Wedding Speech Details
Wedding toasts are a long-standing tradition that has been, for the most part, upheld in modern weddings today. Wedding toasts can be traced back to as early as the 6th century BCE when they were offered as an homage to their religion and an offering of good health to all who attended the wedding. Some couples opt out of speeches during the reception, but most, keep the tradition. Many couples designate a time during the wedding to allow family, friends or both to offer up good tidings to the couple and all who are present.
A groom speaking at The Barn at Riverbend taken by Nick and Lexie Photo + Film
So, if the wedding toasts are something you and your partner are excited about, it’s important to think through who exactly is giving the toast, when the toasts should be given, and details that should be in place the day of. This is just a small wedding detail overall but is still something to go over before the wedding day. Lucky for our couples, Main Street Events prioritizes wedding ease. Each of our venues is built for unseen sound equipment and gorgeous settings for these speeches to commence, as well as a variety of setting options. But, wherever you choose to get married, wedding speeches will be something to go over and think about before your wedding day.
A gorgeous set-up for a toast at The Barn at Riverbend captured by Alyssa Brooke Photography
A toast before the ceremony at The Barn photographed by Kelsie Crockett Photography
Who should give the wedding speeches?
The common tradition for the past couple of decades or so is allowing the father of the bride, the maid of honor, and the best man to give the wedding speeches. This just makes it clear, cut, and easy for the bride and groom–designated people they trust, who already have a major role in the wedding. But, this doesn’t mean this is the only winning combination! Many couples ask who in the wedding party and immediate family is most comfortable giving a speech. Sometimes the best man isn’t too keen on public speaking, or the father of the bride is not present for the wedding, so they ask other, more extroverted family and friends to do the honor.
What guidelines, if any, should I give my speech givers?
It can be helpful to have a quick conversation with those who are giving the wedding toasts–just so everyone is on the same page! Let everyone know that 2-4 minutes per speech is a good time range to stay within. Encourage the toast-givers to time themselves or even record themselves giving the speech for practice. This way, no one is rambling on the microphone for 10 to 15 minutes while people are waiting to grab dessert or dinner seconds. Also, if there are certain subjects you want to keep out of the speeches, it is important to preview those before the wedding day. Some subjects to be wary of are politics, sensitive stories, sexual innuendos, and other subjects of this nature. Just remind your friends and family to keep it light and fun! The objective of these speeches is to uplift the couple and the friends and family who are lucky enough to celebrate your momentous occasion.
What details need to be in place on the day of?
As we said at the beginning, for couples getting married at any of our three venues, we make it easy in terms of speech set-up and commencement. Our venues at Main Street Events have designated DJs that take care of the microphones and speakers in the reception area, so that is one less task for couples to worry about! Our venues are also set up in a way where the speech-giver is in prime view of the bridal party and the wedding guests. Other venues might require a bit more preparation, so make sure to speak with the venue manager to fully understand what details need to be taken care of on the day of the wedding.
A Mission Theatre wedding speech taken by West Rose Photography
Don’t spend too much time fretting about the wedding speeches! It can be as simple as a 5-minute phone call which each of your speech-givers and the venue manager. The main point is communication and understanding, just like most tasks on your wedding to-do list.