Finally, it’s time to put it all together by taking a look at some full length speeches. While you may decide to adapt, personalise, and possibly combine what you consider to be the best bits, the main reason for including them in this final chapter is to remind you of the style and tone you should adopt throughout your speech. Your address should be emotional and sentimental, yet enlivened with touches of humour. It should also be short.

In the Bible, the story of the Creation is told in 400 words (that’s less than 3 minutes) and the Ten Commandments are covered in less than 300. Try to say everything you need to in less than 1,000 words. Each of the speeches that follow would take about five minutes to deliver.

Stand up to be seen ... Speak up to be heard ... Sit down to be appreciated!

Sample Speech 1

Reverend Jones, Ladies and Gentlemen – Friends, ‘We cannot fully enjoy life unless someone we love enjoys it with us.’ Not my words, I’m afraid, although how I agree with them.

This is a truly historic day! This day, the 13th of July, will always be remembered for three world famous events. Film actor Harrison Ford was born in 1942; Live Aid concerts raised millions for charity back in 1985; and on this day in 200X, Richard married Karen!

I cannot begin to tell you how delighted I am to see my daughter, Karen, looking so radiant as she begins a new chapter of her life – as wife and partner of Richard. I know I’m also speaking for Mary when I say we are not losing Karen; we are merely entrusting her to Richard’s care.

And as we have got to know Richard well over the last few months, we have come to the inescapable conclusion that this will be very good care. He has shown himself to be exactly the sort of person we had always hoped Karen would marry. He is really likeable and easy going, hard working, and he has immaculate tastes. After all, he supports United and he chose Karen, didn’t he? We are delighted to welcome him formally into our family, and I hope that he is now pleased to be a member of the Matthew clan. What we find gratifying is that Richard’s parents feel the same about Karen. They have taken her to their hearts, and I believe that she is a real favourite with Jack and Babs.

Mary and I are really fortunate that the second of our lovely daughters has made a match with her Mr. Right, and indeed, as with her sister, in doing so, has brought more welcome people into our family. Of course, marriage is not only about finding the perfect partner, but also about being one. I believe that marriage will teach Richard, loyalty, self-restraint, and control. It will develop in him a sense of fair play ... and many other qualities ... which he wouldn’t need if he had stayed single!

You know, it seems like only yesterday that I found Karen playing with her new teaset. ‘Are you washing the dishes?’ I asked. ‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘and I’m drying them as well because I’m not married yet.’ Richard, you have been warned! In those days, Karen’s weekends were taken up with tap dancing, ballet and the pony club. She called her pony Radish and used to go round telling everyone it was her horse Radish.

As many of you know, Karen has always been a hard-working girl and she had a series of part-time jobs that helped her through college. Not long after she began working for Clareys the Cleaners, her office manager made a spot check of her work. ‘Look at this desk!’ he exclaimed, ‘It looks as if it hasn’t been cleaned in a month.’ ‘You can’t blame me for that,’ replied Karen, I’ve only worked here for a fortnight.’

Then there was the time she worked in a florists. She had to put all the little messages on the flowers, but got them mixed up. The flowers going to a wedding had a funeral card on them saying, ‘With deepest sympathy.’ And on the flowers for a funeral, she put a card, saying, ‘Hope you’ll be happy in your new home ...’ Well, today it’s my turn to wish you both the happiest of times together in your new home!

To be serious for a moment, I know that we suggested that you should elope and have your wedding on a beach in the Bahamas, but we’re so glad you didn’t, because this has been a wonderful wedding day, and it’s not over yet!

It is customary on an occasion such as this for the father of the bride to offer the newlyweds some profound piece of advice, so here goes ... Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love ... they blossom when we love the one we married. When children find true love, parents find true joy. Here’s to your joy and ours from this day forward. Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand, raise your glasses and drink a toast with me to the health and happiness of Richard and Karen.

To Richard and Karen!

Sample Speech 2

Ladies and Gentlemen, Winston Churchill was apparently once asked to address a prep school and he got up and said, ‘Never, Never, Never give up!’ then sat down. Well you are not going to get away quite as easily as that, but I will try to be brief.

I’d like to start by welcoming, on behalf of Alice and Victoria, David and the guests of both of our families. Some of you have travelled a long way to be here today, but whether your journey was 12,000 miles or 2 miles we thank you all sincerely for being here to share this special day with us. I’ve met some of David’s family for the first time, and I think we’ve all hit it off really well.

David knew I’d be nervous addressing so many people today, especially those of you I hadn’t met before, so he told me this little story to remind me how quickly friendships can be forged. A girl he knew was waiting for a bus. She realised that when it came she would have trouble climbing aboard in her very tight skirt. So she reached surreptitiously behind her and loosened the zip. When the bus arrived, the man behind her in the queue, picked her up by the waist and placed her on it. ‘How dare you!’ she exclaimed. And he said, ‘Well, after you opened my flies, I thought we were friends.’ From the way we’re all getting on so well today, I think we are friends too!

I’d now like to take the opportunity to thank the beautiful bridesmaids for looking after Victoria, the Vicar for a lovely service, her Boss for the great weather, and the staff of Kandinskis for the excellent food and service.

Weddings don’t just happen. They take a fantastic amount of hard work, organisation ... and money! Of course, this is my daughter’s big day and, quite rightly, no one here is paying much attention to me. But I can assure you that I’m getting my fair share of attention elsewhere. My bank manager, my mortgage lender, and several credit card companies are watching me extremely carefully. Today, we haven’t lost a daughter ... we’ve gained an overdraft. Only joking ... I think ... but I would like to ask you all to join me in a toast to Alice, as without her constant hard work over several months, today would not have gone nearly as well as it has. My wife – Alice. Any excuse for a drink!

It was 1982 when Vikki made her entrance into this world. She immediately brightened up our lives and has continued to do so ever since. You never did learn to turn off the lights did you? Dave is also very important to us and in the seven years that we have known him, Alice and I have seen the strength of his character, his warmth and his great ability to make Victoria happy.

I know we live in a sometimes crazy, mixed-up world, but days like this somehow seem to make sense of it all to me. In the words of that famous song from Vikki’s favourite film, Casablanca:

‘It’s still the same old story,

A fight for love and glory,

A case of do or die!

The world will always welcome lovers.

As time goes by.’

Today the world welcomes David and Victoria!

Well, finally I would like to return to Winston Churchill and my serious advice to you both: ‘Never, Never, Never give up’ ...on loving each other and on working together to make your marriage last and become everything that you both want and deserve.

It now gives me great pleasure to propose a toast to the long life together and the happiness of David and Victoria.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The bride and groom!

Sample Speech 3

Ladies and Gentlemen, as father of the bride, it is my privilege to make the first speech and I would like to start by saying what a real pleasure it is to welcome, on this joyous occasion, Liz and Joe, John’s parents, together with relatives and friends of both families.

Today, we, on the top table, are surrounded by most of the friends and family who have been so important to us during our lives. Some have travelled hundreds of miles, just to be here today. On behalf of John and Paula, Liz and Joe, and Ethel and I – we welcome you all and thank you sincerely for your friendship and support over many years – and for sharing this special day with us. By your presence, you show friendship and love, and bring even greater joy to us all.

We are very proud today to see Paula – looking so beautiful – now married to John. During the time we have known him, we have come to realise how special John is to Paula, and anyone can see that they are made for each other. He is really likeable and easy going, and we are very happy to welcome him formally into the family, and as a member of the Owen clan.

John, as someone with some experience of marriage, I would like to warn you about what you’ll be up against. I didn’t think it wise to say anything before you’d gone through with the wedding, in case you chickened out! There’s something you’ll have to learn to live with, because no man has yet found a remedy for it; and that is, the female mind.

I remember the time when Ethel bought me two ties for my birthday, a red one and a blue one. I was undecided as to which one to wear at the party that evening, but appeared in the red one. As soon as Ethel saw me, she said, ‘Oh! you’re wearing the red tie. Don’t you like the blue one?’ John, sometimes you just can’t win!

And what about my delightful daughter? Doesn’t she look magnificent? You know, it seems like only yesterday when I stormed into Paula’s bedroom and told her to turn off that dreadful heavy metal CD. ‘Why, do you want to borrow it?’ she asked ... Come to think of it, it was yesterday! But seriously, Paula is the best daughter a man could ever wish for ... she is intelligent, beautiful, thoughtful ... in fact she does everything for me. She even wrote this speech!

Isn’t it funny how the meaning of words change over time? For example, we all know how the meaning of the word gay has changed over the years. The older generation is not always aware of such changes, as this little story will illustrate. When John and Paula got engaged, I said to John, ‘I expect you’ll be saving your pennies from now on. You don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy yourself. Why don’t you do what Ethel and I did when we were first engaged and money was tight? Ethel and I used to be perfectly happy going out for a walk in the park on a pleasant summer evening. We used to call that ‘going for a bit of a blow’, which I now, understand from John’s sniggers, may have a slightly different meaning to young people today!

It is customary on an occasion such as this for the father of the bride to pass on some words of wisdom about the institution of marriage. Well, if 35 years of blissful marriage has taught me anything, it is this: If you would have a happy family life, remember two things – in matters of principle, stand like a rock – in matters of taste, swim with the current.

Handing Paula to John, reminds me of what has been said of relationships:

If you love something, set it free.

If it comes back, it was, and always will be, yours.

If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.

And, if all it does is... just sit in your house, mess up your stuff, spend your money, eat your food, use the telephone all night, and monopolise your television.... you either married it, or gave birth to it!

Ladies and Gentlemen, there are only two lasting bequests parents can hope to give their children ... one of these is roots and the other is wings. Paula, I believe that over the years we have given you strong roots. Today, Ethel and I know the time is right for you to fly away from the nest with John. Ladies and Gentlemen – Friends, it is now my pleasant duty to propose a toast to the happy couple.... to the love birds ... to John and Paula!

To John and Paula!