Every Great Wedding Speech has the Right Flow, here are Some Tips to Help you Find your Own Rhythm.
Rehearse, Rehearse and Rehearse the Wedding Speech Again!
The better prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be and the better your wedding speech will be. A good rule of thumb is to practice the speech enough that you can remember the points you want to make and the order in which you want to make them. That way, you can look out to the crowd and make eye contact every so often.
Record Yourself
Don’t forget body language! Rehearse the wedding speech in front of a mirror and notice things like your facial expression, eye contact, and hand position. Also use your phone to take a video of yourself practicing. It can be a little uncomfortable to watch, but you’ll be able to identify distracting mannerisms, such as the verbal pauses ‘um,’ ‘uh,’ and ‘like’.
Don’t Drink Before the Wedding Speech
Although it may be tempting to look for some liquid courage, alcohol definitely won’t do you any favours. It may cause you to slur your speech and forget your lines, so wait until after your toast to celebrate. If you can’t refrain from participating in a toast without being rude, stick to one glass of Champagne.
Some Nerves Are Good
A few nerves can liven up your speech. The key is to harness that energy and communicate it in a positive, genuine way; tensing up to the point that you forget your words or panic won’t make for a great presentation.
Be Yourself
Keep in mind that you’re not putting on a show, only sharing your personal perspective. Trying too hard to force the funny can yield the opposite of the desired effect. Keeping it short and sweet, heartfelt and warm generates some very wonderful moments.
Brief is Best
The ideal length for a speech is three to five minutes, with five minutes being the absolute maximum you should speak for.
Toast, not Roast
While this should go without saying, keep the hen/stag party jokes out of it, and remember that grandma and possibly a few colleagues are amongst the guests!
Take Note
Reading your speech straight from a piece of paper is a big no-no. However, having a couple of note cards handy is encouraged.
