Back in the day, you didn’t see the flurry of wedding speech activity that you do now. You probably heard from the Father of the Bride and the Best Man. And, that was pretty much it. But nowadays, everybody and their brother want to get up and toast the bride and groom. So, with this plethora of people, what is the proper order of wedding speeches in today’s world? Or does it even matter?
The Origin of the Wedding Speech or Toast
Wedding Speeches, or toasts, originated in the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greeks and Romans would raise their goblets to their Gods hoping to gain favor. The Greeks would also perform toasts to avoid being poisoned. The Greeks were a suspicious bunch. You never knew who your enemies were. So, when the Grecians would gather for celebrations, they would all drink from the same pitcher and spill a little of their wine into the next person’s goblet. This would ensure there was no funny business going on.
The Romans began a practice of dropping a piece of burnt toast into the wine to absorb any impurities. Back in those days, wine would go bad easily. The burnt toast would make it taste better. When the Romans invaded Britain around 55 B.C., they brought the practice with them. The word “toast” comes from the Latin word tostus, meaning roasted or parched. The word stuck and over time, also referred to salute with a drink.
What should the Order of Wedding Speeches Be?
Well, that all depends. Are you a traditionalist, or a non-traditionalist?
If you are a traditionalist, the Best Man gives the first wedding speech. He generally toasts the bride and groom, and also acts as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
Following the Best Man’s speech, the groom will rise to respond, toast his bride, thanks the parents and so on.
Others may speak at this point. Finally the Father of the Bride will give his speech and thank everyone for attending.
If you are a non-traditionalist, all the rules fly out the window. The rules are: there are no rules. Spontaneity is the way to go and lots of people get up to toast the bride and groom. But, generally, the order of wedding speeches will go as follows if you are a non-traditionalist:
*Best Man Speech
*Maid (or Matron) of Honor Speech
*Father of the Bride Speech
*Parents of the Groom Speech
*Groom Speech
*Bride Speech
*Any other Guests of Honor Speeches
Who Else Can Give a Wedding Speech
The other Guests of Honor are a long and illustrious list. It basically means anyone the bride and groom deem close enough to them to give a speech. But here are some ideas on who can give Guest of Honor Speeches at a wedding reception:
*The bride’s or groom’s siblings
*The bridesmaids (collectively or individually)
*The groomsmen (collectively or individually)
*Grandparents
*Godparent
*Guardians
*Close Relatives
*Cousins
*Best Friends
*Coworkers
*Bosses
*Children of the Bride or Groom
*The Wedding Officiant
Any of these people can give a speech if prearranged and okay with the bride and groom. After all, there is such a thing as too many wedding speeches. You don’t want the party-goers to be bored to tears.
So does the Order of Wedding Speeches even matter anymore? Not really. The days when wedding etiquette was etched in stone are long gone. More important are the thoughts conveyed during the speeches. As long as the bride and groom feel incredibly special and loved on their big day, the order of the wedding speeches does not matter.
Cherie Stirewalt has been in more weddings than she can count. Learn how to write and deliver and wedding speech that will leave them all speechless. Download your guide to writing wedding speeches today!
Filed under Wedding Speech Tips by on Nov 10th, 2009. Comment. 
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Filed under Bride Wedding Speeches by on Nov 11th, 2009. Comment.
Weddings are ceremonies where a couple gets to share their best day with their friends, family and loved ones. It is a ceremony that most people consider the most important in their lives. It is a great privilege to be invited to share and celebrate with the couple but it is even more honorable to be chosen by the couple or family to give wedding ceremony speeches. Some of the wedding ceremony speeches are given after the couple exchange their wedding vows during the church service, while others are given during the reception as people eat and make merry. Brother of the bride wedding speech is one of the common wedding speeches. Others short wedding speeches are given by the couples best man and maid of honor, father or mother of the bride or groom, siblings to the couple or other close family and friends..
The Brother of the bride wedding speech is one where a brother gives the positive traits of his sister. Brother of the bride wedding speech is one of the short wedding speeches, which can be given by the bride’s brother in place of their father. Brother of the bride wedding speech should start with congratulations to the couple on their hard work and planning. The bride can be assured that all worked out beautifully according to plan and everything looks great. The brother of the bride wedding speech should sound personal as the brother narrates some of the childhood experiences. This helps to spark fond memories and allows the rest of the family and friends at the reception to share a little with the two siblings. The brother also gets to invite his new brother in law into the family. If the brother shares the same sense of humor with the couple, he can make a few jokes without embarrassing the couple in any way or add some love quotes and finally congratulate them as he welcomes another family member to give their speech as well.
Some people feel they need to write their brother of the bride wedding speech. The speech can be well planned, thought out and even finally written. The speech should briefly state what the brothers feeling and good wishes towards the couple. A few love quotes and/ or jokes can be included in wedding speeches to make it less formal. The brother of the bride wedding speech can be casual with the brother telling the couple that he is sincerely happy for them. One wedding speech example that a brother can give is as follows: – “…For the sake of those who do not know me my name is [Andrew]. [Alexia], the bride is my younger sister. I feel privileged to share in this beautiful occasion but I feel even more honored to give a speech. On behalf of the entire family, I would like to take this opportunity to invite [Boniface], my new brother in-law into our family. Some of the fond memories I have of my sister include the day she removed her braces and she kept smiling at everyone saying how her teeth were beautiful…” This brother of the bride wedding speech is brief but balanced since it captures all the necessary aspects.
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Filed under Wedding Speech Tips by on Nov 11th, 2009. Comment.