Well you might be able to take some comfort in knowing that
you aren’t the only one. The father of the bride and the
best man are also expected to make a speech. There are no
hard and fast rules as to when the speeches should take
place. Traditionally they take place after the last course
of your wedding breakfast, i.e. the wedding reception meal
.The first person to speak should be the father of the
bride, then the groom, and the best man. They traditionally
follow each other, to allow the festivities to continue
with the cutting of the cake.

The Father of the Bride’s Speech

It is traditional for the father of the bride to speak
first. His task is to toast the bride and groom, welcome
the groom into the family, and offer fatherly advice.

Important things to include:

1. Praise for his daughter. Saying how proud he is of his
daughter, saying how proud both he and her mother are of
her, and her choice of husband.
2. Welcoming the groom into his family. Congratulating the
groom on securing his daughter’s hand in marriage and
welcoming him into the family and extending a welcome to
the groom’s parents.
3. The body of the speech. This will include one or two
funny and/or sentimental parts, which illustrate the
bride’s character. Wishing the couple all the best for
their future, a long and prosperous life together,
children, health, wealth etc. and some advice on how to
approach their married life together.
4. A toast to bride and groom. The father of the bride
finishes his speech by making a toast to the bride and
groom.

The Groom’s Speech

The groom will speak after the father of the bride,
thanking him for his toast, kind words and good advice, and
responding officially on behalf of himself and his new wife.

Important things to include:

1. First thank you’s: Firstly you should thank the father
of the bride for his toast, kind words, good advice etc.
Thank the mother and father of the bride for their
generosity in providing such a wonderful wedding, or for
their help in contributing, and of course anyone else who
helped, i.e. your parents.
2. The body of the speech: If there are any funny stories,
or sentimental moments you could share with your family or
friends this is the time to do it.  Your audience will make
it as easy as possible for you and you shouldn’t feel
pressured into acting like a stand up comedian.  You could
think about stories that you and your fiancé before or
after you were engaged.  The proposal, the time she made it
absolutely clear that under no circumstance she would ever
contemplate marrying you..
3. Last Thank Yous…Thank the father and mother of the bride
for their blessing in allowing you to marry their daughter.
Express your happiness at being accepted into her family
and vow to take good care of her.

The Best Man’s Speech

The best man delivers the third and final speech of the
day.  This speech is light hearted and mainly directed at
the groom.

Important things to include…

1. Thank the groom, thank the groom for his kind words and
gift and toast the bridesmaids.
2. Readings.  Read out any telegrams, cards, or letters
from absent guests.
3. The body of the speech.  Like the groom’s the best man’s
speech is one of funny stories and anecdotes and is
generally the most light hearted and humorous.  But
remember, nobody expects you to be a comedian.  If you are
not an accomplished speaker, the most important thing is
sincerity.
4. Toast the bride and groom.  Finally a toast mentioning
the groom’s good fortune at finding his wonderful bride and
what a perfect couple they make.

About the Author:

Bride essentials is a company founded by Paul Darch and
Tracey Spencer in 2006. Wanting to provide a bride and
groom a source to find as much information about planning
their wedding, inspired them to create a website dedicated
to just that.
http://www.bride-essentials.cathysexpress.com