When you are planning your speeches think about how long you want each speech to be and let each speaker know what their time limit is way before the wedding when they are preparing.
I have heard a LOT of speeches over the years and in general 5-7 minutes each is plenty.
If you are having more than 4 speakers I would probably cut that down a bit more.
So lets go!
I always recommend speeches are done BEFORE food and below are some reasons why.
Clean tables
Your tables will be clean and still styled as you intended for nice clean speech photos. Remember we are not just taking photos of the speakers but of your guests reactions so a lot of your table décor will be in these photos.
After food there are often plates left behind, multiple glasses of half drank wine and kids [if you have kids at your wedding] will have gravy down their outfits and chocolate brownie on their faces.
If there are favours they are often opened during or right after the meal so it just ensure the images are clear of debris.
Below are some more examples of clear tables when speeches are done first.
Photo taken at Norfolk Mead Hotel.
speakers can enjoy their food more
Some people are happy to do a speech but are still nervous public speakers.
It is a fact that if speeches are done after food, venues scrape more food into the bin as some are just too nervous to eat it.
I have heard a lot of grooms and best men say they are relieved once the speech is done and they feel more relaxed.
Photo taken at Manor Mews - Unique Norfolk Venues
Give them something to talk about!
If you have had some funny and engaging speeches, your guests will have more to talk about over dinner. Particularly good if you have guests seated together who don't know each other.
Photo taken at Manor Mews - Unique Norfolk Venues
Your guests are still looking their best
Ties have no yet been loosened and lipstick is still in place before people have started eating. Your guests will prefer to be looking their best in the candid photos.
it's easier for all your suppliers
So this is a biased one but it is a truthful one so here we go.
Nothing fills me with dread more than speeches between courses. There I said it...
It basically means I do not get a break at all.
While you are eating is when your photographer / videographer get their only break of the day. And when you do speeches is when your serving team [your bar staff and waiting staff] get to eat their food and have their only break of the day.
So doing the speeches one end or the other is what we all pray for.
Your guests don't really want their food interrupted either once they are eating, they want to enjoy their meals.
Photo taken at Abbey Hall in Eye, Suffolk - UK.
Thanks so much for reading the blog and I hope you found it helpful.
More wedding tips blogs being added all the time.
