How to give the best wedding speech possible

Wedding speeches are the backbone of a wedding reception and it's a moment where a person can share their thoughts on the bride and groom. Whether it be funny, romantic or emotional speeches are supposed to me memorable for everyone in attendance. 

Here are some tips on how to give the best wedding speech possible :

1. Make some notes. Don't wing it
There is no shame in writing down the toast exactly as you would say it and then practicing delivering it 'naturally', looking at the cards now and again. A toast should have a 'smooth' welcoming intro and an 'emotional/happy' end. Be accurate with the bits of info you need to communicate like the maid of honour's name and the groom's grandmother who was too ill to travel. 

2. Know your audience
Think about who is in the room and how much detail people need to know. Save the gritty, grubby and incriminating stories for people who'll adore them at the bar afterwards. Instead give people light detail of how you met. Do not let your toast become a giant in-joke that only a few people understand. A toast should appeal to everyone, be inclusive and unite a room, even if it makes it a bit bland.

3. Always check people can hear 
No matter how good this toast is, the guests won't be able to hear if you are mumbling at 200 words per minute! During your prep, find somewhere a bit private you can boom out words and practice a slightly larger than life voice. A toast — like it or not — involves being a bit theatrical and being the centre of attention. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Note: don't be scared to ask people mid-toast if they can hear you at all parts of the room. 

4. How to add humour and get a laugh 
A fail-safe option for fun is some light teasing of the person who you're making a toast for. Think of silly things that will make the room smile. Bring up amusing events where they were idiotic but lovable. Any funny story about someone should always be told with a big dose of love. This isn't a place to settle scores or tell anyone off. 

5. Check that glasses are full
Before you raise a toast, ensure everyone has something in their glass. Go with something like, "Ladies and gentleman, thank you for listening to me, can I ask you to charge your glasses, as I'd love to raise a toast to my wonderful friend…". 

6. Short and sweet is better than hearing the Oscar music
Wedding speeches sometimes can get carried away and sometimes the person at the mic says way too much and their speech isn't as impactful as the speech should be. To ensure a memorable speech only think of around 3 things you want to speak about. 1 being a topic on the bride, 1 on the groom and 1 topic of them as a couple. If you put each of these around 2 minutes in length a speech in the window of around 5 - 7 minutes is not too bad. Anything over 10 minutes makes the guests unsettled and wanting them to go get drinks at the bar.