Wedding Speeches - Traditions and Tips

There are many aspects to a person’s wedding that people look forward to;
the dress, the food, the music and inevitably the speeches. Many of us are
guilty of inflicting our previous experiences of speeches, on those about to
speak. Perhaps we expect the address to seemingly last forever or hope that it
lasts a short sharp 5 minutes filled with laughter and tears.

There can be such expectation on the speeches that it is important to us at
Priston Mill they happen in a way that makes those participating feel
confident and comfortable.

Traditionally the speeches happen after the main meal before tea and coffee
is served. This does mean that your guests have been wined and dined,
making everyone a little more relaxed and appreciative of your words.

However on some occasions people are particularly nervous and would prefer
to ‘get it out the way’. In which case you can opt to have the speeches before
you start the wedding breakfast. If doing so we would suggest you time the
speeches carefully so that when our chefs present your delicious starter it is
still delicious, and not compromised by a speaker over-running.

In our experience we have found speeches last between 5 & 10 minutes. It
may not sound like a long time, but better to be short and sweet!

If one or all of your speakers are especially anxious, we have a PA system &
microphone available for hire. However the acoustics in our old, majestic
venues are amazing, so it is very rarely required.

You may have heard of a Master of Ceremonies; a person who makes the
introductions and announcements. On occasion the Bride & Groom will hire
or appoint such a person. However, if you would prefer our Events Managers
are more than happy to make these announcements for you.

Photo from Westphotography