DUTIES AND SPEECHES
Master of ceremonies’ duties:
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Welcome guests on behalf of the bride and groom
Introduce the wedding and bridal party
Announce entrees
Announce main course
Call up each person giving a speech
Announce the cutting of the cake
Announce the opening dance
Invite bridal party and parents to join the dance floor
Invite the other guests to join the dancing
Announce sweets
Announce throwing of garter
Announce throwing of bouquet
Announce farewell circle
Announce departure of bride and groom
Wedding speaches:
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Preparation is the key to any successful speech
Be clear on what the speech is about
Know the person
Know the format
Know what you are going to say
Keep it short. 1-3 minutes is acceptable
Keep the focus on the newley-weds
There are natural-born talkers that do it off the cuff, but good ones are few and far
between.
Order of the Speeches - traditionally they are:
 Bride’s father of family friend - speech about bride and groom and toast
 The groom – thanks bridesmaids and maid of honour plus toast
 The best man – speech about bride and groom’s parents plus toast
...but these can be, and are regularly changed to suit your own individual
preferences. For example:
 The bride may talk about her parents, the groom about his
 The best man may talk about the groom and/or bride in addition to toasting
the parents
 The maid of honour may say a speech about the bride/groom
Don’t be crude or embarrasing. Use jokes or anecdotes to liven up your speech.
Don’t read directly from your notes. Take your time – don’t rush. Don’t forget your
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toast at the end of your speech. Take a glass of bubbly with you to the microphone.
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