Whether you’re giving the maid of honour speech or are the father of the bride, wedding speeches are a bit daunting for everyone.

If you’re a bit nervous about standing up in front of a room full of people, here are some tips to make your speech sparkle.

Prepare, with notes 

These are people you’ve probably known for ages, but you still need to prepare. Trying to wing it will only leave you rambling and sweating. Even if you don’t write down what you want to say word for word, general ideas jotted down will keep you on the right path.

Read the room, before you’re in it 

The awkwardest part about giving a wedding speech is the uncomfortable silences that sometimes crop up when you try to make a joke or speak to something no one else understands. Think about who will be there and how you can include everyone while still touching on your connection with the wedding party.

Take a deep breath and take it slow 

A big part of wedding speech nerves is the speakers rushing through their speech and making it difficult to hear. This only makes the speaker more nervous as the audience don’t respond as they expect to the speech. When you walk up to the mic, don’t start talking right away, take a deep breath and collect yourself. When you start speaking, speak slower than normal, it may sound weird to you but it will sound perfect to everyone else.

Make eye contact with people seated close to you

It may be nerve-wracking but keeping eye contact with different people close to you can actually help balance you and feel like you’re directing your words at an actual person rather than the entire room altogether. Since this is a speech for the bridal party, you can look at them if you prefer.

Give yourself an uplifting pep talk  

Before it’s your time to go up rather than telling everyone how nervous you are, psych yourself up by saying even just to yourself that you’re excited. This will put you in a positive mindset and help you be brave for the big moment.

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