Who Usually Gives Speeches at a Wedding?

Leah

If you are confused about who gives speeches at a wedding, we are here to help!

Here is the order of who should give a speech, as well as what it is exactly that they should be saying:

Father of the Bride

The bride's father would traditionally do a speech first, as he would have paid a lot of money towards the day.

In his speech he should:

Welcome guests
Welcome the groom to the family
Toast absent friends and family
Compliment the bride, telling stories about her and say how proud he is
Praise the groom too, explaining why they're a wonderful couple
Toast the newly married couple

For same-sex couples, its their choice on who should kick off the evening - or their dads could do a joint speech!

Groom

Next, the groom should have his say.

If he wants to follow tradition, this speech would include:

Giving his thanks to the father of the bride for the newlyweds toast
Thanking all of the guests for attending (and for any gifts received too!)
Thanking his mother and father-in-law, as well as his own parents
Complimenting the bride
Thanking his best man
Giving out gifts to thank members of the wedding party, as well as toasting and complimenting the bridesmaids
Toasting the hosts of the wedding, usually the brides parents

Best Man Speech

The final wedding speech would traditionally be from the best man. This is where things get entertaining, with the best man also cracking all of the jokes.

The best man should:

Compliment the couple
Tell funny anecdotes about the groom
Read out messages from friends and family who couldn't be there
Toast the newlyweds

Mix the speeches up!

Of course, you don't have to follow tradition. You can add a speech in for anyone, including the bride, the maid of honour, and the mother of the bride!

Bride Speech

Many brides are now choosing to have a speech themselves, too. This speech would directly follow the grooms, or they can do a joint speech.

Here is a guideline to follow:

Thank all of the guests for coming
Thank her parents and new in-laws, especially if they are paying for the wedding
Say her thanks to the wedding party, and also give out any gifts
Tell a romantic anecdote about the groom
Raise a toast

Maid of Honour Speech

Just before the best man has his say, the maid of honour can choose to have a speech.

She should:

Compliment the couple, and then the ushers
Tell a funny anecdote about the bride
Toast the newlyweds

If you are having a lot of speeches on the day, be sure to ask each participant to keep their speech short. You don't want your speeches to take all day.

The ideal amount of time for a toast is around four minutes - not too long to bore guests, but enough time to share an anecdote, and keep things entertaining.

You can also speed up the toasts by letting each person know the order in which the speeches will be happening.

We hope you have enjoyed this blog! For more wedding inspiration, also head over to our other blogs.