Wedding speech
A wedding ceremony whether it be the simplest or the most extravagant of all is not complete without the speeches from the newly-wed couple, the parents, principal sponsors, secondary sponsors and even relatives and closest friends. It is at this juncture where laughter as well as tears of joy and mixed feelings about the affair are displayed.
Many years back, a wedding speech was reserved mostly to the fathers of the bride and groom and to the groom himself. A bride delivering a speech in her wedding day was very unusual considering that gender sensitivity was not yet as strongly practiced as it is today.
There are a variety of wedding speeches which have gained prominence and even written in books to serve as references for the present generation. In Egypt, these speeches were attributed to the gods in the form of offerings and blessings. On the other hand, in Europe, the fathers usually do the talking during the wedding. However, in Ireland, Scotland and England, it was the mothers who
Because times are really changing, people are now little by little getting away from tradition and are having modifications to be in tune with the present times. Very common now is, the maid of honor delivers her speech. Part of this evolvement also is the content of the speech which was once more inclined to giving blessings, wishes for good luck, good health and more kids and so on. This time, modern speeches inject humor, drama and many tales which usually exposes the personalities of the bride and groom as well as their respective families.
A wedding speech generally tells of the feelings of the speaker towards the newly-weds. Generally, the speaker himself writes it or asks somebody to write down his feelings. A lot of styles, tips and approaches are found in reference books on how to effectively deliver this speech. Proven to aid especially first-timers are the following guidelines:
1. Familiarity with the place. This includes checking the area where you will speak and acknowledging the person who introduced you. Greeting the attendees/audience will set the pace of establishing rapport with them.
2. Avoid negative thoughts about your capacity to deliver the speech successfully and SMILE.
3. Stand with confidence and try to connect with your audience by looking at them one at a time for 5 to 7 seconds. Do not address them as a whole. Establish eye contact because it is in this process that the audience will personally feel important, giving you confidence in return.
4. Speak from your notes or memory, if possible because the main point is, you want to say your message from the heart and do it naturally.
5. Just be yourself and use your sense of humor, if you have.
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