All You Need To Know About After Dinner Speeches At A Wedding

Wedding speeches are as old as the marriage ceremony itself and has become an integral part of the whole wedding picture. Everyone wants to wish the bride and groom the very best in their new life together, and giving a speech in front of the whole gathering during the wedding, is the most pointed way of telling the couple how you feel about them and what you want for them. Most after dinner speeches are not very long; although you do get some windbags with a little too much vino under their belt that drone on and on; but for the most part, people usually keep it simple and to the point.

To keep the crowd's attention and good humor at the reception, the after dinner speeches should be short and to the point and maybe with a little humor thrown in. Poking fun in little jabs at the happy couple is always acceptable as long as it is in good taste and not embarrassing for anyone, and in this way, the humor involves the crowd who is ready at this point for a party, and will laugh along with the speech and enjoy every word of it. There is nothing more deadly in a public situation like a wedding reception, than to have someone stand up to make a toast and just drone on and on and on until everyone in the room is ready to strangle the speaker. The good will goes down the drain, and the original point of wishing the couple well is lost because of the insensitivity of the speaker.

There is a lot to be said for formal weddings with their planners and very structured means about them, but for the average person, a more informal wedding is the preferred way to go. Yes everyone dresses up and puts on their best faces, but the informal atmosphere carries over into the reception and the people who want to give the after dinner speeches are allowed more flexibility to say what they want to say to the couple. The more formal the occasion, the more structured the situation and with that comes the establishment of a hierarchy of speech givers headed by the best man, followed by the fathers of the couple, and then members of the wedding party, and finally participants in the crowd of well-wishers.

The most important thing to remember when you are tapped to be part of the after dinner speeches, whether formal or informal, is to keep the speech short and to the point. The crowd of well-wishers at the reception is there to party and they get bored very easily with listening to someone go on and on about the speakers growing up years with the couple, or how he knows everything there is to know about them and just loves them to death. Keep the crowd in the palm of your hand, and once you have their attention and they like what they are hearing you say; then you can take the speech in all directions and they will follow, hanging on every word and loving every minute of it. The wedding crowd is in a party mood to start with, and they are accepting of almost anything at this point; but remember that "short and sweet" is the way to go for a speech.

The weddings themselves are usually following a pretty set schedule, and the lineup of after dinner speeches is no exception. The best man will take the lead and the speeches start immediately after the meal is served and before the bar is officially opened so that the crowd is still sober and has some decorum about them and can participate in what is going on, rather than be wishing they were somewhere else or possibly creating hecklers if the crowd has been drinking and the speeches are not to their liking. After the wedding party has had their say with their after dinner speeches, then the floor is opened for anyone else to wants to make a toast.

Thinking about giving a speech at a wedding? Or you have been asked to participate by the couple and you have not slept a wink since you said you would speak at the reception? Don't worry, there are hundreds upon hundreds of sites on the internet and lots of books written on the subject of how to make your speech interesting, full of fun and life, and a hit with the couple and with the crowd. You must keep the crowd in the palm of your hand for your speech to be remembered and well received, and the happy couple will be forever grateful to you for your taking the time to stand up and say a few words about how you feel about them and what you want for them in life.

After dinner speeches are an integral part of the wedding show put on in every town, every country around the world; and they can range from very formal toasts with not much emotion, to tear jerking outpourings of good will, and heartfelt good wishes aimed at the happy couple. People are there attending the wedding to join the couple in celebrating their union and this milestone in their lives, and the crowd does not want long winded monologues nor sobbing emotional toasts. The after dinner speeches should be simple, to the point, and carry the all important message of good will that the speaker had intended to give the couple.

Article Source: http://www.imarry.org/wedding-article

Amy Bartlett is an author and publisher on such topics as wedding speech. For more information on Wedding Etiquette visit our site.

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