The Wedding MC’s
Wedding Speech Guide
Dear Wedding MC…
Congratulations on being chosen as the Wedding MC!
It’s an exciting time for you as you help the bride and groom embark on their new adventure in life.
And you’ve taken on the very important responsibility of coordinating the wedding reception and events. A lot rides on your shoulders.
One of your first duties may be to give a wedding speech and toast to the bride and groom - if they’ve requested you to give one.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to go about preparing a speech that the bride and groom will remember… and the wedding guests will enjoy or even rave about!
Later, I’ll talk about some of the things that are expected from you as Wedding MC.
The Top 5 Most Important Wedding Speech Tips
As you’ve read the articles and posts at WeddingSpeechesAndVows.com I hope you’ve picked up some handy tips for your wedding speech.
Here are what I consider the most important ones to keep in mind…
(1) Don’t try to “wing it” with your wedding speech. Spur of the moment comments can be a disaster. Give your wedding speech careful thought and preparation for the bride and groom’s special day.
(2) Start preparing your speech early. Give yourself lots of time for ideas to percolate. The less rushed you are, the better your speech will be.
(3) Keep your speech to 5 minutes…maximum. That’s about 750 words.
(4) Memorize your opening and closing sentences and your toast. It will increase your confidence and allow for smooth transitions as your speech progresses.
(5) Practice your speech. Out loud. In front of a mirror…or a friend. You don’t have to memorize it word for word. But you should know what you are going to say so it sounds natural.
Talents You Can Use In Your Wedding Speech
As you think about what to say in your wedding speech, ask yourself why you were selected to give one. This can help you create the framework for your speech…
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Are you good at one-liners or have a deep bag of appropriate jokes that never fail to get a laugh?
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Are you a family friend who knows the bride or groom and can talk about the qualities that make them well suited for each other?
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Are you a friend of the bride or groom and do you have humorous anecdotes about them that you could share with the wedding guests?
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Are you known for giving sound advice or words of wisdom?
Your speech will in all likelihood be a combination of humor and emotion.
Craft your wedding speech to your personality. If you’re a natural comedian or you have a dry sense of humor, it will be hard for you to give a serious wedding speech without at least a few teasing remarks about the groom or his bride.
Also consider the personalities of the bride and groom. Are they a fun loving couple who enjoy humor and a good laugh? Or are they serious minded and wouldn’t appreciate some gentle ribbing? Alternatively, a neutral approach would be to include humorous words of advice to the bride and groom on how to make a marriage successful.
In preparing your wedding speech, consider the bride and groom, think about who you are, what your role is, what qualities you bring to your presentation or tribute, and then tailor your speech and message accordingly.
Public Speaking Confidence Booster
If you’re like most of us, the thought of giving a speech in front of a group of people sends a momentary shiver of panic through your body.
The good news is that with thorough preparation you can overcome the worst of your fears very easily.
Amazingly, being slightly nervous before giving your wedding speech can help you do even better. Even professional performers admit to being nervous before going on stage.
And with proper preparation and rehearsal you’ll have the confidence to deliver your wedding speech with ease and assurance.
What To Talk About In Your Wedding Speech
Ideally, your speech should be about both the bride and groom. That’s why you’ll need ideas to work with.
Here, then, are 10 questions you can ask that will help you put your presentation together…
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Was there something unusual about how the bride and groom met? Did they meet by accident or was it pre-planned by friends? Was it serendipity, coincidence, accident, or fate?
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Do they have personality “quirks” or habits you can comment on? Is he very neat and likes things “just so”? Does she take a lot of time getting ready before she goes out?
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Does one of them have an accent? Did he fall in love with her accent first? Was it the accent that started the relationship when he asked her where she was from?
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Was there something unusual or humorous about how they met? Did he nearly run her down accidentally in his car? Did he rescue her from something? Did he offer her his umbrella in a rainstorm?
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Do they have favorite movies, movie stars, TV shows, comedians, personalities, books, stories, music you can talk about?
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Do the bride and groom share the same profession — musicians, lawyers, accountants, doctors. Can you link their professions to your wedding speech theme using terms that apply to that profession?
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Do they enjoy certain foods, restaurants, vacation spots, or sightseeing locations?
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Do the bride and groom have favorite or private names (a nickname, for example) for each other? Is it “honeybun,” “pumpkin,” “cupcake,” or some other endearing or significant term? Is there a story behind the favorite names they have for each other?
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What do people admire most about the bride or groom?
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Is there a heartwarming (or humorous) story about the qualities of the bride or groom that you could talk about?
Use these questions to guide you as you prepare your speech. Select a couple of topics to develop your wedding speech theme around. (Note also that the material you gather at this stage might be useful as background material during the wedding reception events.)
If your speech is a delicate balance of humor and sentiment it’s recommended that you use tact and good judgement - especially if you’re making humorous remarks about the bride or groom.
What may seem humorous to you may not be to others. Be especially careful when using humor in your speech that you don’t embarrass the bride or groom or any of the wedding guests.
Your goal - and role - is to add special meaning to the newlywed’s day. After all, it’s the day they’ll remember forever.
If you’re unsure about whether or not to include a humorous remark, leave it out.
Where To Get Inspiration For
Your Wedding Speech and Toast
Chances are this is the first time you’ve given a wedding speech. If that’s so, then there are certain things you’ll probably want to achieve…
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You want your wedding speech to start strongly and capture the wedding guests’ attention immediately.
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You want your speech to be funny. Humor is a great way to entertain. And no matter what your role is at the wedding it’s an enjoyable experience for the wedding guests when you give a humorous wedding speech.
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You don’t want to make a fool of yourself and be humiliated in front of 50…100…or more wedding guests.
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You want your speech to be a tribute to the bride and groom. You want it to be both sentimental and humorous. And you want it to be memorable - something the bride and groom will remember with affection. Above all, you don’t want to be remembered as the wedding speaker who ruined the bride and groom’s perfect wedding day because you said something inappropriate and embarrassing.
But, if you’re like most people who are asked to give a wedding speech, you don’t know where to start or what to say. You don’t know jokes or quotes that are appropriate for weddings. And you don’t know how to word your feelings and sentiments so they are meaningful to the bride and groom.
Not only that, you need inspiration to get ideas flowing so you can create a spectacular speech.
The best - and fastest - way to get inspiration is to use wedding speech templates and examples.
Fill-in-the-blanks templates are a quick and easy way to start preparing your wedding speech.
There are templates and examples for the Best Man…the Father of the Bride…the Maid or Matron of Honor…and Parents, Friends, and Relatives.
You get examples of how to open and close your speech. That’s important because you want to grab the wedding guests’ attention immediately. And you want to close the speech on the right note and lead smoothly into the toast. That’s one sign of a confident, eloquent wedding speaker.
You get sample speeches from which you’ll get your ideas. You’ll be able to cut and paste snippets from speeches, add your own material, and then polish and fine tune.
So instead of spending what might be days writing your speech from scratch, and agonizing over the correct words to use, you’ll have the framework for your speech put together faster than you ever thought possible.
What’s more, you get examples of toasts to use as you pay tribute to the bride and groom at the end of your speech.
And best of all, you’ll have a wide range of jokes and quotations to select from so you can create a funny and memorable wedding speech. You’ll be able to pick and choose what’s appropriate and what fits with your own material.
The speeches in the templates are all prepared by professional writers so they’ll sound polished - which is exactly how you want to sound when you stand up in front of all the wedding guests.
What’s more, you also get one FREE personal speech review by a professional speech writer.
Get your speech reviewed and critiqued so you don’t have any lingering doubts about how good it is. (Be sure to leave plenty of time for a review so you can polish and fine tune your speech. Of course, if you don’t have time to have your speech reviewed, the templates will help you prepare your wedding speech fast.)
The Toast To The Bride And Groom
You’ve now come to the final part of your speech.
Make a few concluding or complimentary comments. Mention how beautiful the bride looks or how lucky the groom is to have such a wonderful woman to share his life with.
Then it’s time to propose your toast to the bride and groom.
Ask the wedding guests to stand and join you in toasting the bride and groom.
But that’s not all! If you’re the Father of the Bride, the Best Man, or the Maid or Matron of Honor as well as the Wedding MC…
You Might Have To Make
Not Just One Wedding Speech…But Two!
With all the pre-wedding functions you’ll be attending, chances are you’ll be called upon - or feel obligated - to make another toast or short speech
So it’s a good idea to have more than one speech or toast ready for these other occasions.
You’ll look like a true professional giving one speech and toast at the rehearsal dinner, for example, and then presenting totally different versions at the wedding reception.
With proper preparation before the wedding events get underway, you’ll give one of your best speaking performances ever.
But giving a speech and toasting the bride and groom - if they’ve requested it - is just the beginning.
To be successful as a Wedding MC, you’ll have to transition the wedding guests from the formal wedding ceremony at the church to a celebratory party atmosphere at the reception.
Let me explain a few of the duties you’ll have…
Your Wedding MC Duties As
Facilitator…Entertainer…and Speaker
Like the conductor of a symphony, you’ll orchestrate the wedding reception’s events to ensure everything runs efficiently.
You’ll be coordinating the bridal party, the guests, the caterers, the photographer, the videographer, and the entertainers.
You’ll make introductions and announcements. And you’ll deliver jokes, amusing anecdotes, and humorous stories that delight and entertain the wedding guests.
From the arrival of the guests…to the meal…to the speeches and toasts…to the cutting of the wedding cake…to the dancing…to the final farewell, you’ll guide the activities from start to finish as everyone celebrates the bride and groom’s big day.
Being a Wedding MC is more than just following a hastily prepared agenda.
You’ll be responsible for keeping the events flowing smoothly and making sure the wedding guests are having a good time.
As you can see, there’s a lot riding on your performance as Wedding MC.
Will You Be Prepared For The Unexpected
On The Bride and Groom’s Important Day?
One of the true signs of a successful Wedding MC is being prepared and anticipating the unexpected.
Imagine this happening to you as you conduct the wedding reception…
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You introduce the Bridal Party in the wrong order and mispronounce people’s names.
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The caterers are slow in serving the beverages. Plus, the main meal is late being served and barely warm when it finally arrives which dampens the party atmosphere.
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The wedding speakers can’t be found when called upon to give their wedding speech or toast. What’s more, some speeches are longwinded and boring and some of the jokes offend the wedding guests and embarrass the bride and groom.
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The bride and groom’s personal gifts for the bridal party and their parents can’t be located and there’s a panic to find them.
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The garter toss turns into a shoving match between two intoxicated wedding guests.
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The First Dance song - which the bride and groom have rehearsed for weeks - doesn’t get played.
This is just a small sampling of things that can go wrong at the wedding reception. So it’s wise to have contingency plans in place and know how to deal with - or prevent - these and other situations that threaten to spoil - or ruin - a perfect wedding reception.
Get The Advantage That Wins Over The Wedding Guests And Turns The Reception Into A
Memorable Event
If you’ve never been a Wedding MC before, then chances are…
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You don’t know where to start, what to do, or what to say
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You don’t know the order of events for the program
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You don’t know the order of toasts and speakers or how to introduce them
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You don’t know what to check for to ensure the wedding reception runs smoothly
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You don’t know how to prevent wedding reception disasters or prepare for last minute emergencies
Keep in mind that the wedding reception will be a live performance. You’ll have only one chance to do everything right. There won’t be any “second takes.”
And the last thing you want to do is disappoint the bride and groom on their special day by being unprepared.
The easiest - and fastest - way to “get up to speed” with the Wedding MC duties and responsibilities is to follow in the footsteps of a professional Wedding MC. Who better to show you what to do than someone who knows the Wedding MC duties from start to finish?
If you don’t know what to do…what to say…or how to prevent the reception from turning into an embarrassing disaster…and you’re looking for guidance that walks you through the important steps of the Wedding MC’s duties, then this Wedding MC package will be a huge help.
It’s a complete package of duties and responsibilities with checklists, procedures, audience participation games, and word-for-word templates that even tell you what to say!
You’ll have at your fingertips…
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The MC’s Checklist to ensure you don’t forget important - even vital - dutiesKnowing what to do and what to say is vitally important because your talents as a Wedding MC will determine whether the reception is a success or a failure.
This Wedding MC package was created by a professional wedding emcee who has more than one thousand wedding receptions under his belt. You immediately benefit from his years of experience and avoid the traps that many novice wedding emcees fall into.
You’ll have an entire step-by-step blueprint of wedding party details, reception procedures, order of speeches and toasts, introductions, advice on what to say between speakers and how to transition smoothly from one segment to another, as well as jokes and one-liners to keep the wedding guests entertained. It comes with a full money-back guarantee. So see for yourself what it’s all about.
The bride and groom are counting on you and the last thing you want to do is let them down.
This is a role you want to thoroughly plan for, especially when the newlyweds have placed their complete trust in you and they’re expecting big things from you.
So be prepared. And carry out your Wedding MC duties with professionalism and complete confidence instead of panicking when you think about the huge responsibility you have resting on your shoulders.
We wish you every success in your role as Wedding MC!
~ The Wedding Speaker ~
On Valentine’s Day
Surprise the Love of Your Life
With Something Special…
Dear Wedding MC…
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. In fact, this celebrated day of love and romance will be here before you know it.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas to help you surprise and delight the special woman or man in your life.
From flowers…gift baskets…jewelry…romantic gifts…and unique Valentine’s Day gifts…you’re sure to find something that suits your budget and thrills your sweetheart.
So be sure to check out our Valentine’s Day Gift suggestions here.
Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day on February 14.
~ The Wedding Speaker ~
P.S. Be sure to check out our Valentine’s flowers section for savings on flowers.
Copyright © 2008 www.WeddingSpeechesAndVows.com - your online source for information about wedding speeches and wedding toasts. The reader assumes the entire risk associated with using, adapting, or implementing any ideas or techniques contained in this report, other reports from www.weddingspeechesandvows.com, or provided through offers. Image is © Morozova Tatiana at BigStockPhoto.com Graphics courtesy of www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/