As one of Ireland’s most experienced wedding planners, I’ve seen every type of wedding speech you can imagine, from the emotional to the humorous and everything in between. It can be a daunting task for those who are a little uncomfortable about getting up and speaking in front of a crowd, but just remember that at a wedding you can relax in the knowledge that your audience will be filled with friends and family who are there to celebrate the happy day, rather than critique you.
Here’s my guide to everything you need to know about the wedding speeches. If you’d like to chat to about how I can help plan your wedding, then please email me

This is a tough one. Essentially you’ll be left with two choices, either before or after the meal. If you do the speeches before the meal, you’ll probably be left with a restless audience of guests who are too busy thinking about when the food will come out, to listen to the speeches.  However the beauty of doing it this way, is that the wedding party can sit down and relax as they eat their meal knowing the speeches are over.  Having the speeches after the meal, or between the main course and dessert, means you’ll likely have a captive, happy audience of guests who are delighted to sit back, relax and listen to the speeches on a full stomach.  The only downside to this, is that the wedding party may not enjoy their meal so much as they think about having to get up and make those speeches.

Always remember that it is your wedding day, so while there is a traditional order that wedding speeches tend to go in, if you and your partner wish to do things differently, then definitely do it. That said, if you’re keen to keep to the traditional order, then it should be as follows –

The Father of the Bride

The Father of the Groom

The Groom

The Bride (if she is speaking)

The Best Man

There is a belief that the bride traditionally does not make a speech at her wedding. Well today thousands of brides proudly stand up and say a few words. After all it is supposed to the happiest day of her life, so why shouldn’t she say a little something? Again, this is entirely up to you.

This is a delicate question. A long speech will tend to bore the guests, but a short speech may seem a little rude.  A rough guide is that speeches can last anywhere from 25-40 minutes.  Anything over that and you’re getting into slightly dodgy territory.

Speeches can be one of the most emotional parts of the wedding day for those speaking and close family, but there are parts of the speech which some guests may find a little tiresome. So it’s a good idea to try and make the speeches a little more fun. You could encourage guests to lay bets on how long the speeches will be or outline how to play the ‘thank you’ game. Essentially each guests puts a fiver in a pint glass and each time the word ‘thank you’ is said the glass moves on place to the left. Whoever is left with the glass at the end wins the pot.