Wedding Speeches Etiquette

A wedding is one of the most beautiful of ceremonies where two people commit their lives to one another. To “love honour and cherish till death us do part” are vows exchanged before the loving couple begin their lives together. Many hours, days and often months are spent in preparation for the big occasion. The couple strives to make it a day to remember. Much thought is given to every detail to ensure perfection from the wedding invitations, wedding dress, wedding speeches, bride’s maid’s dresses, tuxedos, flower girl, ring bearer, wedding cake, and choice of reception hall.

If planning the perfect wedding without the aid of a wedding planner, it is imperative to become informed about wedding etiquette. A traditional wedding ceremony follows a prescribed format such as the ushers seating guests in the bride or groom section of the church, the flower girl delicately tossing flowers down the isle to the officiant, followed by the groomsmen escorting the bridesmaids to the front of the church to stand side by side, behind and to the side of the bride.

The formal wedding ceremony usually culminates with a more informal reception. The reception is an occasion for celebration. Friends and family of the couple gather together to enjoy a meal, dance, partake of the wedding cake, and toast to the couple’s future happiness. Although the reception is an informal occasion set aside for the couple to celebrate with their family and guests, there is a certain prescribed etiquette for wedding speeches.

Traditionally, there are three accepted wedding speeches given at the wedding reception. These wedding speeches include the brides’ fathers’ speeches, the bridegrooms’ speeches and best mans’ wedding speeches. It is not customary for other wedding speeches to be given, however, they are permissible and often welcomed. The bridegroom’s father may take this time to give a short speech thanking everyone who participated in assisting the couple with their wedding and reception. Along with the best mans’ speech, the bride may want her maid of honour to give a speech as well.

First, the father of the bride is asked by the best man to propose a toast to the health and happiness of the bride and groom. Before the father of the bride gives the toast, he would first welcome the groom and the groom’s parents into the family and say a few words about his daughter. Wedding speeches given by the father of the bride are often bittersweet as the father reflects on his daughter’s life to the present and the emotions he feels regarding giving away his “little girl”.

Wedding speeches given by the bridegroom follow that of the father of the bride. The bridegroom should take this opportunity to commend his parents for their love, support and providing him with the best start in life. He should also thank everyone for attending the wedding and for the gifts that were given. If anyone was unable to attend due to illness, the bridegroom should take the time to include in his speech his sympathies and wish for his or her speedy recovery. The conclusion of wedding speeches given by bridegrooms should include a toast to the bridesmaids with a small token gift given to show appreciation.

The best man should give the last of the wedding speeches. It is his responsibility to toast on behalf of the bridesmaids and the speech should be warm, humorous and light hearted. The wedding speeches given by the best men are often viewed as the high point of the evening and their ability to potentially pull this off may be the deciding factor on who is chosen for this honour.

Wedding speeches are a form of a toast given to wish the couple well as they start their lives together. If spoken from the heart, these speeches are bound to cause a few tears and leave smiles on many faces.

Keywords: Wedding Speeches, Weddingblog, Wedding

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