Writing a wedding speech can be tricky, even more so if you’re hastily scribbling down notes into your phone. Or onto a cocktail napkin after you’ve knocked back a few. Too often we see couples waiting until the last second to write their wedding speech, and then stressing over it. Fear not, though, for your friendly neighbourhood Whimlets have you covered with..

Wedding Speech Tips to WOW Your Guests!

The anatomy of a wedding speech is pretty simple – you are basically thanking folks for their contribution to your upbringing, well being and wedding planning. The order that you can do this in varies, but here’s pretty simple format:

• Guests that travelled a long way to be at the wedding
• All of your guests for attending and being with you on this special day
• Your bridal party and attendants for assisting before and during the wedding
• Your vendors (optional) if they’ve gone above and beyond for you
• Those that could not be with you and are dearly missed
• Your new in-laws
• Your immediate family and parents

Next up, you’ll want to turn your attention to your new spouse and speak a bit about your relationship. Telling a sweet or funny anecdote about your relationship is a great way to start. For example, you can talk about how you met if it’s one of those sweet meet-cute stories. Or you can tell the origins of a funny inside joke between the two of you. Or your adventures and misadventures during wedding planning.

Finally, end by thanking your new spouse. You can do this a number of different ways, like talking about your joy at finally being married, or how much the day has meant to you, and your dreams for the future.

Here are a few best practices as you start to get your thoughts together for your wedding speech:

• Write your speech down. Seriously – don’t try to wing it unless you’re a professional public speaker. Even they have notes!
• Try not to get completely sloshed before you give your speech
• Keep it classy – embarrassing your new spouse or bridal party isn’t a nice way to end your program. It’s probably  not a great way to start a marriage, either.
• Try not to give a super long speech. Your guests have been sitting for a while at this point so it’s a great idea to keep it under 5-7 minutes (we allocate 3-5 for everyone else!).

What are your best tips for writing a killer wedding speech? Drop us a line – we want to hear from you!

Events by Whim is a team of Toronto Wedding Planners committed to creating intimate and elegant celebrations for Toronto’s discerning couples.  Contact us today if you have any wedding planning questions or are ready to get started on your dream day!