Just about the worst feeling you can have at a wedding is the silence as the room goes quiet, and all eyes turn to you…and you realize you don’t know what you’re going to say. That does not have to happen. Spend some time now thinking about what you’re going to say , and you’ll soon find that your problem isn’t what to put in, but what to leave out.

In this simple guide to preparing your wedding speech, we will look at the subjects each speaker usually covers, and some suggestions on how to liven that speech up with your own stories and anecdotes.

The usual routine is this:
◾Welcome by the Master of Ceremonies, who introduces the speakers
◾Toast to the Bride and Groom by a friend of the family or close friend of the couple
◾Speech in reply by the Groom, or Bride, or both, who thank everyone who has helped organize the wedding, usually ending with a toast to the Bridesmaids
◾Reply to the toast by the Best Man on behalf of the Bridesmaids, ending with a toast to the hosts
◾Reply by the Hosts

Let us look at the material some of these speeches might include.

Toast to the Bride and Groom

Your message is to wish the Bride and Groom health, happiness and prosperity. You might like to tell one or two stories – how you have come to know the Bride and the Groom, and what you’ve been through with them or their families.

If you’re stuck for some examples, try answering these questions and see if that doesn’t get a few reminiscences going:
◾What’s the most helpful thing either the Bride or Groom ever did for you or someone you know?
◾What is your first memory of either of them?
◾Name a time when either the Bride or Groom did something that everyone thought was doomed to failure, but they came out on top.
◾Name a characteristic of the Bride or Groom that reminds you of their parents or of someone famous.

Got some reminiscences out of that? Now string them together and you have the makings of an interesting speech. Just try and paint a picture of the Bride and Groom – the kind of people they are, and how suited they are to one another, and why you think they’ll have a good life together.

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

Your job is to say something about your friend the Groom, and add some color to the whole affair by describing the path that led him here.

Then you could go on by adding details that tell the story of how you have to know him, what you’ve learned about him, and what kind of effect his meeting his future wife has had on his life.

To get you started, ask yourself these questions, and use the answers to flesh out the speech:
◾Can you think of a difficult situation the Groom got you out of?
◾Can you think of one he got you in to?
◾Can you name something he and/or she have taught you about life that you did not know? Can you name something you taught him and/or her?
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Bride’s Father’s speech

Your subject is pretty clear: your daughter, and why you’re proud of her, your son-in-law and why he measures up, and your best wishes for both of them. If you are the Father of the Groom, of course, the same principles apply, in reverse.

You might like to use these questions to get you thinking about the topics you might cover:
◾Name one thing you’ve learned about the Groom that surprised you
◾Name two or three things your daughter has done that have made you proud of her
◾Name one thing you are pleased to say your daughter used to do, but no longer does
father of the bride speech

Reply by the Groom

A good place to start is by thanking the people who have helped, especially your family, and, of course, the person who has just toasted you. Then move on to tell some stories. People always like to hear them, and you have plenty to choose.

To get you started, try answering these questions:
◾Where did you and your Bride meet?
◾What were your first impressions of each other?
◾When did you know she was the one?

The Bride

Do not feel bound by old traditions of the groom speaking on his bride’s behalf. If you would like to make a speech, you have every right to make one.

Your speech can be short one, making thanks to people you want to mention. You might like to do what some Brides have done and add a new toast to the usual list, and make a toast to the guests.

If you’d make a longer speech, you could follow a similar treatment to the Groom’s speech; tell some stories by covering some of these topics:
◾What were your first impressions of him?
◾When did you know he was the one?
◾Name three things you really like about him
◾Name one habit you have trained him out of
◾Name one that he has trained you out of