Wedding Speech Etiquette
Traditionally the only people allowed to make a speech was the Father of the Bride, the Bridegroom and The Best Man.
Times are changing, thankfully, and we don't always have to keep strictly to traditions. We have, however, listed a number of things below that should be included in the speeches of the Father of the Bride, The Bridegroom and The Best Man. Just in case you feel that you want to keep to strict wedding speech etiquette.
The Father of the Bride
Welcome the guests to the wedding, on behalf of his wife and himself.
Thank the guests for coming to help celebrate the wedding of his daughter.
Tell the guests about his daughter - abilities, skills, character, achievements, reminiscences.
Tell them about his new son in law – roughly the same as above.
Toast the Bride and Groom.
For Father of the Bride verses that include some or all of the above - click here!
The Bridegroom
Thank the Bride's father for proposing the toast.
Thank him for the wedding banquet and for his friendship and kindness.
Thank him for his daughter.
Thank the guests for their good wishes, and for coming.
Thank the guests for their gifts.
Thank your 'new' wife for marrying you!
Thank the Bridesmaids who have helped your wife through the day.!
The Groom can also add a few words about how he met his wife, things they have in common etc. Gentle teasing is OK.
Toast the Bridesmaids.
For Bridegroom verses that takes care of most of the above - click here!
The Best Man
The Best Man speaks on behalf of the Bridesmaids and other helpers , and thanks the Groom for his toast. He also toasts the Parents.
In addition to this the Best Man's speech usually includes various anecdotes about the Bride and Groom. Again it is common for there to be gentle teasing.
Telegrams, cards and emails can also be read out from people who were not able to attend the wedding.
For Best Man verses that are likely to spice up your speech - click here!
Do we need to be traditional?
Certainly. In some cases we do. We need to respect the wishes of the recipients of our speeches. But don't forget that times are changing and these days people often expect something out of the ordinary.
We say: Add some spice to the traditional wedding! Get some other people moving too! Let the bride have her say, let the brides mum say a few words and why not let a group of friends perform a specially written song if that’s what they want to do!
I once visited a wedding where 20 people sang a personalized song to a famous Jazz tune! One of the happy couples friends was giving a speech after this and started his speech “I didn’t know I was going to have to make a speech at a Von Trapp family wedding …” The bride later told me that the performance was one of the most appreciated gifts of the day and the lyrics are still in a frame on their bedroom wall! Trust me – it would be appreciated!