All About Wedding Speeches

When it came to the subject of wedding speeches on our big day, I knew immediately that I wanted to make one – which seemed like the ‘nontraditional’ choice when chatting to wedded friends afterwards.

It seems because the bride is the ‘guest of honour’, she is the one being honoured and lauded through all the speeches and she should just graciously accept. However, this didn’t sit well with me – I needed to let my friends, family and husband know how much I loved and appreciated them – on this special day especially.

So, who is meant to say what and when?

Father of the bride / master of ceremonies

• Thanks the guests for coming and participating in the special day
• Thanks everyone who has contributed to the cost of the wedding
• Compliments and praises the bride, and welcomes her new husband into the family
• Toasts the bride and groom

Bridegroom

• Thanks the guests for attending and for their gifts
• Thanks both sets of parents
• Thanks the father of the bride for welcoming him to family
• Compliments his bride
• Thanks his best man
• Thanks and toasts the bridesmaid

Best Man

• Thanks the groom for his toasts to the bridesmaids
• Comments on the bridal couple, shares a funny story about both or particularly the groom
• Toasts the bride and groom

As you can see, the speech list is rather male-dominated. Ours was a little different – my mother spoke (not my father), I spoke and our Master of Ceremonies wasn’t the same person as the Best Man. I feel, at the end of it – and as always – it’s your day.

If you and your Maid of Honour would like to speak, then do it. Unless it turns into Uncle Larry and cousin Ethan also wanting to raise a glass, rather don’t regret not saying something when you really had something on your heart you wanted to share.

Read more from Candice as she planned her wedding in our Bride to Be section.

Photographs courtesy of Tiffany Burnham Photography ©