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Wedding is an occasion whose traditions go as far back as several centuries ago. In the western world there are some traditions surrounding one of the highlights of the occasion, the speeches for weddings, that have led to the formation of wedding speech etiquette. Some of them are discussed here.

Order of the speeches – Traditionally, there are only three speeches delivered in the wedding reception – the speech delivered by the father of the bride, the bridegroom’s speech and the best man’s speech. This is the order of the speeches and has been for hundreds of years unchanged. With the recent addition of newer speeches, however, this arrangement had somewhat changed. Whether to follow the traditional or the modern succession of the speeches is entirely the call of the couple.

The structure of the wedding speeches – While modern changes have affected the succession of delivering the wedding speeches, the structure of each seems to have only changed a bit. The only areas where significant changes can be observed are in the tone and format of the speech. Whereas the bridegroom’s speech used to be highly formal, it has now become a speech where humor is accepted. The best man speech, while it used to be the sole task of one best man, is now allowed to be delivered by two best men and even by a lady best man. Some things never change though. The speech delivered by the father of the bride, for example, still sounds very affectionate towards the bride.

Who says what – Regardless of the many changes in the structure, tone and arrangement of the speeches for weddings, there are still some hard-and-fast rules in the way speeches are written which many choose to follow. On behalf of the bride and groom, the father of the bride, who usually speaks first, is the speaker whose main job is to welcome the wedding guests. This is then followed by a short, affectionate description of her daughter with a hint of gentle teasing. He also mentions a few kind remarks about his new son-in-law. He then finishes his speech with a toast to the his new son-in-law and daughter.

The speech of the groom comes right after. By tradition, this speech begins with a formal opening line, but in recent years funny one liners and jokes have become accepted.

This speech basically serves to thank all the people who have helped out in the wedding. In between the introductory and the final remarks, the groom can also send out gifts to very important people in the audience. As part of the groom’s speech, the groom also says some kind remarks about his wonderful wife. It is ended with a toast to the bridesmaids and a short introduction of the best man.

Right after this speech is the best man’s speech, the funniest of all. It is in this speech where entertaining anecdotes are mentioned. On a more serious tone, the best man offers the ‘toast of the parents’.

Speeches for weddingsare peppered with time-honoured traditions. Although there are rules to be followed, changes permitted in recent times have literally changed many of the speeches’ characteristics.

Need help with your wedding speech? We have an entire collection of samples, tips, and articles on speeches for weddingsin our website. Be sure to check it.