Guides
Wedding speech guides
Everything here is free and written to be used, not skimmed. Each guide has the structure, the timing, and full example speeches you can adapt. Want the examples on their own? Every example speech, by role.
- All Speakers · 15 min readHow to Give a Wedding Speech When You're NervousA plan from two weeks out to the microphone: rehearsing, cards, breathing, the first line, and what to do if you blank or cry. Plus two easy-to-say samples.
- Father of the Groom · 15 min readFather of the Groom Speech: What to Say (With 3 Examples)Welcome the other family, say one real thing about your son, welcome his partner, toast. For the rehearsal dinner or the reception, with 3 full speeches.
- All Speakers · 14 min readHow to Write a Wedding Speech With ChatGPT (and Sound Human)Use ChatGPT as an interviewer and editor, not the writer. Six copy-ready prompts, the giveaways that sound like AI, a before and after, and 3 full speeches.
- All Speakers · 15 min readShort Wedding Toasts: 16 Examples That Take Under a MinuteA three-line formula for a 30 to 60 second wedding toast, a timing table, what to skip, and 16 complete short toasts for friends, family, coworkers, and more.
- Best Man · 14 min readBest Man Speech for Your Brother (With 3 Full Examples)One story out of thirty years, teasing your parents will laugh at, and the one sincere line brothers skip. The structure, plus 3 full speeches for a brother.
- Mother of the Groom · 14 min readMother of the Groom Speech: What to Say (With 3 Examples)Rehearsal dinner or reception, about three minutes: one memory of your son, a real welcome for his partner, a toast. The structure and three full speeches.
- All Speakers · 8 min readWedding Speech Templates for Every Role (Fill in the Blanks)Honest templates for the best man, maid of honor, parents, and the couple: the shape of each speech with blanks for your memories, and the rule that keeps it from sounding templated.
- Maid of Honor · 10 min readMaid of Honor Speech for Your Sister (With 2 Full Examples)A sister has the most material and the most to lose by using all of it. How to pick the one memory, welcome her partner, and toast her, with two full speeches.
- Rehearsal Dinner · 8 min readRehearsal Dinner Toast: What to Say (With Examples)Shorter and looser than a wedding speech: one to two minutes, one true thing, a welcome, a glass raised. Who speaks, what to say, and full examples.
- Father of the Bride · 13 min readHow to Write a Father of the Bride Speech (With Examples)Four jobs: welcome everyone, say one true thing about your daughter, welcome the person she married, raise a glass. The structure, what to skip, and two full speeches.
- Best Man · 8 min readFunny Best Man Speech Openers That Actually WorkOpeners that get a real laugh come from something specific about the groom, not a joke about speeches. Six shapes, twenty fill-in lines, and the ones to retire.
- The Couple · 11 min readHow to Write a Groom Speech (Structure and 2 Examples)A groom speech is a thank-you with one moment of real feeling. The structure that keeps thanks short and gives your partner the part that matters, with two full speeches.
- All Speakers · 9 min readHow Long Should a Wedding Speech Be? Length by RoleThree to five minutes, and four is the sweet spot. The right length for best man, maid of honor, parents, and the couple in minutes and words, plus how to time yours.
- All Speakers · 8 min readHow to End a Wedding Speech: Closing Lines and ToastsThe ending is the toast, and nothing comes after it. How to build the last thirty seconds, twenty closing lines and toasts by role, and the endings that fall flat.
- Best Man · 19 min readHow to Write a Best Man Speech (With 3 Full Examples)A best man speech has three jobs: make the groom look good, welcome his partner, raise a glass. The four-minute structure that does all three, with 3 full speeches.
- Maid of Honor · 18 min readMaid of Honor Speech Examples: 5 Full Speeches You Can AdaptFive complete maid of honor speeches: for a sister, a childhood best friend, a funny one, a short one, and a friend you met as an adult. Plus how to adapt one.
- Mother of the Bride · 10 min readMother of the Bride Speech: What to Say (With 2 Examples)Three minutes, one memory, a real welcome for her partner, and a toast. The structure, what to skip, and two full mother of the bride speeches to adapt.
- Planning · 9 min readWedding Speech Order: Who Speaks When (and Why)Traditional US order: father of the bride, best man, maid of honor, then the couple. The British version, modern variations, when speeches happen, and how long.
Months before the wedding
Engagement party speeches
Shorter than a wedding speech, usually with no microphone, and half the room is meeting the other half for the first time. One guide each for the toast, the parents, and the welcome. Who speaks, when, and for how long.
- Engagement Party · 14 min readEngagement Party Toast: What to Say (With 6 Examples)An engagement toast runs 60 to 90 seconds. The five-part structure, what to save for the wedding, and six short example toasts to adapt.
- Engagement Party · 14 min readEngagement Party Speech for Parents (With 4 Examples)Two minutes: welcome the other family, say one true thing about your child, welcome their partner, toast. Structure, what to hold back, and 4 full examples.
- Engagement Party · 14 min readEngagement Party Welcome Speech: What to Say (5 Examples)A welcome runs 60 to 90 seconds: thank people, introduce the two sides, say one true thing, point to the food. Five full examples for couples and hosts.
Learn from the movies
Fourteen famous wedding speeches from film and TV, graded by the same rules as the check, from About Time to The Wedding Singer. See the leaderboard.