Eric Hartwell asked:
The 3 most common wedding speeches fall under the headings of the bride’s father’s speech, the bridegroom’s speech, and, last of all, the best man’s speech.
The toastmaster should call upon the bride’s father to propose a blessing of “health and happiness to the bride and groom.” Try to make it heartfelt and genuine because crudeness is inappropriate. A little humor, however, is fitting. The toastmaster is often the best man but could also be someone that has been especially employed for the position. Professional toastmasters are available for an appropriate fee and can take a lot of the pressure off the occasion. . The bride’s father will have his blessing preceded by welcome messages to the groom’s parents, all relatives, and all the guests. Finally, he’ll utter some words off in appreciation and admiration of his precious daughter and bless her and her new husband their future marriage.
The groom will typically reply with a speech of thanksgiving to his own parents for their contributions to his character, health, and current success. He will gives thanks to the gift-bearers and mention those that couldn’t attend due to illness. In other words, he’ll be conciliatory and considerate to all members of the group. He could even toast the bridesmaids and thank them with a small gift as a token of thanksgiving.
The best man will then arise, usually on behalf of the bridesmaids, to give a heartfelt, funny, and light-hearted speech about the groom. This is a familiar scene in movies whereupon the best jokes, anecdotes, and stories are brought up. This is a critical point in the selection of a best man.
Obviously, giving a speech at a wedding is prefaced with an acknowledgement of your role and the person or people you’ll be giving the speech to … here are some good tips for preparing and delivering an excellent speech to a lot of people for the first time …
Write down your notes a week and half ahead of time.
Rehearse for at least a week so that you won’t need to fully rely on your notes.
Thank the parents for donating time and gifts for the wedding arrangements.
Relax.
Leave them wanting a little more.
Be brief, frank, honest, and nice.
Compliment the whole group. Compliments always win smiles.
Keep your toast less than 5 minutes to avoid lots of yawning.
Leave out racy, inappropriate, crude, vulgar, or embarrassing jokes unless no one would be offended or annoyed.
Let your guard down and be natural.
Practice your speech in front of others.
Let your personality grab the attention of those in the audience. Be yourself and let it just flow out.
Interject quotes and jokes from books or the internet to complement your speech.
Sincerity is better than anything. Even if you mess up a line, your sincerity will more than compensate.
This is a not a test, essay, or exam – enjoy it.
Focus on friends in the room and deliver your speech to them personally. That will make it easier than reaching out to the whole audience.
Alcohol will probably make you less capable, off-center, or a little tipsy, and it might disrupt the speech’s content. Stay sober.
Follow the instructions outlined above if you have to learn how to make a speech at a wedding. And try to make sure that someone gets it on video at least.