Traditional English wedding speech order

Are you about to have a wedding? You should know about the etiquette surrounding an English wedding speech. This tradition varies depending on your family’s location and social standing. In general, the higher your social standing is, the more rigid the rules are. Nuptials for royalty and heads of state usually have protocols that determine the acceptable order of wedding speeches. In such instances, the bride and groom should work with the family members to ensure that the right order is observed to avoid bringing embarrassment to the family.

For most families that are beneath the elite ruling class, couples have the advantage of establishing the wedding speech order that they desire. However, the influence of tradition still weighs heavily upon order based on the geographic location. In the English speaking countries such as UK, New Zealand, the tradition of wedding speech order binds them more tightly compared to the US. More modern approaches to giving wedding speeches have started making their way to most wedding receptions. Historically, a lot of the English speaking countries adhered to a specific pattern of giving wedding speeches with toasts. Here is the order that was followed traditionally.

1. Father of the bride

In accordance with tradition, the father of the bride who would be introduced by the toastmaster or MC speaks first. In his speech, he welcomes the wedding guests on behalf of his family and thanks them for agreeing to join him in celebrating the wedding. He then remarks about his daughter and praises her. The bride’s father also welcomes the groom to the family. When the speech is over, he asks everyone to join him in toasting to the bliss of both the bride and groom.

2. Groom

The groom is the second person to give a speech in the traditional order. It is customary for him to begin the speech by referring to his bride as ?wife’. By principle, the groom is expected to acknowledge the toast given by his new father in law and thank him for giving his daughter’s hand in matrimony. Next, the groom should thank the guests for coming to the wedding. He then turns his attention to his new wife as he talks about her endearing qualities. He then thanks her for agreeing to marry him. In closing, the groom thanks his best man, ushers, and the bridesmaid for helping out with the wedding and proposes a toast to their welfare.

3. Best Man

The final person to speak is the best man who kicks off with a thank you on behalf of the bridesmaids who have just been toasted. The best man is expected to thank the groom for asking him to assume that role. He should also congratulate the groom and talk about his good fortune. In closing, the groom should thank the bride’s family and give a toast to their wellbeing.

Apart from the three speakers, the only other people that should speak are the toastmaster, MC and the clergyman. The speakers are given more time as they are expected to speak on behalf of other people.