Dos and Don'ts of wedding speeches

Standing up in front of a group of people and speaking can scare the living daylights out of the most courageous of people. Making wedding speeches is no exception whether it’s yours or someone else’s wedding. With these helpful tips, it needn’t be so. You will know just what to include in your speech and what’s best left out.

Let’s begin with what to do:

Make your speech a story
People of all ages love stories. Construct your speech with a beginning, middle, and an end—just as in a story. Keep the beginning and the end captivating – use an appropriate joke or a saying or an anecdote as a hook to grab people’s attention.
Keep it about the couple
If you have been asked by the couple to make a speech, it’s obviously because you are really close and important to them. That also means you will have enough anecdotes, experiences, and quirky details to make your speech fun and interesting and also meaningful. It’s an emotional time, so it’s okay to get a bit sentimental with your personal tales.
Wrap it up in 5 minutes
No matter how engrossing your story is, the audience is going to get tired listening to you ramble. So keep it sweet and keep it short. End with the upper hand—leave the audience wanting some more.
Make the right acknowledgements
Remember to toast the couple – it’s all about them after all. Also, include a line or two to appreciate all those involved in the wedding and the guests too for making it all the way to the wedding venue. And remember those who couldn’t.
Finally, be who you are
You are standing up and speaking because you are either the groom or the bride or someone who matters to them. So just be yourself, take a deep breath, and do yourself / your friends proud.

Now, here’s what you should definitely not do:

Commit the speech to memory
If you don’t want to hold a long sheet of paper before you, use index cards. But do keep a copy of the entire speech with you and another with a friend who won’t lose it. You do not want to stand up in front of everyone and go “Umm… ahem…”
Speak without preparation
You may think you have it all pat in your head, but you may just end up not knowing what to say – with all eyes in the room on you. Keep your bravado aside and write down your speech, edit it, finalise it, and also rehearse it. Do it by yourself in front of a mirror, record it, or practise before a friend.
Use inappropriate humour
No matter how close you are to the newlyweds – you may have a whole cache of anecdotes that you think are hilarious, but be careful about what you actually say. Using gimmicks, inside jokes, and humour that can have the potential to hurt someone is best avoided. It’s a special moment; keep it special for everybody.
Look for a ready-to-use speech online
If you search, you are bound to find something written by somebody else for someone else at some other wedding. Use it as guidance but do not copy or even borrow. Your speech must be yours only, tailor made for this particular wedding.

Images: via HufingtonPost | Wedbuddy