The key speeches areusually delivered by thegroom, best man and thebride’s father, and each has aslightly different function.Speeches are usually amixture of humor, sentiment,compliments and messages ofthanks. Getting the balance right is

essential and can make orbreak a wedding speech.

RelaxIt’s natural to be nervous

before delivering a weddingspeech, and even those usedto public speaking willexperience anxiety.Keeping things simple is

one of the key tips fordelivering a wedding speech.Take deep breaths to calmyour nerves, and speak loudlyand clearly so that all theguests can hear you.If using a microphone,

make sure you know how tooperate it before standing todeliver your speech. Anycomedy moments should beintentional, with guestslaughing with you and not atyou!

PrepareWriting a wedding speech

can be daunting. Research,preparation and planning arethe keys to success.

Begin preparing the speechweeks before the weddingday, and don’t get caught outat the last moment. Everyspeaker should have severalstories and anecdotes toshare, so begin researchingthese well in advance. Always consider the

audience you will be speakingto, and make sure all materialis relevant and of interest.Never set out to embarrass oroffend anyone.

Time ItOnce you have some

stories to share, write themout and time how long ittakes to read them. If you area confident speaker, 10minutes is a good time aim todeliver the whole speech. If you want to be brief,

three to five minutes isacceptable. One of the worstmistakes is to speak for toolong, and lose the interestof your audience.

Consider PropsProps can bring

additional interest to awedding speech. Aslideshow of photographscan be highly entertaining. For example, showing

photographs of the brideand groom as babies andchildren is always very

well received.Remember theboundaries ofgood taste, anddo not showphotographswhich mayoffend.

Stay FocusedKeeping a

clear head isessential whendelivering awedding speech.Weddingsgenerallyinvolvealcohol, and it’s important notto partake too early. Drinking before delivering

a speech is one of the worstmistakes you can make, andit’s something that will beremembered for years tocome.

Delivering a weddingspeech is actually an honor,and it’s something you shouldlook forward to doing. If youfollow these tips, you shouldbe confident in delivering anentertaining speech to beproud of.

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16 S Wedding Planner 2014

Tips for delivering a speech