Possibly it’s due to the bride being the center of attention or the fact that they primary do all the organizing and planning but whatever the real reason brides customarily greet the guests and give the welcome toast during the reception. The bride speech may seem like a small job compared to everything else that the bride needs to do, which is why many brides are under prepared for the task.
These are some suggestions to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible and your speech turns out terrific.
Short is best
The shorter it is the less time you have to say something silly, make a fool of yourself or have to remember a million little things. It just needs to be long enough to get your point across and sound sincere and gracious, thats all. People often will lose their attention during long speeches and may only remember the first half of the speech so if you want to make a long speech ensure you can keep peoples attention.
Use Note Cards to Help
If you’re unsure if you’ll remember all your points and get everything across you want to you may choose to jot down a couple notes. Key points written on cards can be read through before your speech and also used during if you get lost..
Do the speech as soon as possible
Give your speech early into the reception like right after the grand entrance or your first dance. You can do it anytime before the start of the meal to ensure everyone will pay attention and the speech will make perfect sense.
Practice in front of a mirror
You need to practice to ensure you are ready and are as comfortable as possible at reading your speech. You need to practice as you will do it so use a fake microphone in front of the mirror until you feel comfortable. Learn to relax and your speech will come naturally.
Don’t list people’s names
If there are certain people who have made a special impact on your or were helpful in planning the wedding then you may want to single them out and that is great but too many special people can become repetitive and boring thus taking about the specialness of each person and devaluing them. This isn’t Halle Berry at the Oscars thanking everyone including her dog groomer and dry cleaner.
Speak slowly
If you rush your speech then the chances are you will not be understood. Slow down your speech so it is easily understood as this will give you time to think before you speak as well.
Read more about wedding toasts here or read our blog to help your wedding planning!
