Wedding speeches can make or break the mood of the evening, so when you asked to have us write about some fun speech writing tips this week – we listened! We have seen many speeches and consider ourselves very experienced in this subject matter. Wedding speeches are no joke, so today we will look at exciting and helpful ways to calm the nerves, enjoy the moment and of course make people laugh with those heart-warming wedding speeches (and we even threw in a few tips for your corporate dinner soirees)!

Photo by: Into the Aisle Photography

Where do we start – make a plan and have a few main key talking points. You want to keep the room entertained and having a few notable points will totally help you achieve this goal! When that writers brain starts to flow have a pen and paper handy and go with the first few things that remind you of that special couple or if it’s work related jot down the topics that instantly pop into your head or the ones that you are super passionate about. This will be a great start!

Photo by: Ellis J Photography

Always remember stories (or work-related interests – like experiences) that come from the heart are sure to win the crowd over. However, try to avoid too much insider information – you want the entire room to enjoy your talk! You will come across comfortable, calm and totally yourself! Everyone wants to be themselves and it can be a little tricky when you face hundreds of people BUT when it comes from the heart there is no better way to get your audiences emotional and capture their attention – 100%.

Photo by: Kamila for Zekar Photography

At best your audience will walk away with a line or two from your speech (and that’s okay – it’s normal) but the key to this is with memorable statements. A great article from Forbes.com talks in greater detail on just how to make this work for you! But here is a great take away – ‘Metaphors…Analogies…Surprise…Axioms. They all work. You just need to build up to them…and place them in the best spot (preferably near the end).’ So, when your working on being ‘memorable’ think of a cute little one liner that will play over and over in guests minds (all night long)!

Photo by: Aaron Daniel Films

Some other notes: write like you are just having a regular old conversation with a friend! Too simple but trust us it totally works! Prepare and write drafts (as many as needed – who is really counting?!). If you give yourself enough time to write and it comes from a place of sentiment, you will feel like you were made for this! Make sure you do a practise run and see where you are at with timing. The best speeches on the social side are around that 5-minute mark and luckily if you are speaking at a corporate event your planner has likely given you your time limit – so stick to that!

Photo by: Samantha Ong Photography

Also, always remember that everyone messes up – so don’t EVER take it to personally if you slip up on a sentence or forget a line! Speeches are a real great character-building experience! And hey, if you don’t feel like doing a speech – just be honest – or be creative and find another way (live painting, custom rap song, choreographed dance, the options are endless) to surprise your friends, family or corporate guests.

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From all of us at LIUNA Events, thank you for following along!