Last month I gave a speech at my friend’s wedding. I recall writing a panicked post about this event as it approached and I was, um, speechless. Well one sleepless night I managed to get all of my thoughts on paper in some sort of organized fashion. And I delivered the speech at the wedding as requested.
They laughed. They cried. Success, right? Tears and laughter were my goal.
But because I can’t speak in front of an audience off the cuff like the wedding belle, I really needed to prepare. So here’s my advice to all you fearful wedding speech givers out there. I’m pretty sure you won’t find this anywhere else when you google wedding toast or speech. (Trust me. I looked for this kind of guidance.)
Consider the audience you are delivering the speech to. Yes, fourth grade grammar. In other words, do you want to speak to the bride and groom directly in second person for the guests to listen in on? Or do you prefer to speak to the guests about the bride and groom in third person while the couple listens in?
Second person = you fell in love and got married.
Third person = they fell in love and got married.
There’s no right or wrong way to do it really. This is personal preference but absolutely something to think about. Ask yourself who you are addressing.
What else? If you do go the route of writing the speech in advance, write like you speak. If it’s written like a novel or textbook, I think you will lose your audience quickly.
Things that I knew I wanted to avoid… I’ve heard a lot of wedding toasts and a few stick out in my mind. Not for good reasons. Not everyone needs to prepare a speech. Some people are gifted like that. If you are not one of them, prepare something or you may end up a rambling fool. Recognize the difference between a wedding speech and a lecture or church homily. Seriously. I’ve seen it and it’s awkward! On the other end, if you haven’t prepared, it may be too short and therefore, empty. Also awkward.
And finally don’t make the speech all about you. Ok, you should probably introduce yourself somewhere throughout the speech. Obviously interject your tidbits about the couple or your perspective of their relationship. This is where the humor can come in. But I once heard a girl talk all about her and the bride’s (her sister) relationship growing up and how they weren’t actually friends and blah blah. The works. I’m pretty sure she never mentioned the groom. At all. Double Awkward!
I’m no expert on this topic but these are some points that I took into consideration when writing my speech and observing others. Overall, just speak from the heart about your bride and groom. And that’s really all you need to know!
-The perennial bridesmaid
Showing posts with label toast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toast. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
writer's block
Why is it that I rarely have a problem coming up with strong words to write here but when it comes time to write something meaningful, I’m stumped?
Where am I going with this?
I have the honor of giving a speech at my friend’s wedding in a few weeks. There are so many things I could say. So many directions I could take it. The hard part is articulating it into a speech (and not one of my crazy blog posts) that makes sense to a broad audience of friends and family.
Funny because I actually thought the hard part would be delivering it but I seem to be less worried about that aspect. I suppose all of the past wedding reading experiences have prepared me for this opportunity. Wedding reading should be a pre-requisite to toast giving. Just a thought…
I already had an idea of how to open the speech and close it thanks to the public speaking class that was required in college. They did promise me that I would need those skills in my adult life. So in case you’re wondering, the standard structure in this case is to open with a shout out to everyone who made this possible and close with a toast to the couple. What’s in between is usually heartfelt and hopefully comical as well.
As I tried to organize my thoughts, I googled wedding speeches. There are actually sites dedicated to free wedding toasts. I recommend you do this for fun some time. I don’t recommend using the free speeches though. The sappy poems and metaphors are kind of funny but not what I had in mind.
May your winters be full of twinkling white lights,
may your springs be full of freshly picked flowers,
may your summers be full of bright blue oceans and
may your autumns be full of warm cups of tea.
Ha. Really!?
Stay tuned for the results!
-The perennial bridesmaid
Where am I going with this?
I have the honor of giving a speech at my friend’s wedding in a few weeks. There are so many things I could say. So many directions I could take it. The hard part is articulating it into a speech (and not one of my crazy blog posts) that makes sense to a broad audience of friends and family.
Funny because I actually thought the hard part would be delivering it but I seem to be less worried about that aspect. I suppose all of the past wedding reading experiences have prepared me for this opportunity. Wedding reading should be a pre-requisite to toast giving. Just a thought…
I already had an idea of how to open the speech and close it thanks to the public speaking class that was required in college. They did promise me that I would need those skills in my adult life. So in case you’re wondering, the standard structure in this case is to open with a shout out to everyone who made this possible and close with a toast to the couple. What’s in between is usually heartfelt and hopefully comical as well.
As I tried to organize my thoughts, I googled wedding speeches. There are actually sites dedicated to free wedding toasts. I recommend you do this for fun some time. I don’t recommend using the free speeches though. The sappy poems and metaphors are kind of funny but not what I had in mind.
May your winters be full of twinkling white lights,
may your springs be full of freshly picked flowers,
may your summers be full of bright blue oceans and
may your autumns be full of warm cups of tea.
Ha. Really!?
Stay tuned for the results!
-The perennial bridesmaid
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
defining a honeymoon shower
I’m still recovering from my fantastic weekend that was jam packed with wedding festivities. As promised, I am sharing details. I have been trying to organize them in my brain to present them in a comprehensive manner.
Let’s start with the bridal shower… I am going to break it into a mini-series, if you will.
The bride’s mom and I opted to plan a honeymoon shower. I had heard of this concept but never executed it before. Commonly a honeymoon shower is thrown to prepare the couple for their vacation. The idea is to shower them with travel related gifts rather than items from their registry.
We took it a step further. You could actually say about 3 steps further…
The newlyweds will be vacationing in Greece later this summer. Therefore, we themed the entire shower around Greece. This was not only a surprise for the bride but also a surprise for the guests. They knew they were invited to a honeymoon shower for the bride but didn’t know it would be Greek themed for them as well.
When guests arrived they were presented with apps to munch on like olives, hummus & pita. Once the guest of honor came, we broke into Greek dance. This was led by a very talented little boy appropriately named Alexander. He is a Greek dancer who came prepared in the traditional outfit. Alexander taught us the traditional moves. Opa!
Think that’s better than bridal bingo? We do.
After we caught our breath from dancing, we toasted to the bride with ouzo. An anise flavored aperitif that I’m sure the bride and groom will sample more of on their honeymoon.
Finally it was time for the delicious main course, which consisted of spanikopita, tzatziki, dolmades, olives, hummus, and many many good things that I do not know how to say, let alone spell. The mother of the bride is such a fabulous cook and baker. She made it all herself from scratch! And no, she is not Greek. Check out her menu below.
Hungry for more? Stay tuned for dessert.
-The perennial bridesmaid
Let’s start with the bridal shower… I am going to break it into a mini-series, if you will.
The bride’s mom and I opted to plan a honeymoon shower. I had heard of this concept but never executed it before. Commonly a honeymoon shower is thrown to prepare the couple for their vacation. The idea is to shower them with travel related gifts rather than items from their registry.
We took it a step further. You could actually say about 3 steps further…
The newlyweds will be vacationing in Greece later this summer. Therefore, we themed the entire shower around Greece. This was not only a surprise for the bride but also a surprise for the guests. They knew they were invited to a honeymoon shower for the bride but didn’t know it would be Greek themed for them as well.
When guests arrived they were presented with apps to munch on like olives, hummus & pita. Once the guest of honor came, we broke into Greek dance. This was led by a very talented little boy appropriately named Alexander. He is a Greek dancer who came prepared in the traditional outfit. Alexander taught us the traditional moves. Opa!
Think that’s better than bridal bingo? We do.
After we caught our breath from dancing, we toasted to the bride with ouzo. An anise flavored aperitif that I’m sure the bride and groom will sample more of on their honeymoon.
Finally it was time for the delicious main course, which consisted of spanikopita, tzatziki, dolmades, olives, hummus, and many many good things that I do not know how to say, let alone spell. The mother of the bride is such a fabulous cook and baker. She made it all herself from scratch! And no, she is not Greek. Check out her menu below.
Hungry for more? Stay tuned for dessert.
-The perennial bridesmaid
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