This Bride is adorable, and she would have had a wonderful speech…if she had prepared it ahead of time.

Instead, she's going on and on, and on, and on.

I know the Bride has a million things to do before her wedding, and I don't envy any one in that position (I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt…and I choose not to repeat!)

What Could Have Saved This Speech?

Shorter

Simply a half-hour spent on writing a wedding speech, along with practicing out loud in front of a real audience would have saved her (and her audience!) from a speech that lasted too long.

The speech itself was not bad, in fact it was good (for "winging it"). But by not writing out her thoughts into a speech, she ended up babbling and going on and on instead of making her point. She could have shortened it, and thus strengthened her message.

Practice In Front of a Mirror

When you're the Bride, it's all about you. No matter what you do tonight, all eyes are on you. You've picked the perfect dress, the fabulous shoes, had your nails, hair, makeup (and more!) all done up and ready. The same attention should be on your speech and what you look like (because you don't want to look like a babbling brook of tears and nerves!)

Practice your speech, out loud, and in front of a mirror. Get a kitchen spoon and pretend it's a microphone. Grab a glass if you'll be holding a champagne glass as you toast. Now, watch as you speak.

Did you make eye contact with yourself? Do you need to stand up straighter? Do you need to be holding note cards in your other hand? Did you gesture towards your parents as you spoke of them?

In addition, a pre-wedding audience can also give you feedback if you need a more objective eye.