Wedding Speeches for the Very Nervous

Wedding celebrations and wedding speeches go hand in hand. You don't get one without the other. It is possible, I suppose, to have a wedding celebration where no one makes a formal speech - but I’ve never seen it. I’ve been to weddings where speeches are very short (less than a minute each) and I’ve been to weddings where speeches are very long (far too long!). The shortest wedding speech I heard was when the bride’s father stood up and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand and toast the health and happiness of the Bride and Groom”. Everyone did as they were told and nobody complained. That’s a bit unusual. Most wedding speeches are much longer than that and most speakers are apprehensive and nervous; that’s natural. So where does this anxiety and nervousness come from? Maybe it is genetic; something we are born with. Maybe our upbringing and environment have an impact. Maybe it’s the sense of, ‘this is an important occasion and I mustn’t let anybody down’. Or maybe it’s because we have been to weddings where speakers are eloquent, inspirational and amusing – and we feel the pressure to be the same. Whatever the reasons, most people feel nervous and apprehensive about making a wedding speech. This book will give you some tips, guidance and reassurance. You’ll also get some examples and templates to help you build an effective wedding speech, whether you are ‘father of the bride’ (‘giver-away’), ‘bridegroom’ or ‘best man’ - or, indeed, any other wedding speech-maker.