WHO SPEAKS WHEN

For a traditional English wedding the following is a recommended guide to the speeches for the evening:

1. It is the father of the bride who traditionally starts the speeches by thanking the guests for coming, he then will say something about his daughter and proposes a toast to the couple.
2. Then it’s the groom’s turn, see our article of the Groom’s Speech for detail. In the traditional English formality, the groom proposes a toast to the bridesmaids.
3. The Best man’s speech is last, he thanks you for your toast on behalf of the bridesmaids and then goes into detail on the groom……. It might be a good idea to speak to the best man on the type of detail he is allowed to mention to avoid any embarrassment at the reception. He then says something about the couple and proposes a toast to the happy couple. Alternatively, if you do not have a best man, this can be done by the Master of Ceremonies.

The South African alternative:
Based on an Afrikaans tradition the following sequence of speeches is a guideline:

1. The eldest sibling in the bride’s family says a few words in honor of the bride’s family and proposes a toast in honor of the bride’s parents.
2. The eldest sibling in the groom’s family says a few words in honor of the groom’s family and proposes a toast in honor of the groom’s parents
3. Then it’s the groom’s turn, see our article of the Groom’s Speech for detail.
4. The best man then addresses the couple and says a few words and proposes a toast to the happy couple. Alternatively, if you do not have a best man, this can be done by the Master of Ceremonies.

PS. The timing of the speeches is normally between the starter being served and main course. I have also seen the Groom’s speech and best man’s toast done after the main is served just before desert is served.

It is also not uncommon for the bride to address her guests if she really wants to, and it is quite sweet when the head bridesmaid addresses the bride (this is done right up front then).

15-01-2008 13:25 Keith Johnston Published in Ideas and Advice, Keith's Advice

This entry was posted on 15-01-2008 13:25. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. This article was favoured 100 time. You can leave a comment. Tags: wedding speeches, reception, who speaks when, groom, bride.
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