WEDDING GOSSIP Girl In a White Dress 4 7380 views
“On behalf of my new husband…”
I have a morbidly scary fear of public speaking on account of that afternoon in double English, and the thought of getting up in front of my nearest and dearest on the big day fills me with utter dread. So I shall leave the talking to him – for once.
But that’s not to say I don’t agree with other brides stepping up to the table to share their loveliest heartfelt thoughts about the man they love. Be my guest, I say. In fact, with the bride’s speech, the rules are: there are no rules! You can literally say what you like – although now’s not the time to reveal how much you despise your mother-in-law, or to share the cutesy wootsy nicknames you and your new hubby call each other. No matter how adorable you think they are.
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f it's not too terrifying, try to memorise your speech so you can deliver it to your audience - but have back-up flash cards under your chair just in case. A good way to start your speech is with a gentle icebreaker – something along the lines of: “Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to thank all of you for being here today, especially since many of you knew that I'd want to say a few words ... it’s very touching that you still decided to come.”
Then you can say as little or as much as you like (remembering to say a few words about the gorgeous man you’ve just married, of course). It’s also a good idea to send a few words of thanks in your parents’ direction – especially if they’re footing the bill at the end of the night.
A word of advice though: try not to consume too much champers before you stand up or you may find that standing up (and then standing still) is considerably harder than you remembered. And no one wants to watch a bride overcome with emotion, fumbling her way drunkenly through a tearful speech - we all remember Gwyneth's performance at the Oscars...
To see how other brides did it, visit FrugalBride.com http://www.frugalbride.com/bridespeeches.html (they are slightly gushy and a bit over the top, but you get the idea...)
And as always, let us know how you get on!
© AP/Eric Draper
NEXT TUESDAY... CHERYL TACKLES THE GROOM'S DUTIES
Posted in category: Wedding Gossip
I did a speech. I decided that I wanted to thank the bridesmaids myself. Traditionally the groom does it, but as I'd bossed them around for about a
