When composing a wedding speech write your speech down, even if you intend to use cue cards. Writing it out helps organise your thoughts and produces inspiration. So, write a rough draft, refine it, rewrite it into spoken English and rehearse it aloud. Errors to watch out for are overlong sentences, failing to use rhetorical questions, failing to harness the emotive power of words and using clichés.

The most common error of the inexperienced speechmaker is to read with their head buried in the paper. The audience immediately feels that the speaker is not talking to them but at them. It is possible to read a speech and still sound as if you are speaking from notes. But don't write long sentences, they may turn out to be tongue-twisters. Note how many rules advertisements break, yet how conversational they are.

Short sentences have impact. Where you would write one long sentence, write several short ones without clauses. But try to vary the length of your sentences, keeping them between five and fifteen words. Longer ones can work, but only before or after short ones. Key words being at the end of sentences so that the audience can anticipate your point and therefore feel involved, for example, "Apart from my lovely wife, the most beautiful bride I've ever seen is my lovely daughter".

Constructing a sentence with two distinct halves can make an impact, for instance, Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country".

To immediately engage your audience don't forget to float rhetorical questions at them, for example, "How many here today really understand the pride I feel at this moment?"

Weddings give you the opportunity to exploit the emotive power of words. "Love", "pride", "joy", "vows" are all loaded words.

You can avoid clichés by inventing your own similes, original ones may get you a laugh, but don't tell jokes unless you do it well, and if you do, make sure you keep it relevant. One of the biggest mistakes you could make is to begin your speech by telling a joke that has nothing to do with the occasion.
If you decide to read your speech use good stiff paper so that it doesn't rustle, and write on one side of the paper only. If you type it out make sure you double space it, and don't run a sentence onto a new page or you may have to pause mid-sentence while you find the next word.

For the inexperienced speechmaker, paying attention to these few simple pointers could be the difference between making a successful wedding speech, or embarrassing your audience with a bumbling, incoherent sermon.

Thomas Montgomery