Don’t Use ChatGPT For Your Wedding Vows

In the upcoming months leading to your wedding, it’s normal to get caught up in worrying about all the details that go into creating a magnificent celebration. Somehow – writing those big-day speeches seems to remain ‘in hiding’ at the bottom of that ever-growing to-do list! Unfortunately, writing that wedding speech is often left to the last minute – most commonly avoided out of fear, knowing that speech-writing is not your strongest skill – often underpinned by an overwhelming fear of public speaking.

As an experienced speech writer who has attended innumerable events over the years, Toby Shenker has concluded how people underestimate the importance of delivering great speeches. Research has shown that the one thing people remember most about weddings is the speeches – either for being totally cringeworthy or thoroughly compelling. The fact is that if your speech is not classy, clever and amusing, you will have missed a huge opportunity to impress all the most important people in your life!

By engaging the services of a good speech writer like Toby, besides relieving yourself of massive unnecessary stress, you’ll also ensure that your wedding is remembered for all the right reasons. Now, with the advent of AI, it’s sorely tempting to download a generic speech.

SO, WHY USE A SPEECHWRITER IF I CAN DOWNLOAD A SPEECH ON CHAT GPT FOR FREE?

A downloaded speech:

can’t customise your words to your audience or the specific occasion
uses language that tends to be flowery and could make your sound weird
can’t capture the essence of what makes you, “YOU”
can’t articulate your heartfelt emotions
lacks a sense of humour, and most downloaded jokes sound corny
can’t help you to reflect upon your past, or assist you to make sense of it
can’t trigger your thoughts and brainstorm relevant ideas with you
can’t understand and express the intricacies of human emotion

To deliver an important, meaningful speech, you’ll want :

to avoid generic, vanilla, impersonalised content, at all costs
an original speech that sounds authentic and comes from the heart
an experienced sounding board to guide your thinking and steer you in the right direction
to capture your unique relationship with that special person you wish to honour
to introduce charm and humour and take delight in those funny moments
OMG! You don’t want your spouse or best friend to hear the identical sentiments expressed at the next wedding!

IN SUM: YOU PROBABLY OWE THAT SPECIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE MORE THAN A GENERIC, DOWNLOADED WEDDING VOWS!

By Toby Shenker – Writer and Owner of www.bestspeechever.co.za

For more info as to how Toby can assist you in writing the Best Speech Ever, feel free to contact him on +27 (0)83 949 5579

Tips For Writing Romantic Wedding Vows

1. Agree on the format and tone with your fiance

2. Come up with one, or two, or many promises

3. Jot down notes about your relationship

4. Watch some Videos for Inspiration:

We have made a compilation video of some of the most beautiful, heartfelt real-life wedding vow exchanges on Youtube. Watch this video as examples of what you do. Browse the internet – there are thousands romantic and inspiring of videos!

5. Write it all out

6. Avoid cliches

7. Take out anything too cryptic or embarrassing

On your wedding day, you’ve invited your family and your closest friends to witness your vows in order to make your bond public, so be sure everyone feels included in the moment. That means putting a limit on inside jokes, deeply personal anecdotes and obscure nicknames or code words. You need to think about how your words will sound to you ten years from now. If you’re unsure, have a friend or family member read it over ahead of time for feedback if you’re okay with sharing your vows beforehand.

8. Shorten your vows to one or two minutes

9. Practice out loud

It might be a little bit awkward at first, but preparing your words out loud is essential. Listen attentively and hear what they sound like out loud. Your vows should be easy to say and sound conversational. As you recite them, listen for any tongue twisters and super-long sentences, then cut them. This is also the time to practice the delivery. Just go with what feels natural, make pauses and take breaths, don’t let the nerves get to you!

10. Wrap your vows up with a look towards the future.