Top 5 Reasons Your Wedding Speech is Driving You Crazy

In 19 years as a wedding speechwriter, I've discovered there are 5 main reasons the speech is, for many, the most stressful part of the wedding duties:

REASON #1:   You don't have a lot of speechwriting or public speaking experience, especially at high-profile social events like a wedding (most people don't).
 
REASON #2:   You're not comfortable presenting in front of large crowds (I wasn't either).
 
REASON #3:   You've seen how wedding speeches are portrayed in movies like The Hangover and Bridesmaids and think you have to become Zach Galifianakis or Melissa McCarthy and turn your remarks into a roast filled with insults, zippy one-liners and stories to embarrass the bride or groom (this only works in movies).
 
REASON #4:   With the average cost of a wedding at nearly $34,000 in 2019, you feel unspoken pressure to deliver the perfect speech flawlessly (and fearlessly). 

REASON #5: You probably have years, maybe even a lifetime of memories, thoughts, experiences and feelings about the bride or groom in your head and heart. And it probably all feels like one, big jumbled blur in your mind. This makes it almost impossible to step back, get perspective and “see the forest from the trees”—which is exactly what it takes to write a warm, entertaining and memorable speech. 
 
But the good news is that with the right words and preparation, anyone you can deliver the best speech of the day with ease and confidence to honor the bride and groom, and entertain wedding guests.
 
You have a speaking role in the wedding because you mean something special to the bride and groom. You're wedding royalty.
 
So it's worth the time and effort to give the best of you in a speech filled with humor, emotion, stories, enthusiasm, surprise and gratitude. Your goal is to connect, inspire and entertain.
 
And once you have the perfect words, don't forget to rehearse out loud. Then rehearse more.  And a little more.  

Shelia, a maid of honor client in Washington, D.C., put it this way: "All the preparation and practice definitely made it worth it" (see Shelia's full review here).