Speech Tips from a Wedding Videographer

We get the privilege of hearing so many beautiful wedding toasts, it's honestly one of our favorite parts of a wedding day. We get to learn more about our couples and their relationship with each other and their family and friends giving the toast. We get really excited when we hear a good speech because we know it's going to enhance their film. The speeches are a huge part of the audio portion of our couples wedding films so when when the speaker nails it we know we have some gems to work with.

So after 10+ years being in the wedding industry, here are a few of our tips:

1. Keep it short & sweet while also being heartfelt and intentional with your words.

2. Providing background of your connection / friendship with the bride & groom is important but the focus of the speech should center around the relationship of the couple.

3. Humor and lightheartedness is good, but be mindful of not embarrassing, oversharing, or being inappropriate. Maybe save that for another time ;)

4.Avoid cliches. We often hear the same one liners over and over again during wedding speeches. While some guests may get a kick out of it, we think it's best to keep it personal and original.

5. It's okay to not have it memorized. Sometimes when speakers try to memorize or not read something that's prewritten they often speak too quickly or ramble on. Put time into writing a thoughtful speech in advance. Bonus points if you print your speech instead of reading from a phone.

6. And lastly, save the heavy drinking for after your speech. We promise you'll thank us later for this one.

If you want some examples of films with wonderful speeches, check out the ones below...