Elegant Wedding Toronto 2019 EWM TORONTO_2 | Page 44
Notes
from the
Writer’s Desk
Tips to perfecting your
Wedding Speech
Delivering a wedding toast will be one of the most memorable public
speaking moments of your lifetime. That wedding speech could be for your
best friend, your mom, your brother, or your sister. When someone asks
you to speak at their wedding, one thing is for certain, you definitely have
a special bond with them. That’s why it’s so important to get your words
right. The urge to honour your loved one is also why preparing wedding
toasts can feel so daunting. But as long as you put in the work, speaking at
a wedding can be a truly serene – unstressful – experience. Here are five
tips for delivering a spectacular wedding speech!
1. Know your relationship
Ask yourself, who are you delivering this toast to? Is it your child-
hood friend who’s tying the knot? Is it your uncle, or your college
roommate? Are they sweet and serious? Or are they frivolous and
funny? Before you deliver the speech to your audience, remember
that it’s first and foremost for your loved one. The speech should be
designed to appeal to that person, and to express the nature of your
connection with them. Is this speech for the dad you love so dear-
ly, but who doesn’t like to laugh at himself? Your guiding thought
should be, “What would this person want or expect from me with
this speech?” Of course, the answer to that question doesn’t have to
be a mystery. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask a bride or groom
what they want. They undoubtedly have a vision for the speech
they’d like to see you give, and it’s OK to ask what that is.
2. Know your audience and know your setting
Your setting and audience can have a significant impact on the type
of speech you give, and how you give it. There are so many different
factors to consider. On one hand, you could be one of 10 people
presenting toasts to a crowd of 500 well-wishers spread out around
a hotel ballroom. On the other hand, the wedding could have an
intimate backyard setting with a handful of speeches, and a grand
total of 25 guests. The best way to calm the nerves is to get to know
the setting and prepare your speech accordingly. Prepare a list of
questions about the setting to ask the bride or groom. For example,
you need to know things like, will there be a microphone? Where
will your audience be sitting? How long is the speech supposed to
be? Will there be a projector for the slide show you prepared? As the
age-old adage says, knowledge is power!
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by Frankie Cena
3. Evoke an emotion
Reflect back on the best wedding speech you have ever heard.
I guarantee it made you laugh or cry. Some of us are really good
with comedy, while others are more suited to drama, and some can
manage both with ease. While it’s essential to prioritize what the
friend getting married wants above all, you should also try playing
to your strengths. Reflect on your best memories with your loved
one. Sit down in a stress-free environment and write down the most
precious moments that come to mind. Those memories will be the
bread and butter of your presentation. Once you’ve identified them,
the rest of your speech will flow freely.
4. Practice!
Just like your fourth grade choir leader/soccer coach/equestrian in-
structor told you, practice makes perfect! Remember to read your
speech in front of others before the big day. That way you’ll see if the
jokes you’d planned actually land, and you can solicit opinions about
whether those cute anecdotes about the bride or groom’s misspent
youth actually cross the line. Yet another benefit of practicing your
toast is that it will make you more comfortable with it, which will
in turn make you calmer when it comes time to present it. How-
ever, avoiding the pitfalls of “over-practicing” is equally important.
You don’t want to come off as rigid, which often happens when you
memorize a speech word-for-word. Find the sweet spot between
spontaneous and overly studious!
5. Have fun!
A wedding is a joyous celebration of love. Everyone in the audience will
either be drunk, or on their way to being drunk. The audience wants
to have fun. That means you should enjoy yourself while delivering
your speech so everyone else assembled can have a good time, too.
Follow Frankie
at his website, on Instagram, or Youtube Channel.
www.facebook.com/frankiecena and for more info on public speaking,
www.fdtacademy.com