ToastDoctor

Free planning tool

Wedding speech order planner, with the emcee script.

List who is speaking. Get the running order, what time each person stands up, when it all ends, and a line for the emcee to bring each speaker up with. Then print one sheet for the DJ.

For the couple, the planner, or whoever got handed the microphone. Free, runs in your browser, and remembers the plan on this device.

The Evening

Applause, the walk to the microphone, a sip of water. One is realistic.

Father of the bride and any other parents first, then the best man and maid of honor, with the couple last.

The Speakers

4 speakers

Names as the emcee should say them. The relation is read aloud in the introduction, so write it the way you would say it to a guest: “Sam’s older brother”, “Priya’s dad”. Notes are private to the emcee.

  1. 1.7:30 pm
    Usual for this role: 3
  2. 2.7:34 pm
    Usual for this role: 5
  3. 3.7:40 pm
    Usual for this role: 4
  4. 4.7:45 pm
    Usual for this role: 3

Rows follow the traditional (american) order. Press Up or Down on any row to take over.

The Running Order

Reception, after the main course. Four speakers, 18 minutes with the handoffs. Starts 7:30 pm, done around 7:48 pm.

#TimeSpeakerRoleMin
17:30 pmFather of the BrideFather of the Bride3
27:34 pmBest ManBest Man5
37:40 pmMaid or Matron of HonorMaid or Matron of Honor4
47:45 pmThe Couple (Thank-You)The Couple (Thank-You)3
7:48 pmRaise a glass. Then dessert and dancing.18

18 minutes with the handoffs. Comfortably inside the twenty the room will give you.

The Emcee Script

Every introduction, with a cue to wait for the applause. Hand it to the DJ or whoever is holding the microphone, and change any line that does not sound like them.

EMCEE SCRIPT: The Wedding
Reception, after the main course. Speeches start at 7:30 pm and should wrap up around 7:48 pm.

WELCOME
"Good evening, everyone. Now that everyone has eaten, four people would like to say a few words about the couple. Find your seats, make sure your glass has something in it, and settle in. This is the good part."
(wait for the room to settle)

1. 7:30 pm  Father of the Bride (father of the bride, 3 min)
"Please welcome the father of the bride."
(wait for applause, hand over the microphone)

2. 7:34 pm  Best Man (best man, 5 min)
"Please welcome the best man."
(wait for applause, hand over the microphone)

3. 7:40 pm  Maid or Matron of Honor (maid of honor, 4 min)
"Please welcome the maid of honor."
(wait for applause, hand over the microphone)

4. 7:45 pm  The Couple (Thank-You) (the couple, 3 min)
"And now a few words from the two people everyone came for. They have some thank-yous to get through before the night moves on."
(wait for applause, hand over the microphone)

CLOSING
"Thank you to all our speakers. One more time, if everyone could stand and raise a glass: to the happy couple."
(wait for the toast)
"Dessert is on its way, and the dance floor opens right after."

Print

Two pages on US Letter. Page one is the toast order sheet, with the times down the left and the introductions down the right, for the DJ or emcee. Page two is the full script in big type. Your plan stays in this browser.

The Traditional Order, and When to Break It

The American convention is father of the bride, best man, maid of honor, then the couple. The host opens, the wedding party carries the middle, and the couple closes with their thank-yous, which hands the room neatly to the rest of the night. The British version runs father of the bride, groom, best man, as a chain of replies. Neither is a rule. Both sets of parents speaking is now the most common change, a mother of the bride giving the welcome is ordinary, and some couples open the block themselves and let the strongest speaker close. What every good running order has in common is that it was decided in advance and every speaker knew their slot. The full version, with the reasoning, is in our guide to wedding speech order.

How Long the Toasts Should Run in Total

Add it up before the day. Four speakers at four minutes each, plus the applause and the walk to the microphone, comes to close to twenty minutes, which is the top of comfortable. Past twenty-five, guests check out, and the last speaker gets a room that has stopped listening through no fault of their own. The planner totals it for you and flags the usual trouble: a block that runs long, two long speeches back to back, a best man with too much runway. Three fixes work. Tell every speaker their target length in a normal message. Cap the list at four. Or split the block, with a couple of toasts at the rehearsal dinner and the rest at the reception.

Tips for the Emcee

  • Read the sheet before the night. Say every name out loud once. If one is tricky, ask the couple how to say it and write it down in the notes.
  • Glasses charged before the first speaker, not during the third. Tell the servers when the block starts, and tell the kitchen too. A speech that starts while plates are being cleared has clattering under every line.
  • One microphone, tested, and you decide handheld or stand. Tell the speakers which. Nobody should be adjusting a mic stand mid-sentence.
  • Bring the next speaker up as the applause peaks, not after it dies. The handoff is where a block of toasts either keeps its energy or loses it.
  • Keep water at the microphone and keep yourself out of the way. The emcee’s job is thirty seconds between speeches, not a speech of their own.
  • If someone runs long, do nothing. It is a wedding. The schedule bends. The only time to step in is when a speaker has clearly lost their place, and then it is a warm “let’s hear it for” and a glass raised.

Four Speakers? One Pass Covers Them All

Once the order is set, the speakers still have to write the speeches. The Wedding Party Pass gives up to four of them a full rewrite and delivery pack each, and every speech stays private to the person giving it, so the toasts are still a surprise on the day.

See the Wedding Party Pass

Something for the guests during the toasts: Wedding Speech Bingo keeps every table listening to every speech, including the long one.

Questions

What is the traditional order of wedding speeches?

In the United States: father of the bride, then best man, then maid of honor, with the couple last if they are speaking. In the United Kingdom: father of the bride, then the groom, then the best man, with the maid of honor often added after the groom. Both are conventions, not rules. The planner has each one as a preset, plus a custom order.

Who introduces each speaker?

The DJ, band leader, or emcee, or whoever the couple has asked to run the evening. Speakers should never introduce each other, and nobody should stand up wondering whether it is their turn. That is what the printed sheet is for: hand it over and the emcee has every name, every slot, and a line to say.

How long should all the toasts take together?

Under twenty minutes. Three or four speakers at three to five minutes each, plus a minute between them for applause and the walk to the microphone, lands right around there. The planner adds it up as you go and says so when the block runs long.

What if we have more than four or five people who want to speak?

Split the block. One or two toasts at the rehearsal dinner, the rest at the reception. Or give anyone past the fourth speaker two minutes and tell them kindly in advance. Ten minutes twice is far easier on a room than twenty-five minutes once. Set the event to rehearsal dinner and make a second sheet for that night.

Is the plan saved anywhere?

Only in your browser, on this device. Nothing is sent to us, there is no account, and clearing your browser data clears the plan. If you want a copy, print it or copy the script into a note.

Giving one of the speeches yourself? Run it through the free speech check before anyone puts you on the schedule.