If you are getting married or have been asked to take part in the special day for either a friend or family member, you may have to make a wedding speech during the wedding reception. Many couples also expect a good wedding speech during the rehearsal dinner. If you have been asked to be the best man, or even a maid of honor, make sure you know whether you are expected to give a wedding speech.



A wedding speech can make or break an entire reception. That may be hard to believe, but have you ever been to a wedding reception where somebody gets up to make a speech and blunders what they are trying to say or takes too much time speaking? This quickly bores the guests and has them ready to leave as soon as they arrive. If you are planning your own wedding, you need to make sure that you have spoken to everybody in your wedding party that you expect to give a speech. This ensures that everybody is adequately prepared on your big day.

Make Sure you are Prepared

If you have been asked to give a wedding speech, the biggest thing that you can do is make sure that you are prepared in advance. This means that you should speak to the bride, groom, and ask them what they have in mind for a wedding speech. For example, some brides and grooms prefer to have a very sweet and touching speech made on their behalf. Others may choose a more humorous approach and will appreciate lighthearted stories and comments about the relationship. At your speech in advance in, practice it before hand. Try to memorize your speech so that you do not have to read your speech off a note card during the reception.

Make your Best Man Wedding Speech a favorite with the audience with these easy-to follow wedding speech tips.

1. Add some humor to the speech. It could be a funny line, a borrowed quote from a movie or TV soap or simply any line said in a different tone of voice imitating someone. Popular voice imitations are Arnold Schwarzenegger and 'The Godfather'.

2. Draw a line when it comes to jokes. Jokes are always a hit but can cause embarrassment if you take them too far. Make sure your jokes don't embarrass anybody.

3. Do not discuss the past affairs of the bride or the groom even in your jokes. Remember at all times that all parents, grandparents and kids are among your audience and keep the speech family friendly.

4. Don't mess up with names and wedding facts like who's hosting the wedding, are the bride's parents divorced and what is the name of the groom's sister's third husband. Such mistakes are not forgiven easily. Keep a cue note for names.

5. Cue notes are acceptable provided you don't completely read out your speech from a note. It is okay to refer to your notes to prompt lines.

6. It is very important that you stay sober when giving your speech. Refrain from drinking prior to the speech and that will ensure a decent speech which will be well received.

7. At the beginning of the speech, introduce yourself and thank the groom for choosing you be his best man.

8. After introduction, shift the focus immediately to the bride and the groom instead of dwelling upon yourselves. That should also be your main consolation if you dread public speaking that it is not you on whom all eyes are. You are simply giving your best wishes to the newly wed couple.

9. End with lots of good wishes and a toast to the good health and happiness of the newly married couple.

10. Prepare your speech ahead. Take into consideration all these points and use websites and speech guides to prepare your speech well ahead of time. On the morning of the wedding, go through your speech. Keep your speech in your pocket and go through it again just before the reception begins.