Wedding Guides

Remember to include these essentials in your speech whether you’re the person getting married or just someone being asked to give a few words.

For the Wedding Vows:

1. Personal wedding vows are extra special because these give the couple a chance to share their pledges in their own words. Before you write one, make sure your venue or religion will allow you to exchange personal vows on the day of your wedding.

2. Keep it short and succinct. Wedding vows take about five minutes of the entire ceremony, so be sure to keep yours down to two minutes to give your partner the chance to speak too!

3. Profess your love. Speak from the heart, and don’t be afraid to be mushy on your wedding day.

4. Look back and relive the moment when you fell in love with your partner. Explain the instance that made you see him or her as someone you could grow old with.

5. Reveal your promises. Create your own version of the line “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part” by citing specific examples related to your partner.

6. Take out embarrassing lines that won’t sit well in a religious setting and a solemn ritual. There’s a time and place for everything.

7. A few days before the wedding, run it by someone (like your best man or maid of honor) to see if your thoughts are coherent.

8. Memorize and practice saying your vows out loud. Keep a printed copy in case you forget what to say because you’re too caught up in the moment.

For the Wedding Reception Speech:

9. Know your audience. It’s important to discover how serious or easy-going the guests are, and how they’ll take it if you say a few jokes about the couple.

10. Speak clearly and eloquently. Find out which language the majority of guests use. Whether it’s English, Tagalog, or some other dialect, inject a few lines in that language to show guests you want to connect with them.

11. Make it personal, but always bring it back to the couple. Mention how you know the bride or the groom (you can even include a brief history of how you met!), but don’t make the speech about you. Share how the couple changed your life, and reveal your wishes for them.

12. Share a funny anecdote about the couple, but nothing too gross or cringe-worthy. One or two inside jokes are worth mentioning as long as they don’t make the rest of the congregation scratch their heads in wonder.

13. Keep your speech under five minutes. Anything longer than that will make guests become disinterested.

14. Memorize your speech so you can easily relate to your audience. But if you must read your speech, make it a point not to stare at your phone or paper while giving it.

15. Be thankful. Whether you’re expressing gratitude for being given a chance to be a part of the wedding or saying thank you to specific people who’ve helped in the process, it’s always important to show your utmost appreciation.

16. End your speech on a positive note. Make the couple, the families, and the guests feel good by closing your speech with a happy memory or an encouraging vision of the future to come.