How to Write a Blinding Wedding Speech

Speeches can make-or-break your day - so make sure they're good'uns!

Wedding season finally is upon us – this means excited brides are busy finalising their seating plans and buying finishing touches for their bridesmaids. Late spring is full of optimism and promise - unless of course you are a groom, a best man, a maid of honour or a father of the bride dreading the time you have to stand up in front of a room of people (and a camera!) to deliver your most anticipated speech.

If you’re not a natural public speaker then creating a speech can be a worrying task. If you have been asked the great honour to deliver a speech at your close relative or friend’s wedding then you’ll have to set your anxiety to one side to write words which will engage guests, bring tears and laughter and evoke fond memories to the wedding party – no matter how nervous you feel! No pressure…

Here are our top tips for writing a blinding wedding speech:

Prepare. Preparation is key. Give yourself plenty of time to write the speech – a lucky few have been able to nail something they wrote the night before – you wouldn’t want to be one of the unlucky ones!

Tell a story. Your speech needs to have a solid framework: A story gives the speech more substance. Make sure your story has a beginning, a middle and an end. If you can tie the end up to something you mentioned in your opening words then you’re on to a winner.

Say thank you. Thank guests and anyone who has helped pull the event together.
Compliment the bridesmaids. No speech is complete without saying how gorgeous the bridesmaids look.

Don’t swear. Profanity has no place in a wedding speech and while we’re at it, sex and drugs are subjects firmly off the table!

Don’t copy. Delivering a speech you found on Google is a big no-no, you will be found out!

Keep it short. Aim for around 3-5 minutes in length

Practice. In front of a mirror, the shower or with friends. Practice makes perfect.

A well practised speech is a cracking speech!

Make notes. No one expects you to memorise a whole speech so write it down or use prompt cards.

Enjoy it! Everyone wants you to succeed, no one wants your speech to fail. Guests have usually downed a glass of bubbly or two by the time speeches commence so remember they are an easy crowd.

Full Focus Weddings have witnessed many wedding speeches, and it’s this momentous time of the day which features in our wedding videos and trailers. Words spoken on your wedding day often get forgotten so to have a visual record of the most important day of your lives is key to keeping those memories safe. We promise we’ll edit out any bloopers (unless of course you ask otherwise!)

Below is the wedding film for Sarah and Paul, whose video features parts of the groom’s speech which underpin this emotional and heartfelt day. Have you recently got engaged? We’d love to hear from you. Call us today on 01376 619517.