10 Things to avoid when writing your wedding speech

Far too little attention is given to ensuring that the wedding speeches are both meaningful and memorable.  Interestingly, research shows that years down the line, the one thing people remember most about weddings are the speeches that were either enthralling, engaging or OMG embarrassing!

WRITTEN BY TOBY SHENKER – PROFESSIONAL WEDDING SPEECH WRITER 

Right now, you big day may loom a long way ahead, but it’s never too early to start working on your speech. Start by simply jotting down your random thoughts and sentiments as they occur to you and with time, your ideas will germinate into the precious words you wish to share. Bear in mind that as your wedding approaches, you will have a gazillion last minute details to attend to, so this is NOT a good time to start writing, what will most likely BE THE MOST IMPORTANT SPEECH YOU WILL EVER HAVE TO MAKE!

10 THINGS TO AVOID WHEN WRITING YOUR WEDDING SPEECH

1. Never start by making an excuse, (unless it’s genuinely  funny) or introducing yourself.  If you have an MC, or you’re the bride or groom, your guests know who you are! 
2. Avoid thanking people by reading out long lists of names. There are easy ways to summarise lists of names to ensure that this doesn’t detract from the overall impetus of your speech. 
3. Beware of over-sharing! While the story you plan to tell might be hilarious for a dinner party, your wedding is neither the place nor time to embarrass the best-man, groom or fretful mother in law!
4. Avoid the temptation to download from the internet syrupy professions of love, which can sound pretentious, weird and unauthentic to you.  
5. Avoid telling tired jokes, or reciting cheesy poems that will make you sound silly and lacking in substance.
6. Try to avoid using clichéd platitudes, like “I must be the luckiest person I know.”
7. Unless you can make it funny, don’t use pretentious quotes that don’t have any special significance to you or your spouse.
8. Avoid giving long lists of your bride or groom’s attributes and skills.  This can come across as boastful or tedious if not handled with charm and finesse.
9. Avoid long, self-indulgent, long-winded meanderings on something which is of interest only to you e.g. the astrological significance of your meeting date or wedding date.
10. Ideally, your speech should not last longer than 7 minutes.  Time yourself, and check with the other people who are speaking, to ensure that all the speeches collectively do not take up too much time away from the actual celebration and fun of the evening. 

Remember that on the day, you only have one chance to get it right. So, if you’d like to make your speech writing process focused and fun, start by downloading Toby’s free speech writing tips on www.bestspeechever.co.za. 

Now that you have your speech sorted, have a look at Your Wedding Day Timeline right here on Pink Book.