan to read the speech word for word. You want to settle on a few important points that people should know about the couple and work on those alone. Read out loud what you wrote and see how it "sounds."

3. Open the speech with a short bit of humor or an anecdote about the couple. Introduce yourself (if necessary) and explain your relationship to the bride and groom before you continue with the speech.

4. Fill in your speech with the points you wrote out and practiced, but be brief. The whole speech should not last more than five minutes. Interject humor as necessary, but do not say anything that can be construed as negative or offensive. Avoid any inside jokes since the speech is intended for the entire room; if only you and the groom "get" it, it's not a good speech item.

5. Conclude the speech with an honest toast or salute to the bride and groom.

References

• Wedding Speech Guide