Wedding Speeches - Three Easy Steps to Preparing Your Speech

Your wedding speech, like any other presentation will have a clear beginning, middle and ending. Depending on your position at the marriage (eg. groom, father of the bride, best man, etc.) your speech will be expected to cover the formalities as well as a few personal words. The father of the bride will be expected to congratulate the Bride and Groom and formally welcome the groom to the family, the groom will be expected to respond to his father-in-law's good wishes, the best man will thank the groom on behalf of the bridesmaids for his kind comments, etc.

The optimum time for each wedding speech is just seven minutes. Less time is a little too short, too much more time risks losing the attention of your audience. Your wedding speech can be planned into three sections: the introduction (two minutes), main content (four minutes) and conclusion (one minute).

1. The Beginning Of The Speech

Don't agonise over how to get started with your speech. The opening part of your speech will consist of a simple 'hello' and then straight into addressing the obligatory remarks that are formally expected of you. By the time you have completed this initial task your nerves will have calmed a little and your audience will be paying attention.

If the wedding speeches are being given in the afternoon (many are) then simply "good afternoon ladies and gentlemen" is perfectly acceptable as the opening remark - or "good evening" if it's an evening reception. Followed by dispersing the more formal duty of your speech, for example:

The Father Of The Bride

The bride's father is normally the first wedding speaker, and so it falls to him to formally welcome all of the guests to the wedding and thank them for attending. He then goes on to thank others who have assisted with the wedding (including, specifically, the groom's parents) and anyone who has contributed to the finance (without including too much detail). His other responsibility is to compliment his beautiful daughter on her wedding day and to welcome her new husband to the family.

The Groom

The beginning of the groom's wedding speech is his thanks, on behalf of his new wife and himself, to the bride's father for his kind remarks and his toast to the bride and groom. The groom then thanks both sets of parents for their assistance with the wedding and compliments his new wife on her beauty and her wedding dress. The final part of the groom's opening remarks is to thank the guests for attending, for their good wishes and their wedding gifts.

The Best Man

The opening comment of the best man speech is in response to the groom's toast to the bridesmaids. He thanks the groom for his toast, on behalf of the bridesmaids. The best man may wish to add his own compliments to the bridesmaids at this stage. He then congratulates the bride and groom on their marriage. After the opening remarks, the best man then proceeds to read any messages sent from those who were unable to attend the wedding.

2. The Main Content Of The Speech

The main content of each speaker's wedding speech should last for about four minutes, much longer speeches will risk you losing your audience's attention.

The main (middle) part of the speech is the speaker's opportunity to insert his own comments and observations. Items that you may wish to include in your speech are personal experiences relating to the bride or groom, describing their (good) nature and personality, an amusing or interesting story from the past that the guests may enjoy, etc.

3. Ending The Wedding Speech

You will need to bring your speech to a comfortable conclusion, by using a closing remark followed by making the appropriate toast. A simple comment directly to the bride and groom, wishing them well in the future, a blessing on the bride and groom or an amusing remark and snippet of advice will conclude your speech. Finally, address the guests with your proposal of a toast (details below for the correct toast for each speaker to make), turn to the party that you're toasting, raise your glass, repeat their name, take a sip and be seated!

Father Of The Bride

The father of the bride concludes his speech by proposing a toast to the bride and groom.

The Groom

The Groom concludes his speech by proposing a toast to the bridesmaids.

Best Man

The best man concludes his speech by proposing a toast to the bride and groom.

In a little more time than it takes to boil an egg, the speech is delivered, appreciated by the guests and you can relax! It's not so daunting, is it?

Article by Steve Shaw, of wedding services and information. The website http://www.weddingservices.eclectic-choice.co.uk offers advice and information on organising and arranging your wedding.

Four Simple Steps to Finding a Great Videographer In Your Area

Weddings! What could be more romantic than two people promising to love each other for the rest of their lives? Pledging their commitments to one another and vowing to stay together through thick and thin. Yes, marriage is one thing that we as a society still take in earnestly. That is why so much time and preparation is given to a wedding event.

One of the most important things in a wedding (aside from the bride and the groom showing-up) is the photos. Now, aside from the photos, there is the video or videography which has taken posterity to the next level. Videography is now very in - demand, not only in weddings but also anniversaries, reunions, birthdays and business events.

Since the demand for videographers are quite high, there are hundreds of videography companies that are flooding the market today. However, it is important to be picky since there are good ones and not so good services and packages. Indisputably, everyone deserves quality service, especially those who are planning to capture their whole wedding event in film since this only happens once since.

How then can we find a good videographer for wedding events?

Plan Ahead

Include finding a good videographer in your area in your daily task of finding a good baker for the wedding cake, gown, tux etc. Keep in mind that a good video and photo doesn't happen overnight. Photography is an art and not everyone who owns a Nikon SLR camera is an artist.

Research

The web is rich in resources, take time to research. There are numerous companies and freelance videographers who has their own websites and webpages to promote their services and packages. There are also samples of their work already uploaded on their sites which is good because you'll have already an idea of their capabilities and you can already gauge the quality of their work.

Word of mouth

Your choice should not be dependent completely on what you see on their websites. It is better to see actual results. Borrow your friends' wedding videos and learn from their experience. Get advice and recommendation. Take note of the name of the videographers whom you can have faith in to do the job.

Technical Stuff (This is very important Ladies, so listen up!)

If you've already listed down all your choices, it is now time to go and check them out. Talk to them, especially the videographer and ask them basic questions about their services and the apparatus that they have. The latest is always better. Video cameras today are already in high - definition standards, as well. It is also important to know what type of cameras they're using and how many units will they use for your wedding. There are some companies which uses two cameras if it's a grand wedding to capture everything that needed capturing. Establish the number of DVDs included in the package and if you are also getting the unedited footage of the event. Ask them how long it will take them to show you the finished product. The date schedule is important because it varies from every company. In terms of the audio, it has to also be high quality especially during the saying of the vows and during the reception. It is both essential to really look good and sound good as well.

A Wedding Day is a day in which everything should be perfect for the reason that it is the commencement of your lifetime together. Evidently, it should be romantic since you are celebrating your love with each other and you're sharing your special day with your family and friends. Again, you'll by no means go wrong with a good quality wedding videography because it is important to capture every second of your special day.