How to Be a Great Bride: Bride’s Speech
Bride: A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her. – Ambrose Bierce
What exactly is a Bride?
The combination bridegroom is commonplace in Germanic languages. “Bride, meaning “bride, betrothed or newly married woman,” derives from Proto-Indo European *bru, – meaning “to cook, brew, make broth,” as in those days that was traditionally the daughter-in-law’s job.
A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride’s future spouse (if male) is usually referred to as the groom. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by one or more bridesmaids.
It is stressful to be a bride.
You will not just wear a beautiful dress, and then voila! your job as the bride is done. There are lot of preparations you need to go to, things you need to attend to and difficult decisions you need to go through. Like what is the motif of the wedding? What bouquet should you choose? Are you gonna invite auntie Linda, or what? And you will do all of that decision-making while you’re on a diet so you’ll perfectly fit on your wedding gown. How absurd is that?
So, before you get stressed out for being a bride, keep these things in mind so you’ll still be a great bride amidst the chaos.
1 – A wedding is a family affair, so be sure to involve your mother and your future mother-in-law.
You can do this by simply asking their advice on some things. You can delegate responsibilities to both parties.
2 – Communicate.
Give notice, give dates when you have them, provide directions, send links and phone numbers of where and when to purchase dresses. A bride is also a host, and if she thinks these tasks are too much—hire a wedding planner.
3- Don’t limit your bridesmaid with everything.
You and your bridesmaids are adults. You can’t tell them to wear their hair in a certain way or their makeup.
4- Choose a pretty bridesmaid dress.
This is subjective, but, understandably, neon colors are not for everyone. Don’t choose unflattering shades or shapes. Don’t torture them.
5- Don’t select over expensive bridesmaid’s dress if you’re not planning to pay for it yourself.
6 – Include everyone or no one as your bridesmaids.
If you have three friends since childhood but can only accommodate two more, you need to make some adjustments. Who wants to go into the next phase of their life by hurting people’s feelings and causing chaos in your social circle?
7- Stick to your budget and don’t bankrupt your family/husband.
8 – Allow your bridesmaids a plus one.
You may need to not invite your father’s friend to make room, but women in their late 20s or 30s shouldn’t be asked to attend an event solo.
Bride’s Wedding Speech
Giving the bride’s speech is no easy task. After a long and emotional day, you’ll be ready to drink some champagne, enjoy your dinner, and dance. But before you can do this, you must contribute to one of the most anticipated parts of the whole reception: you must deliver the bride’s speech.
Now, you can choose to “wing it” if you want. You can spend a few minutes thinking about what you’re going to say, write nothing down on paper, and then let it all come out during the speech. But I don’t recommend this. The bride’s speech is simply too important and too big a part of the ceremony to wing.
After your father and the best man’s speech, your friends and family members will have already heard charming anecdotes, funny stories, and tear-filled memories. If you want your speech to add anything at all to the reception, you’ll have to be thoughtful, careful, and you’ll have to spend time planning it.
Not only will you want to write your speech down, but you will want to spend some time reciting it before you deliver it. Remember: this is your big day. And the more you contribute to the positive atmosphere and the shared joy that your family members and friends will experience, the more you will take away from it; and the more you and your husband will be able to cherish for the rest of your married life.
So, what’s the best way to write a compelling and emotional bride’s speech? In short, there is no “best way.” However, there are many good ways. So read on.
Sentimental Speech Sample
Before you speak, the best man and your father will probably talk. If the best man speaks right before you, there’s a good chance he’ll spend his time making jokes at the expense of your husband. For this reason, you may want to consider changing the tone with an emotional speech, rather than going with another funny one. The two templates below are possible speeches that you could use.
Before I say anything else, I just want to thank everyone for making it here tonight to share this special evening with me and my husband, [husband’s name]. <Look at husband and smile>.
I know some of you, like [name], [name], and [name] came all the way from [place the came from].
And some of you like [name] also took time off from work just to be here.
It means so much to us to have all of the important people in our lives here today to share this experience with us. We love you all, and we’ll never forget how supportive, loving, and caring you’ve been.
Now, where should I start? It’s hard to decide. I want to say something to all of you, but I know I can’t.
So, Dad, let me start with you:
Thank you for guiding me and looking out for me. I always felt like no matter what happened to me; you would swoop in and save the day. And maybe that’s why you were so skeptical of [husband’s name] at first, but over time, you realized he was a great guy, and you two became close. And I can’t even express
And Mom, I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done.
At times, you made my life difficult, but you did it because you loved me, and you wanted me to move in the right direction. Even though I was too shorted sighted at the time, I see it now. And I can never tell you how much it all means to me. Without you, this day would not have even been possible. And not just because you planned it all.
And to [name of your husband’s mom], thank you for accepting me into your family.
I can’t tell you how much it means to me. You’ve always been kind, loving, and caring. Please know that I will try my best to take care of your son as well as you did when he was in your home.
To my bridesmaids and everyone in the wedding party, you all look great tonight.
I’ve heard at least a dozen people say that, and I just want to make sure you hear it, too. You’ve done a great job, and we couldn’t have had such a wonderful ceremony without you all.
To my Maid of Honor, thank you for being my best friend and for sticking with me throughout the entire process.
I’m sure I was a horror to deal with, but your calmness and your helpful ideas and encouragement got me through it all.
Finally, to my new husband, [husband’s name].
<Turn to face husband.> I love you so much, and I can’t imagine my life without you. From the day I met you, I always knew that this is where we’d end up. I knew that we would get married and spend the rest of our lives together. Thank you again, everyone, for coming out here tonight. We love you all and hope you enjoy the reception!
Funny/Sentimental Speech Sample
Does anyone else feel weighed down by a lifelong commitment, or is it just me? Oh, it’s just me. Well then.
In all seriousness, though, I’m going to try to deliver a speech here. You’ve heard from the best man, [name of best man], and from my Dad. You probably don’t want to listen to another, but here goes.
Mom, thank you for everything.
You not only did an excellent job raising me, but you even stuck around to plan my wedding. I admit it: as a teenager, I was horrible and made your life a nightmare. But you stuck with me, and you guided me. And for that, I am genuinely grateful. I love you, Mom.
Dad, thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to try harder.
Throughout my entire life, you have always taught me never to settle—that I should keep trying until I get what I want. Well, today, I’m happy to tell you that I got what I wanted: a beautiful wedding with the perfect husband. Thank you, Dad. I love you.
To my Maid of Honor, [name], you’re the best friend I could ever hope to have.
I can tell you anything. Anything at all. And you never get mad at me or judge me. You’re there to listen and to help me, and for that reason, I love you.
To [a relative who drove from far away], I can’t believe you made it.
I mean, really, I don’t know why you would drive that far just to come to my wedding. There must have been some ulterior motive. Was it the open bar? Was it my beautiful bridesmaids? In all seriousness—I love you. Thanks for being here on this special day.
To [your husband’s mother], thanks for raising your boy to be suitable for marriage.
I still can’t believe that I found someone who is kind, chivalrous, intelligent, loving, and thoughtful. And I can’t believe that someone else didn’t scoop him up first. Anyway, I love you, and I promise I’ll take good care of your son.
To everyone else, thank you again for coming.
We love you all, and we’re grateful that you made it here to share this special day with us. Now stop staring at me and hit the dance floor!
