1. Make the groom, best man and father-of-the-bride feel as confident as you can, as they all feel nervous and worry that their wedding speech will ruin their wedding day.
2. It’s all about preparation. Write your wedding speech well in advance and try to learn it of by heart as much as you can. This preparation will help you beat those big day nerves.
3. Gather unusual stories from family and friends who have known the couple at different times of their lives.
4. Try to include something for everyone and do not swear, as there may be children present and some people may find it offensive. Consider what your audience will want to hear. The bride’s grandparents probably do not want to hear a best man’s speech that focuses exclusively on the groom’s drunken stag weekend in Budapest dressed as a pink fairy!
5. Balance your wedding speech with humour and sincerity. A speech that is over sentimental can be dull, while a wedding speech that is full on humour can miss the point of what the wedding day is all about.
6. There is no “correct way” to write a speech, but try to keep to short punchy sentences rather than long rambling paragraphs. Being a wedding photographer, I have seen my fair share of wedding speehes, some fantastic, where I’ve had problems trying to keep my camera steady due to me laughing so much, to ones that bore the-pants-off you, not just me but the guests as well, and these ones tend to be the long rambling paragraph style speeches!
7. The short punchy sentence style means that you can give a speech that exudes confidence. Practice is the key here. Practice, out loud, over and over again until you feel totally confident with it, may be even in front of a mirror or partner/friend, reading slowly with emphasis on key words.
8. Practice means that you should know your wedding speech pretty well, which will mean that you do not have to keep looking down at your notes. Make eye contact with your audience, as there is nothing worse than a nervous speaker looking down reading his notes with out engaging his  or her audience. Have cue cards key phrases in large type so that they can be easily read and will trigger your memory for what is coming next.
9. To avoid any nasty surprises on the big day, there are a few things you need to find out. Firstly, where you will be standing, secondly, whether there will be a microphone (not all venues supply them) and thirdly, will there be somewhere to rest you notes.
10. However, if after all these little tips you are still unable to write a speech , there are plenty of services on the internet that offer to write speeches for you. Good luck, and try to enjoy the day.

About the Author: Paul Birkett of Blue Square Images is a contemporary wedding photographer . If you like our style of wedding photography, why not follow us on Twitter or  contact us.
 

Wedding Photography | Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photographers