The guests sit back and listen. It is a wedding day and the father of the bride is about to speak. Nominally at least he is their host and so his speech should, of course, include a warm welcome to those guests. What most people want to hear though is what he is going to say about his daughter. After all half of those present will hardly know her because they come from the groom’s side of the family. So he should speak about his delight when she was born and tell tales about her growing year. He may mention how like her mother she is or talk about his pride in the career she has chosen. He should always speak of the groom and his family and say he is delighted that his daughter has such wonderful groom and such nice in-laws. Naturally the speech will go down better if he can add a touch of humour. He might, for instance, give a few tips to his son-in-law about always keeping the job list up to date. Alternatively he might speak about his daughter’s mania for shoe shopping. Finally he will toast the couple with a carefully chosen and appropriate toast.

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You can make someone’s day by what you say. We always remember somebody who says something kind about us. In fact we usually think they have great taste and are quite correct in thinking we are kind or generous or wonderful in some way! So why not take the opportunity of making someone else feel good about themselves? Take a birthday party for instance. It gives you the opportunity to toast somebody and say how much you admire them and to give the reasons for your admiration. A wedding in another occasion when you can say how much someone means in your life. A wedding anniversary is another event that is usually celebrated with family and friends and thus gives you the opportunity to praise the couple and what they have done during their married life. So go on make somebody happy. Just say it from the heart.

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It’s an honour to be chosen to speak at a wedding. It can also be a frightening thought. What should you say and how should you say it are questions the speakers often ask. Naturally it depends on the relationship you have with the couple. A friend or peer of the bride will probably talk about t what a marvellous friend the bride has always been. The best man will undoubtedly tease the groom about past exploits. The father of the bride will speak of his pride in his daughter and his love for her. The father of the groom will probably mention the fact that his wife thinks there is nobody on earth like her son. He might even concur with her. Old family friend s are often asked to step into the breach when the father of the bride is absent or dead. He will speak of knowing the bride for many years and say that she must be wonderful because she comes from such a warm and welcoming family. Step-fathers have to be very careful about what they say, especially if the father is present. They should simply explain that the bride has brought love and laughter into his life and how much she means to him. If the bride is agreeable he might mention that she inherits some good trait of her dad such as his generosity or expertise at art. All the speeches should be short and sincere and express the speaker’s best wishes for the future happiness of the bride and groom.

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Weddings are about frills and flounces. Marriage, though, is about happy ever after. That’s just what any speaker should wish for the couple on their wedding day. It doesn’t matter if you are a best man, a family friend or the mother of the groom. Whoever you are or why you are speaking what matters is what you say on the day. A wedding speech should be sincere but it should also be short. After all it is a social occasion and nobody wants to spend ages listening to speeches. A bit of humour though will never go amiss because everyone likes to laugh, but of course it must be kindly laughter. So speak of the bride or the groom and what they mean to you. Give an incident that describes their kindness, their fun loving nature or how he proposed. Speak about the importance of marriage itself and perhaps give a few tips that you think are important. Above all your toast should wish that couple every happiness in the years ahead.

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Wedding rehearsal dinners are not only a preparation for the real thing. They are an event in themselves. They bring families and friends closer together without the strain that is often part of the big day. The families of the bride and groom can get to know one another in a more casual setting… Whether it is the father of the groom or the father of the bride who is hosting the dinner doesn’t really matter. It does matter, though, what they say if they are giving a speech. This speech should be a bit more intimate than the one on the wedding day. It should welcome guests who have travelled to attend. It should express their happiness that the couple have found each other. It should wish them well on their wedding day. The toast should be to a happy future. If the bride or groom is speaking he or she will naturally thank those who have helped them prepare for the wedding. They will express their love for each other and how much they are looking forward to being married. The toast either of them gives will be to all their loved ones present.

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Church weddings are popular. Even couples who rarely attend church like the pageantry of a church service. Linked with that are the traditional customs such as speeches from the father of the bride, the best man and the father of the groom not to mention the groom himself. Civil ceremonies are often smaller more intimate affairs and although the best wishes remain the same there may be only one speech. Second weddings too sometimes create problems for the speaker. There may be doubts about referring to a first marriage. There may be children to consider. The speech may be given by somebody outside the bridal party. For all these reasons the speaker has to be careful about what he or she says and should consult the couple as to their wishes. Basically, however the speech should skim the past and concentrate on the future. Whoever is speaking should simply wish the couple all that is good in their new life together and simply toast the bride and groom.

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Don’t be scared, be prepared. That’s the ideal advice for any public speaker. Whether you have to make a speech at a wedding, a birthday or a bar mitzvah practise still makes perfect. So prepare your speech in advance. By doing so you will also have time to do the research you will need to make the speech really personal. Check out the venue in advance too so that you know there is a microphone in working order. Has it got a stand or will you have to use it and keep your notes in your hand? Naturally the speech will sound better if you know if off by heart. Most people though like to have the comfort of having notes. If so, put them on cue cards because they are less obtrusive than long sheets of paper. Then find a friend who will be willing to listen to your rehearsal of the speech. Then, when the big day dawns you will certainly be prepared and sound professional.

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Weddings are a time for speeches. Start with engagement good wishes then go on to what is said at a bachelor pr stag party. Move on to a wedding rehearsal speeches and finally toast the couple on their happy day. Love, you see, has to be put into words. That’s often where the problem arises because, quite simply, people don’t know what to say on these occasions. It’s worth remembering that the main focus of your speech should always be the happiness of the couple involved. That doesn’t mean that the speeches cannot be light-hearted. Everyone loves a laugh but make sure that what you never say anything offensive or crude. Speak of the attributes of the groom or the bride or both. Mention how they complement each other. If you can talk about where they met or about an incident in the preparations for the wedding. You might even give the couple a few words of advice about married life. Above all your toast should be for everlasting happiness.

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Most of us value our friends although we may not express our appreciation of them publicly. Yet what better way to show what they mean in our lives than by telling others how important they are to us? You might, for instance, take a friend’s 50th birthday party as the ideal opportunity to say how much he or she means in your life. What about a wedding anniversary? Your toast to the couple could express how much you value them as friends. The same applies on a wedding day of course. You might express your good wishes as a friend of the family or as a friend of the bride or groom. If a friend is retiring a good friend should wish him or her well in that retirement and express the hope that their friendship with you will continue. Graduation time is yet another time when we can express our feelings for our friends. Giving a eulogy for a friend is probably the last act of friendship you can make. Whatever the occasion take the opportunity to talk about friendship and how important it is. Friends, make them and keep them by letting them and everyone else know just how important they are to you.

Check out our sample speeches

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Wedding speeches don’t have to be given by the best man. The father of the bride does not have to speak at the wedding meal. It’s a day to express love and best wishes, of course, but these can be expressed by anyone at the wedding. The mother of the bride, for instance, might want to speak on behalf of her husband or on her own behalf. The son of the bride might be giving her away and wish to speak. A relative of the bride might like to express his thoughts on the day or a friend or peer of the couple might want to say a few words. No matter who speaks though the thoughts and feelings are the same. They want to wish the couple every happiness in their future lives. They may choose to give a bit of light-hearted advice to the couple or tell a tale about the courtship or about either the bride or groom as children. It’s important, of course, that the speaker remembers that a wedding is a family occasion so smutty jokes are taboo. Other than that, though, they can express, each in his or her own way how much they love the bride or the groom and how much they are enjoying the wedding. Whoever gives the speech should end it with an appropriate toast.

Check out our sample speeches

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