Wedding Day Advice | Speeches

Queen for a day
Helping you prepare the perfect wedding speech

There’s no question: organising a wedding takes a lot out of a bride-to-be. And when it comes to wedding speeches, it seems so easy to take a back seat and decide that you already have too much to think about. After all, brides don’t traditionally speak at their weddings. However, modern weddings often feature a speech delivered by the bride. This is a lovely (and probably your only) opportunity for you to address all the guests at once, thanking them for their attendance and entertaining them with a warm and sweet speech, which is typically only a few minutes long.

Traditionally, the father of the bride speaks first, followed by the groom and then the best man. If you do decide to speak, your speech will probably slot in between your new husband’s and the best man’s. The nice thing about modern weddings, though, is that you can mix it up and do whatever feels right.

Before you begin, make sure you read our article on how to deliver a great wedding speech. This will guide you in the right direction as far as preparation and delivery go.

Your first step is to discuss the speeches with your husband-to-be. You may want to consider speaking together, as has become a tradition at more informal weddings. This is a lovely way to address your family and friends and thank all those special people who have contributed to making your wedding the wonderful occasion that it no doubt will be.

And introducing…
The elements of the bride’s speech

There are no hard and fast rules about exactly what you need to say or how it needs to be said. Ask your fiancé if there is anything that he would like you to include, and don’t forget to practice your speech so that all you’ll need is a couple of key words on an index card. Here are a few points to consider.

Duration: 3-7 minutes (around 700 words)

Message: Words of love for your husband; words of thanks for your parents, guests and wedding attendants

Tone: Sincere, loving and sentimental. The bride’s speech should warm the audience.

Humour: Light, but recommended (consult our jokes and quotations article for some ideas)

Speech components:

• A light opener or introduction
• The main body
• A closing quotation, poem or statement
• Your toast to the groom (and your parents and parents-in-law, should the groom not have done this)

Don’t forget to:

• Welcome the guests, thank them for coming and thank them for their gifts
• Thank your father and husband for their kind words
• Thank your parents for the reception‚ you may want to present flowers or a gift at this point
• Thank anybody who is responsible for special contributions to the wedding
• Warmly express your happiness to be part of your in-laws‚ family and thank them for their son
• Convey your appreciation to your parents for bringing you up and giving you the best they could
• Mention any noteworthy individuals who could not make it to the wedding
• Talk about your bridesmaids and/or maid of honour and how lovely they look, and thank them for their services and all their support leading up to the wedding
• Discuss any interesting incidents that may have occurred during the planning stages
• Deliver a sincere, heartfelt toast to the bridesmaids and maid of honour

When speaking about your husband:

• Tell the groom how handsome he looks
• Thank him for marrying you and for his contributions to the planning of the wedding
• Discuss your feelings for him and how much you love him
• Describe your hopes for your future together
• Relay any anecdotes about how you and your husband met and your first impressions of each other
• Discuss any amusing stories involving the two of you leading up to this point

Remember:

• Decorum is key, so avoid dissolving into full-blown tears
• An outpouring of love, gratitude, sincerity and warmth are your main aim
• If you need further inspiration, visit this page

Addressing a large audience is never easy, but if you follow our guidelines and practice your speech a good few times, we know that you’re going to do just fine. Don’t forget that everyone is already feeling warm and fuzzy‚ your speech is just the cherry on top.

Good luck and warm congratulations to the lovely bride!