Preparing a wedding speech can be a nervy, uncomfortable, and headache-inducing assignment, even if you know and love the bride and groom with all your heart. Here are some quick guidelines to help you make this “job” less of a chore and more of a delight.

#1 — Prepare WELL in advance.

Do not leave your wedding speech for the last-minute. That is a recipe for panic and stress — just when the bride and groom need you most. Set a deadline to finish the speech — typed or written out — one week prior to the affair.

#2 — Don’t get hung up on memorization.

No one cares if you read from a piece of paper or not. Just be sure the speech is good and that you’ve practiced it several times — ideally with someone else listening and critiquing you who knows the bride and groom.

#3 — Get your facts straight and keep it clean.

No one wants to be humiliated at their own wedding or hear you spin yarns about them. Be empathetic. Be real. Imagine how you’d feel if someone gave the speech at your wedding.

#4 — Be interesting. Say something unusual about the couple.

Aim to stay away from the old bromides about how much these people “mean to you,” even if they mean a lot. Sure, throw some sappy stuff in there. But work hard to personalize the speech. Add humor. Add emotion as opposed to platitudes. Paint a picture for the wedding guests to give them deeper insight into the couple’s unique and special love.

#5 — Get specific and use stories.

This goes along with the above point. Human beings communicate best through storytelling. Make your speech delightful by weaving it around a story from the couple’s past that perfectly illustrates the theme you want to talk about. The details of our lives and loves matter. And people love hearing juicy tidbits — as long as they’re clean and don’t embarrass (at least not too much!)

Steven Forsyth – Celtic Wedding Rings

Tags: best man, best man speech, father of the bride, preparing a speech, speeches, wedding speeches, wedding stories