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[O316]Order Of Wedding Speeches

by Cherie Stirewalt, Che

Back in the day, you didn't see the flurry of wedding speech activity that you do now. You probably heard from the Father of the Bride and the Best Man. And, that was pretty much it. But nowadays, everybody and their brother want to get up and toast the bride and groom. So, with this plethora of people, what is the proper order of wedding speeches in today's world? Or does it even matter?

The Origin of the Wedding Speech or Toast

Wedding Speeches, or toasts, originated in the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greeks and Romans would raise their goblets to their Gods hoping to gain favor. The Greeks would also perform toasts to avoid being poisoned. The Greeks were a suspicious bunch. You never knew who your enemies were. So, when the Grecians would gather for celebrations, they would all drink from the same pitcher and spill a little of their wine into the next person's goblet. This would ensure there was no funny business going on.

The Romans began a practice of dropping a piece of burnt toast into the wine to absorb any impurities. Back in those days, wine would go bad easily. The burnt toast would make it taste better. When the Romans invaded Britain around 55 B.C., they brought the practice with them. The word "toast" comes from the Latin word tostus, meaning roasted or parched. The word stuck and over time, also referred to salute with a drink.

What should the Order of Wedding Speeches Be?

Well, that all depends. Are you a traditionalist, or a non-traditionalist?

If you are a traditionalist, the Best Man gives the first wedding speech. He generally toasts the bride and groom, and also acts as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Following the Best Man's speech, the groom will rise to respond, toast his bride, thanks the parents and so on.

Others may speak at this point. Finally the Father of the Bride will give his speech and thank everyone for attending.

If you are a non-traditionalist, all the rules fly out the window. The rules are: there are no rules. Spontaneity is the way to go and lots of people get up to toast the bride and groom. But, generally, the order of wedding speeches will go as follows if you are a non-traditionalist:

*Best Man Speech
*Maid (or Matron) of Honor Speech
*Father of the Bride Speech
*Parents of the Groom Speech
*Groom Speech
*Bride Speech
*Any other Guests of Honor Speeches

Who Else Can Give a Wedding Speech

The other Guests of Honor are a long and illustrious list. It basically means anyone the bride and groom deem close enough to them to give a speech. But here are some ideas on who can give Guest of Honor Speeches at a wedding reception:

*The bride's or groom's siblings
*The bridesmaids (collectively or individually)
*The groomsmen (collectively or individually)
*Grandparents
*Godparent
*Guardians
*Close Relatives
*Cousins
*Best Friends
*Coworkers
*Bosses
*Children of the Bride or Groom
*The Wedding Officiant

Any of these people can give a speech if prearranged and okay with the bride and groom. After all, there is such a thing as too many wedding speeches. You don't want the party-goers to be bored to tears.

So does the Order of Wedding Speeches even matter anymore? Not really. The days when wedding etiquette was etched in stone are long gone. More important are the thoughts conveyed during the speeches. As long as the bride and groom feel incredibly special and loved on their big day, the order of the wedding speeches does not matter.

Father Of The Bride's Speech

The father of the bride is usually called upon by the best man in order to propose a toast to the bride and the groom. However, it is normal for the relatives and close friends of the recently married couple to say a few words on behalf of the bride. After this, the father of the bride will show his appreciation of the bride and bridegroom in his own words. All this is followed by a toast offered to the couple.

Bridegroom's Speech

The typical bridegroom's speech can be used as an opportunity to thank their parents for all the years of love and care while they were growing up and their continued support later on in life. You should also thank them for all their blessings that you have received concluding with their blessing your wedding.

Sometimes there can be members of the family or close friends who are not able to attend due to various reasons. Remember these people and wish them a fast recovery. Also remember those who are unable to attend due to less severe reasons. It is not necessary to exclude the common attendees. Thank everyone for their help on this very important day on which the love and support of all those around you is vital.

Also, don't forget to thank your parents-in-law as they are the ones who gave birth and raised your wonderful wife to be. Otherwise, there won't be her.

And lastly...

Best Man's speech

There is a good probability that by the time the father of the bride and the bridegroom are done with their speeches, the atmosphere will be heavy with all kinds of sentiments. If you are called upon to give a wedding speech as the best man, then judge the situation and accordingly try to make your own speech lighthearted and fun.

It has almost become an expected outcome that the best man's speech will be full of humor and stories from the past. It doesn't matter if a lot of people already know of the things you are speaking. Sharing them through words on this occasion makes a big difference to the overall tone.

After all, with all the customary thanks already been said by the father of the bride, and the groom, yours should be an end to be remembered by having doses of humor and reflection of your time with the groom.

However, what is funny to you might be embarassing to the groom and his family. Try not to use intimate doses in your toast. It might just land the groom in hot soup on his wedding day.

Article Source : Free Wedding Speeches

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Both Cherie Stirewalt & Melvin Ng are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Cherie Stirewalt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Parenting, Astrology Predictions and Bad Breath. Cherie Stirewalt has been in more weddings than she can count. Learn how to write and deliver and wedding speech that will leave them all speechless. Download your