Wedding Speeches - The One Day Timetable

HELP! I've only got one day!

So you've only got today to produce an effective, stimulating, entertaining and sincere speech. Are you panicking? Don't. We are able to provide you with all the ingredients you will need to do well tomorrow.

The first thing to consider is whether you can take any time off work - the more the better. But even if you end up with only an hour to produce a few words, using that time in preparations will definitely help you.

Step by step

First - Download the relevant speech pack (Groom, Best Man, Father of the Bride).

Even if your available time is tiny, you now have 5 suitable wedding speeches, and you can:

• choose which of our five speeches suits you best
• and use it "as is" except for the insertion of the correct Bride and Groom's names throughout.

Each one of our speeches will stand up in front of any audience.

If you can engineer more time, all well and good. Search through your memory for an appropriate anecdote or two to personalise the speech a little. Use your time to intersperse the material into your chosen speech, perhaps with selected material from the jokes and quotes and toasts collections.

Prepare your speaker's notes

Produce your final notes - type or write them on to cards. If none are available use paper, but not full sheets of A4. With these in front of you any otherwise imperceptible shake of your hands due to nerves will be magnified out of all proportion by the windsock-like flapping of the paper. Rather, trim the sheets across the middle to make A5 sheets and use those.

When writing notes, never split a sentence over two cards - you will find yourself stopping in the middle of a crucial statement or joke and searching wildly for its punchline.

Make sure that the cards are in the right order - number them and either staple them together or punch a hole and use a treasury tag.

Print off / photocopy a second set and keep it in your pocket, just in case of accidental loss of the master set.

Rehearse

Do try to find the time to read through the speech out loud at least once - more if you can. Practise will help your confidence and make the occasion less of an ordeal.

Deliver your speech

When you stand up to "deliver" to "perform" your speech:

• don't belt through the speech through out of control nerves -
• breathe deeply,
• force yourself to proceed through the speech at a measured pace with plenty of pauses
• to allow the audience to mull over your words, anticipate humour and appreciate your sincerity.

I can't overestimate the importance of refraining from alcohol before the speech - if you are tipsy you will be an embarrassment to everyone, particularly yourself. Lay off the beer etc altogether until afterwards.

A closing thought: lots of people will probably offer you conflicting advice about the delivery and content of your speech - by all means consider what they say but don't be distracted from the steps you find here.

And finally, my best wishes for resounding success and a happy day.

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