Giving a Wedding Speech: 8 Simple, Effective Tips

Being asked to give a speech at your friend's wedding is an honor. Although expressing your feelings to the happy couple can be written down in a card, being able to express them out loud to each and every guest at the wedding is an entirely different level. A great wedding speech will always be remembered by those who attended the wedding, while a boring or offensive one will just be dismissed and completely forgotten. Writing a speech for a wedding isn't rocket science, but there are several topics that should and should not be covered in a wedding speech since the entire guest list will be listening.

1. The first tip for writing a wedding speech is to make sure you express your gratitude to the recently married couple. Even if you were not included in the wedding party, you should always thank the couple for being included in their special day.

2. Focus your speech entirely on the bride and groom. Although some may enjoy hearing about your love life or childhood, the speech is for the bride and groom and should be about them. Include stories about either the bride or groom or both if possible, but keep them simple and don't expose any embarrassing secrets. Humorous stories are always great, but just make sure to not expose too much.

3. Keep in mind who is in the audience. Many weddings include guests of all ages, so you will want to avoid saying anything that is inappropriate for a younger generation. This includes jokes, stories, and anything that you wouldn't want your own children hearing. Jokes related to race or background should also be avoided, because most wedding guests will come from various backgrounds.

4. Keep your speech relevant and aimed toward everyone at the wedding. Although you may have known the groom for years and the bride for only a few minutes, you don't want to focus all of your attention on one side of the bridal party and leave the other side bored and yawning.