Guests love to hear from couples, and most couples report that they're glad they made the effort to speak on their own big day. When planning the order of speeches, consider whether the speeches will take place all at once, or whether you will stagger them throughout the day.
To keep things concise and stick to your wedding timeline, Imberman recommends limiting speeches to just the VIPs, which includes the best man speech, the maid of honor speech, and the parent speeches. And, as a bonus, some couples also opt to give a bride's speech and/or a groom's speech, but that's up to you.
Who gives a toast at a wedding? Your parents/parent figures, wedding party members, best friends, or close relatives are generally the ones who give speeches or readings throughout your wedding celebration, but ultimately, you can ask whoever you want if it will mean something to you.
While it is common for the maid of honor and best man to give a wedding speech, it's not required. There are several reasons why you might want to ask someone else to give a speech at your wedding.
You can do whatever works for you with your wedding speeches, but the traditional order of wedding speeches is as follows: father of the bride, groom, best man and then other toasts. It's becoming increasingly popular for brides and maids of honour to make speeches too!
Yes, If you Enjoy Public Speaking
Some brides and grooms are comfortable in front of a crowd, and it feels natural for them to say a few words of thanks and toast their new spouse. I've also seen a few couples use the words, “my wife,” or “my husband” for the very first time in their speeches.
With friends and family travelling from all over to join you for your wedding celebration, it's important to make time to greet each guest and thank them for coming.
Traditionally, the father of the bride is the first to speak in the wedding speech sequence, especially if he has contributed financially to the wedding. The bride's father's speech should include; — A welcome to all the guests, and an expression of gratitude for their attendance and participation in the wedding.
You can do it alone or as a tag team with your new spouse. If you're appearing as a duo, you could toast each other, then the bridal party, your parents, and the guests and vendors, thanking them for being a part of your special day.
More and more mums are choosing to deliver a mother of the bride speech at their daughter's wedding. It's a moving moment in the day which will mean so much to both you and her. It's traditional to have a father of the bride speech, but that certainly doesn't mean that mums can't give speeches too!
Tradition states that the Wedding Speeches should be conducted after the meal and they essentially bring an end to the day's formalities at which point the party side of the day can begin. By serving the meal first it means your guests are finally being properly fed.
Traditionally, it's the groom who pays for the honeymoon. Today, however, most couples split the cost, with many also asking for donations towards their honeymoon instead of wedding gifts.
Traditionally, only three speeches would be given at a wedding reception (father of the bride, groom, best man). But in most modern weddings, many more people are invited to speak. While there's no perfect number, we would advise not scheduling too many speeches.
From a performer's perspective the best time for wedding speeches will be at the end of the meal. (Just as an aside, if you'd like to have your crowd properly warmed up before the speeches, check out my Wedding Emcee page. All the best performers use a warm-up man!)
During the reception it is customary for the father of the bride to make a short speech, thanking the guests and those that have helped with the wedding planning, and talking a little about his daughter and new son-in-law. At the end of the speech the father of the bride usually proposes a toast to the happy couple.
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.
Aside from the bride and groom, the receiving line most often includes the parents of the couple in the following order: the mother of the bride, the father of the bride, the newlyweds, the mother of the groom, and the father of the groom. As an alternative, the fathers can instead mingle with the crowd.
Weddings are the one exception to this: As long as you've spoken to the bride's or groom's family at some point during the reception, you do not have to say goodbye to them as you leave, especially if they're dining or dancing. It would be ruder to interrupt their merriment than to forego the farewell.
With this being said, it's generally understood that a plus-one should always be offered to the following people on your guest list: Anybody in an established relationship – regardless of whether or not you've met the partner in question.
A Bit about Wedding Vows
Generally, you can either say the vows yourselves, repeat them after your registrar or clergy member, or say “I do” to them. You'll normally exchange the rings straight after.
Is It OK to Read a Wedding Speech? The debate over whether it's OK to read your wedding speech ends here. Since not everyone is great at public speaking, experts say it's fine to bring notes with you, so long as you're familiar with your script. The important part is to show your love for the couple.
Sequence of Dance Partners in Wedding
The bride and groom will dance first. This is the usual format. Then the parent dances with the couple - the father with the bride and the mother with the groom. The groom's father will then dance with the bride and the groom with the mother-in-law.