Ultimate guide to giving a bride speech in Northern Ireland

One of the things we love about weddings today is how so many couples now choose to modernise their wedding and adapt old school wedding traditions to suit them. For some this means doing away with old school wedding traditions altogether, while for others it means adding to them as in the case of the bride’s speech.

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Traditionally in Northern Ireland there are four speeches on the wedding day. The father of the bride, the father of the groom, the best man and the groom. The bride making her own speech is becoming more and more popular though. Weddings are beautiful celebrations of love, and one of the most heartfelt moments can be when the bride gives a speech. It's a chance to share your joy, experiences, and heartfelt emotions with your family and friends. In this guide, we will walk you through the art of giving a bride speech, offering tips, ideas, and inspiration to make your speech unforgettable.

Why Giving a Bride Speech Matters

Giving a bride speech is an opportunity for you to express your love for your partner and to thank all of the people that helped bring your wedding day together. Your words can leave a lasting impression and create cherished memories for everyone at your wedding. It's a chance for you to celebrate your love.

At a wedding most speeches are given from a male point of view so the brides speech can provide a female perspective and allows the bride to provide her own thanks to everyone there.

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How long should a bride’s speech be?

Usually, the bride does her speech last. This means that there will already have been several speeches before you so it is best to keep your speech short and sweet to avoid overwhelming your guests. Long speeches can also have a negative impact on your wedding timeline. As a general rule of thumb keeping any wedding speech to under 5 minutes usually works best.

How to write your brides speech

All good speeches follow the same format the introduction, the content, then ended with a toast. Start your speech by introducing yourself to your guests and thank them for coming along to share in your wedding day. Then go on to share a brief story about you and your partner, this could be about how you first met if that hasn’t already been covered during the groom’s speech. Then finish your speech on a high note by toasting your guests.

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Who should the bride thank during her speech

It is tempting to try and individually thank lots of people during your speech. To ensure your speech doesn’t run on too long and so that you don’t miss anyone out the best option is to focus on your bridal party and your partner or just offer thanks generically. If you want to thank your guests individually the best option is to do that after the wedding, by sending personal thank you notes. If you have vendors you wish to thank the best thanks you can give to them is by writing a positive review for them after your wedding.

Giving a Bride Speech Tips

  • Don’t fill your speech with too many ‘in jokes’ that the rest of your guest’s won’t get.

  • Try not to include too many rehearsed jokes that you may have found by searching online, as this could sound forced and awkward.

  • Write for the way that you normally speak.

  • Avoid bringing up any embarrassing stories in your speech, as sometimes this will go down like a lead balloon!

  • Speak from your heart and put your own personal stamp on the speech.

  • Don’t forget to make eye contact with everyone in the room and breathe slowly to calm yourself and collect your thoughts.

  • Don't try to memorise your speech. There is going to be so much going on during your wedding day and the last thing you want to do is worry about forgetting your speech. There is nothing wrong with reading your speech from a print out.

  • Use a microphone if one is available. While using a microphone may feel a little awkward it is the best way to ensure that everyone in the room can clearly hear you.

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Can you ask for help with your bride’s speech?

Off course! When writing any speech, it’s always good to get some feedback so why not ask your besties for their help.

When should you write your bride’s speech?

Often the bride is the person most involved in planning the wedding, especially on the lead up to the day itself. So, if you are doing a bride’s speech it is best to get it prepared well beforehand and not to leave it until the last minute.

Tommy + Laurene