Posts Tagged ‘father of the bride’

How to Deliver a Wedding Toast

After weeks, months and sometimes years of preparation, your friend or loved one’s wedding day is here. And a wedding just wouldn’t be a wedding without a toast! If you’ve been asked to give a toast it’s quite an honor (not just anyone gets to hold that microphone), but it can be a little nerve-wracking too. Whether you’re the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, or other honored wedding guest, here are a few tips on how to write and deliver the perfect wedding toast.

Procrastination is the First Step to Failure

The bride or groom holds you in high enough esteem to ask you to make a toast, and you need to approach this task with the same amount of seriousness. The last thing you want is to be writing your speech on a cocktail napkin five minutes before you’re supposed to speak. Write your toast at least three weeks before the wedding to give yourself time to edit your work, have others give you their suggestions, and most importantly, memorize what you’re going to say.

What Not to Say

First things first, what should you avoid saying in your toast? When writing your wedding toast it can be really tempting to bring up exes, embarrassing dating stories, or mention the fact that you never thought the bride or groom would settle down – but save that for the bachelor or bachelorette party. You may have been friends with the bride or groom since you were toddlers, but not everyone may appreciate the sense of humor the two of you share. Worse yet, the audience may laugh, but you could leave the happy couple feeling embarrassed, uncomfortable or even angry – big no-no!

Guests should never wonder if you are giving a toast or a roast. Don’t tell inside jokes in order to make just a few wedding guests laugh, and don’t say anything you wouldn’t repeat to your mother-in-law or grandmother if she were the only one in the room. If you know something is a touchy subject between the bride or groom (or possibly the bride and groom’s families) avoid these at all cost.

What to Say

Even if you think you’ve met every single person at the reception, start off by introducing yourself with a brief description of how long and in what capacity you’ve known the bride and groom. You want everyone to know why you were chosen for your role in the wedding and what gives you the authority to be toasting the couple. If you’ve been friends since grade school you might briefly explain how you met on monkey bars at the playground, but if you met in an unpleasant place or situation try to focus on your present friendship.

Next, you can share a funny story about the couple (remember to stick to humor that everyone will appreciate), what you thought when you found out they were engaged, or simply express how happy you are that they’ve tied the knot. Make sure you are toasting both the bride and groom. If you don’t know one of them very well (which is often the case), mention how much you are looking forward to the second act of your friendship with the bride or groom, complete with their new spouse. If you know both of them well enough, throw in a few words about the perfect nature of their union. ("Their mutual love for Adam Sandler movies and Marcel Proust’s late-19th century literature make them the perfect couple.")

Your speech doesn’t need to be long or overly complicated (avoid using words you wouldn’t use in your everyday life); whatever you say, say it simply and say it quickly. Two or three minutes are sufficient for a wedding toast, especially if a large number of people are planning to speak.

End on a High Note

Last but not least, use the authority that you established in the beginning of your speech to assure the new bride or groom that they have made the right choice in partnering with your friend, son or daughter. ("As Mike’s mother I can say with certainty that Angela has chosen the handsomest, funniest, and kindest man to spend the rest of her life with.") You’re basically giving their relationship two thumbs up.

Offer any advice you may have for a long, happy marriage and wish the couple a joyful future. Close your toast by thanking the couple for including you in one of the happiest days of their lives, congratulating them, and introducing the next person to speak (if you’re the last person to give your wedding toast, hand off the microphone to the DJ).

What’s My Line?

Practice, practice and more practice is the key to pulling off the perfect toast without sounding too rehearsed or letting your nerves get the best of you. Your wedding toast to the bride and groom should be sincere yet spontaneous at the same time, so leave the index cards at home. If you absolutely know you are going to forget your speech, write down the main points of your toast on a 3×5 card so you can look down every once in a while for a reminder. As long as you remember the gist of what you wanted to say, no one will know if you flub up a line or two.

Remember, your friend, family member or loved one picked you to speak at their wedding for a good reason – because they love and trust you! They don’t expect your toast to be absolutely perfect. Just speak from your heart, and let the spirit of the occasion carry the rest of the wedding toast. Avoid drinking too much alcohol prior to speaking, follow these tips and be sincere, and you will be sure to deliver a fantastic wedding toast!

http://www.PerfectWeddingGuide.com/ helps Brides and Grooms through the sometimes challenging, but always exciting process of planning a wedding and honeymoon. Any wedding planner or bride can benefit from the unique wedding guide tips, trends, and helpful wedding planning tools at PerfectWeddingGuide.com.

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Knowing A Proper Wedding Toast Etiquette

So before we can talk about wedding toast etiquette, we need to know what a toast is. A toast is the act of raising a glass and drinking to honor someone or some thing. To start you offer the proposal of a toast, and then give the reasoning and the speech behind it. Now that we know what a toast is, we need to know how you know who gives the toast at a wedding. Knowing who gives the first toast and so forth is known as wedding toast etiquette. This is stuff that you need to know before going to a wedding so you know in what order things are suppose to happen.

When looking at wedding toast etiquette, we see that you are supposed to start off with the best man. This is the toast that he needs to come up with that is to be offered to the new bride and groom. After the speech is given, the groom (because it was his best man) is supposed to respond with some kind of thank you in responds to the toast that was given. Because the best man always goes first, the best man spot is supposed to be highly honored.

After the best man goes, the other members of the bride and grooms family can give a speech or a toast if they want to. However, usually not everyone gives a toast. If they did, there is an order in which it is suppose to go. After the best man goes, it is up to the father of the bride to go next, followed by the father of the groom. Then it would be up to their mothers, once again starting with the mother of the bride and next the mother of the groom. After all of this the groom can make a toast to his new wife and the wife can make a toast to the groom. However, this is not done very often.

When looking at wedding toast etiquette, we see that you are supposed to start off with the best man. This is the toast that he needs to come up with that is to be offered to the new bride and groom. After the speech is given, the groom (because it was his best man) is supposed to respond with some kind of thank you in responds to the toast that was given. Because the best man always goes first, the best man spot is supposed to be highly honored.

After the best man goes, the other members of the bride and grooms family can give a speech or a toast if they want to. However, usually not everyone gives a toast. If they did, there is an order in which it is suppose to go. After the best man goes, it is up to the father of the bride to go next, followed by the father of the groom. Then it would be up to their mothers, once again starting with the mother of the bride and next the mother of the groom. After all of this the groom can make a toast to his new wife and the wife can make a toast to the groom. However, this is not done very often.

Everything you need to know about writing and giving a wedding speech including professionally written wedding speeches and toasts for the entire wedding party! Get your speech going in no time! Visit http://www.IDoWeddingToasts.com.

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How Can You Deliver An Excellent Wedding Toast?

You should think about what you are going to talk about for the wedding toast if you will take part in a wedding. Since most of us are not professional presenter and it is always good to think about it and practice it first. A great wedding toast can make the guests remember the wedding for years.

Some people will be confused about wedding toast and wedding speech. In fact, the wedding speech is usually delivered by the father of the bride or the groom. On the other hand, anyone who takes part in the wedding may have a chance to deliver a wedding toast. As a matter of fact a wedding toast is usually shorter than a wedding speech.

You need to think about what you are going to say beforehand. You should be very clear what you are talking about and what you are doing. It is also good to practice it in front of a mirror. As mentioned, a wedding toast should not be very long. It will be perfect if it is only a three minutes talk.

In fact, you will need to follow some rules if you would like to follow some wedding etiquette. However, you should discuss with the bride and groom no matter you are going to follow this etiquette or not. Traditionally, the best man will give a wedding toast first. Then the groom will give one to his wife. And lastly it will be the turns of the fathers of the couple. Of course, you should only do that if you would like to follow the tradition. Some other people can also be invited to deliver a wedding toast. For example, the bride can invite her teacher when she was in the high school to deliver a wedding toast.

One of the things you may not know is that many people are trying to deliver a wedding toast without any preparation. However, it is not advisable to deliver it without preparation. You can perform a search on the web for some poems or funny things which can be used to described the couple. An interesting toast will certainly give additional touch to the wedding reception. The bride and groom will certainly thank you if you can deliver a wonderful toast.

Remember to be humorous when you are giving the wedding toast. However, no matter what you are talking about. You should never embarrass the couple. It is their big day after all!

Jerry Leung designs Double Happiness Chinese Wedding Invitations. He runs a website on Lucky Wedding Dates-2008 Chinese. Be sure to check Unique Wedding Favor Ideas.

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The Wedding Toast From the Father of the Bride – Easy Tips on Being Funny While Still Being Classy

Both the best man and maid of honor speeches are certainly important, but in the end, no moment at the reception or words of advice are more revered than the comments made in the wedding toast from the father of the bride. It is the definitive moment where – as many people believe – the father truly gives away his daughter.

But to make a grandiose moment less pressure-filled for the speaker, it’s always good advice to offer a few jokes to lighten the collective mood. Although that sounds easy, it’s not terribly simple. It is here where one needs to have a firm grasp of what proper toast etiquette is.

When delivering a wedding toast from the father of the bride, it is vitally important not to offend or overly embarrass anyone. The best man’s speech is usually meant to be the most "rowdy" of the bunch, while the wedding toast from the father of the bride is more formal in nature.

With that said, what is appropriate for the father to joke about? According to toast etiquette, a wedding toast from the father of the bride can poke fun at the following:

* his family in general; such as lighthearted comments about how dysfunctional the family may be or "weird", funny things you’ve done together. Do not poke fun at the groom’s family.
* the bride; especially stories from her upbringing or how she acted after meeting her future husband (if it makes for a nice story). Do not, however, under any circumstances embarrass her. Never mention ex-boyfriends or "flings".
* the groom; these can make for the best jokes of all, but remember to keep the mood light. Stories of when you first met the groom often times make for an excellent chance to be comical in the wedding toast from the father of the bride!

But now that you know what not to say and do, where do you turn for ideas and concepts you can use in constructing your speech? What are other nuggets of information regarding toast etiquette that you need to know? Where can you find definitive lists of what you need to say, whom you need to thank, and helpful tips in how to deliver your speech?

The answers to these questions can be found by visiting the link in the author area today. At this fantastic site — which is fully devoted to the wedding toast – you will be able to read reviews and see what the internet’s best sites have to offer so you can make an informed decision on which one best suits your needs. Get on your way to having that jaw-dropping wedding toast from the father of the bride in no time!

Gus Miller is an expert on the art of public speaking and specifically, the wedding toast. Gus has had the pleasure of giving many toasts throughout his life in every setting imaginable. Find how you can deliver a fantastic wedding toast by clicking herenow.

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Wedding Speeches – Do You Know These Tips?

wedding speeches come in a variety of forms such as wedding speeches for the bridegroom, the best man, the bride’s father and others. Wedding speech is an important way to thank the guests, wish the couples, or they can add a touch of humor to the special occasion and make it much more memorable for everyone who is a part of the wedding.

There are no real hard and fast rules for delivering wedding speeches. One can write one’s own wedding speech or get them written from professionals for adding a classy touch to the wedding. Generally the wedding speech of the bride is one filled with words of wisdom, while the wedding speech of the best man can be light and humorous.

Tips for a Good Wedding Speech

Unlike formal speeches a wedding speech has to be a relaxed one without any pomposity to it. The speech should have light touches of humor so that the atmosphere becomes lighter. It is always a better idea to prepare the wedding speech two to three weeks before the wedding because an improvised speech cannot be as polished as the one prepared in advance.

If one is not very sure of one’s writing ability one can take the help of professional writers who can do the job best. All that one has to do is to provide the writer some of the personal information about the families so that they can add that much needed personal touch to the wedding speech.

If it is the wedding speech of the father of the bride or the groom they can include the memories of their children as well as the likes of their children. Parents can also add some lighthearted events that occurred while bringing up their children. The speech by the elderly always comes from experience and hence is full of words of wisdom and their hopes for the bright future of the couple.

The best man’s speech can be made humorous by adding some really humorous event that the best man and the groom shared during their friendship. It is also a good thing to mention your hopes for the future of the happy marital life of the couple.

The most important wedding speech is by the bride and the groom in which they can mention their first meeting and share their experiences with the guests. It is important in their speech to thank their parents and the guests who attend the wedding ceremony. The couple then can declare their love for one another. Generally the first wedding speech is delivered by the bride’s father.

Jerry Leung designs Modern Chinese Wedding Invitations. He runs a website on Wedding Vendor Directory. Be sure to check Asian Wedding Favors – Lucky Bamboo Wedding Favor.

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Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Speeches

Wedding rehearsal dinners are very cherished and personal events and are usually held just prior to the wedding night. Out of the entire wedding celebrations and festivities, the wedding rehearsal dinner is the one special event which bride and groom are likely to enjoy and remember than any other wedding event. But wedding preparations tend to be so hectic that the composition of a well versed speech may prove to be a very stressful situation for many.

A wedding rehearsal dinner is considered to be a rewarding experience for the new couple and their families as it is conducted on a smaller base and is more intimate. Only the close relatives of both the bride and groom are in attendance whereas, a wedding reception hosts hundreds of guests whom the bride and groom barely know. The bride and groom have a golden chance in the rehearsal dinner to acknowledge all the people who have helped in the wedding arrangements. The dinner can be held in any place, whether a backyard, a rented room or can be in form of a barbecue.

Arrangement of a wedding rehearsal dinner comprises of getting the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, and other family members to practice their speeches. The best man and maid of honor will practice giving a short speech before dinner and the father of the bride will also give a welcome speech for all the guests. The bride and the groom may also put some sincere thankful thoughts into words and give a short speech to honor all their guests.

It is advisable to write your speech well in advance say about two weeks before the wedding. Keeping the speech short and sweet is the key to catching your audience’s ears. The speech should be simple and usage of difficult words and literature style should be avoided as that tends to get boring. An easy, heartfelt speech is sure to gladden the new couple and the guests more than a one with heavy handed words. An ideal wedding speech would be about 4 to 5 minutes, composed of words dedicated to the bride or the groom’s positive qualities and memorable moments of life. It is also important to adopt a light, frank tone rather than droning on in a matter of fact way, preaching way as this may cast a dull tone over the festive atmosphere.

The most embarrassing situation would be to blow up your chance at delivering the speech. Practice well in front of a small audience to boost your confidence before the rehearsal dinner. A wedding speech is considered as a gift for the bride and groom if composed and delivered well, as a speech on their special occasion is something that will last forever in their memories.

All in all, a wedding rehearsal dinner will be gracefully ended by giving a toast to the happy couple. A round of drinks will be passed and final bows made. Champagne is considered most appropriate for such an occasion.

Need help FAST with wedding rehearsal dinner speeches? Learn how to write and deliver a speech that will leave them all speechless! Get help writing your wedding rehearsal dinner speeches here!

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Father of the Bride Wedding Speeches – In 3 Easy Steps

Since a father daughter relationship is based on profound and significant memories, a father of the bride speech is an event much looked forward to. The father shoulders wedding responsibilities of the daughter such as ensuring that his daughter makes it to the wedding on time, aisle walking with her and then handing her over to his future son in law. A perfect speech would include expressions and emotions with a sprinkle of humor in it to liven up the atmosphere. Three simple steps will guarantee that you have a killer father of speech composed for the grand occasion.

However you should remember a few points when writing and delivering your speech. Write in a flowing, elegant style and memorize your speech well. It should comprise of three parts: beginning, body and ending. Practice in front of a mirror if you are experiencing spells of nervousness. It is advisable to practice in front of people to boost your confidence. This will also allow you to have your mistakes exhibited beforehand. When delivering your speech make eye contact with the guests and especially your daughter and son in law. This makes them feel special and more attentive to your speech.

Beginning: An introduction of yourself and then an acknowledgement of all the guests will be the first step. Thank all your guests for coming to the ceremony, and then inject a little humor in the speech by dwelling on the countless hectic and wild moments which you experienced during the planning and accomplishment of the wedding. Stress on using heartfelt and simple words rather than quoting phrases from a book.

Body: To enhance your body of the speech, talk about your daughter and her accomplishments. Dwell on her childhood and funny incidents and her importance in the family. Talk about her contributions, and pay compliments to her beauty. Then keeping a lighthearted tone, applaud her choice of a husband. Speaking of your son in law will comfort and gladden your daughter that you have taken pains to know more about him. Admit to everyone freely how proud you are of your daughter and her husband. Since a wedding ceremony is the most poignant moment of your daughter’s life, make sure that she enjoys and appreciates your speech. You can also include in your speech as to how you see her in the role of a loving wife and mother in her days to come.

Closing: Your ending lines can reflect on a little advice to the newlyweds and to honor their vows well. Most fathers get stuck up as to how to end their speech in a most appropriate and elegant manner. The most simple and graceful way out is to present the newlyweds to the guests and raise a toast for their happiness and long life. Your toast will be backed up by applause and cheering from the audience and this will be a cue to make your bow and with style hand over the stage to the shining couple of the evening.

Need help FAST with father of the bride wedding speeches? Learn how to write and deliver a speech that will leave them all speechless! Get help writing your father of the bride wedding speeches here!

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Do the Order of Wedding Speeches Really Matter?

Back in the day, you didn’t see the flurry of wedding speech activity that you do now. You probably heard from the Father of the Bride and the Best Man. And, that was pretty much it. But nowadays, everybody and their brother want to get up and toast the bride and groom. So, with this plethora of people, what is the proper order of wedding speeches in today’s world? Or does it even matter?

The Origin of the Wedding Speech or Toast

wedding speeches, or toasts, originated in the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greeks and Romans would raise their goblets to their Gods hoping to gain favor. The Greeks would also perform toasts to avoid being poisoned. The Greeks were a suspicious bunch. You never knew who your enemies were. So, when the Grecians would gather for celebrations, they would all drink from the same pitcher and spill a little of their wine into the next person’s goblet. This would ensure there was no funny business going on.

The Romans began a practice of dropping a piece of burnt toast into the wine to absorb any impurities. Back in those days, wine would go bad easily. The burnt toast would make it taste better. When the Romans invaded Britain around 55 B.C., they brought the practice with them. The word "toast" comes from the Latin word tostus, meaning roasted or parched. The word stuck and over time, also referred to salute with a drink.

What should the Order of wedding speeches Be?

Well, that all depends. Are you a traditionalist, or a non-traditionalist?

If you are a traditionalist, the Best Man gives the first wedding speech. He generally toasts the bride and groom, and also acts as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Following the Best Man’s speech, the groom will rise to respond, toast his bride, thanks the parents and so on.

Others may speak at this point. Finally the Father of the Bride will give his speech and thank everyone for attending.

If you are a non-traditionalist, all the rules fly out the window. The rules are: there are no rules. Spontaneity is the way to go and lots of people get up to toast the bride and groom. But, generally, the order of wedding speeches will go as follows if you are a non-traditionalist:

*best man speech
*Maid (or Matron) of Honor Speech
*Father of the Bride Speech
*Parents of the Groom Speech
*Groom Speech
*Bride Speech
*Any other Guests of Honor Speeches

Who Else Can Give a Wedding Speech

The other Guests of Honor are a long and illustrious list. It basically means anyone the bride and groom deem close enough to them to give a speech. But here are some ideas on who can give Guest of Honor Speeches at a wedding reception:

*The bride’s or groom’s siblings
*The bridesmaids (collectively or individually)
*The groomsmen (collectively or individually)
*Grandparents
*Godparent
*Guardians
*Close Relatives
*Cousins
*Best Friends
*Coworkers
*Bosses
*Children of the Bride or Groom
*The Wedding Officiant

Any of these people can give a speech if prearranged and okay with the bride and groom. After all, there is such a thing as too many wedding speeches. You don’t want the party-goers to be bored to tears.

So does the Order of wedding speeches even matter anymore? Not really. The days when wedding etiquette was etched in stone are long gone. More important are the thoughts conveyed during the speeches. As long as the bride and groom feel incredibly special and loved on their big day, the order of the wedding speeches does not matter.

Cherie Stirewalt has been in more weddings than she can count. Learn how to write and deliver and wedding speech that will leave them all speechless. Download your guide to writing wedding speeches today!

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How To Give Wedding Speeches That Will Be The Talk Of The Town!

One big tradition at weddings that is both anticipated and dreaded in equal measures are the wedding speeches, but with just a little bit of time and effort you’ll be able to deliver the perfect wedding speech, even if you are not used to public speaking.

The speeches at a wedding should offer warmth, humor, and words from the heart; however, they often flop, with off color humor, clichés, and stuttering words. Whether you are the father of the bride, the best man, or even the bridegroom, you need to take time to find out a bit more about making a wedding speech that is more than acceptable – but excellent. So, let’s take a look at the three common speeches that occur at a wedding – The Bridegrooms Speech, the Best Man’s Speech, and the Father of the Bride’s Speech.

Father of the Bride Speech

Usually this speech is the first one that occurs at the wedding. The toastmaster calls on the father, and then it’s your moment to shine. This is a time to offer a heartfelt speech proposing happiness and health for your daughter and her new husband. It’s fine to have some humor, but it needs to be fitting for the wedding. Avoid putting down your new son-in-law, making crude jokes, or making the speech about yourself. This is a time to show love, admiration, and well wishing for the new couple.

The Bridegroom Speech

Once the father of the bride has concluded his speech, then it’s time for the groom to give his speech. This is a time to thank your parents for all they’ve done for you and a word to the bride’s parents is acceptable as well. Also, thanking those who brought gifts is important as well. Basically this speech should be addressed to all in attendance, thanking them for caring enough to come, and it can even be used to thank the wedding party as well. The bridegroom’s speech is not the time for hilarious stories or off color jokes. Spending some time mentioning your love for your new wife is also an excellent addition.

Best Man’s Speech

This is usually the speech that ends up many people cringe if the best man is less than loquacious. While many feel the need to tell crude stories and rude jokes, this is really the time for an appropriately funny speech that is light hearted and entertaining. This is a great time for some light humor, a few stories about the best man, and some anecdotes, as long as they are appropriate for the wedding. Remember why you are friends with the bridegroom and why he asked you to be best man. What funny stories can you tell that are suitable for the guests? While the idea is to humiliate the groom slightly, you shouldn’t go overboard and especially remember that the guests will comprise of a range of age groups and backgrounds and while some of them may appreciate blue humor, there are many who would be deeply offended.

Giving wedding speeches is always nerve-wracking, but with some preparation, careful thought, and a bit of practice, you’ll be able to really give a great performance. If you liked this article read more at http://www.simplyweddingspeeches.com

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Wedding Speeches – Do You Know These Tips?

wedding speeches come in a variety of forms such as wedding speeches for the bridegroom, the best man, the bride’s father and others. Wedding speech is an important way to thank the guests, wish the couples, or they can add a touch of humor to the special occasion and make it much more memorable for everyone who is a part of the wedding.

There are no real hard and fast rules for delivering wedding speeches. One can write one’s own wedding speech or get them written from professionals for adding a classy touch to the wedding. Generally the wedding speech of the bride is one filled with words of wisdom, while the wedding speech of the best man can be light and humorous.

Tips for a Good Wedding Speech

Unlike formal speeches a wedding speech has to be a relaxed one without any pomposity to it. The speech should have light touches of humor so that the atmosphere becomes lighter. It is always a better idea to prepare the wedding speech two to three weeks before the wedding because an improvised speech cannot be as polished as the one prepared in advance.

If one is not very sure of one’s writing ability one can take the help of professional writers who can do the job best. All that one has to do is to provide the writer some of the personal information about the families so that they can add that much needed personal touch to the wedding speech.

If it is the wedding speech of the father of the bride or the groom they can include the memories of their children as well as the likes of their children. Parents can also add some lighthearted events that occurred while bringing up their children. The speech by the elderly always comes from experience and hence is full of words of wisdom and their hopes for the bright future of the couple.

The best man’s speech can be made humorous by adding some really humorous event that the best man and the groom shared during their friendship. It is also a good thing to mention your hopes for the future of the happy marital life of the couple.

The most important wedding speech is by the bride and the groom in which they can mention their first meeting and share their experiences with the guests. It is important in their speech to thank their parents and the guests who attend the wedding ceremony. The couple then can declare their love for one another. Generally the first wedding speech is delivered by the bride’s father.

Jerry Leung designs Modern Chinese Wedding Invitations. He runs a website on Wedding Vendor Directory. Be sure to check Asian Wedding Favors – Lucky Bamboo Wedding Favor.

Article Source: ArticleSpan