Unfortunately, sometimes the wrong people believe they can deliver funny wedding speeches. Speakers need to realize they were invited to speak because of their relationship to the Bride, the Groom, or both. They were not flown in on the redeye from Vegas to give a roast. Wedding speeches can be clever, witty, humorous or funny without over-doing it.
The older generation remembers a comedian of the Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra era named Don Rickles. He was funny on occasion; however he was humiliating and degrading to people. This was his brand of humor. This is never appropriate at a wedding. Maybe it is appreciated at a bachelor party, but never at a dignified event.
It really isn’t hard to inject a little humor into your speech. You aren’t looking to make people howl with laughter. Rather, you are trying to lighten the mood and make the guests smile. Look back on your time with the Bride or Groom and you can remember some incident that was special, humorous and may have contributed to the way that person is today.
“When Judy and I were 11, Mrs. Jones had to run to the store. She was worried about leaving us alone and kept asking us if she left for 20 minutes or so could we stay out of trouble. Of course, we were responsible 11 year olds, for Pete’s sake. What kind of trouble could we get into in 20 minutes? To tell the truth, we managed quite a lot, thank you.”
“As soon as Mrs. Jones left in that classic station wagon, we put our heads together and decided to play dress up like we did when we were eight. This time I got to dress up in Mr. Jones’s suit while Judy put on an evening gown and high heels. We were going to the ball. Everything was going according to plan until we laughed our way into the living room. Rufus, the black lab, started pulling on the bottom of the dress and caused Judy to fall off the high heels. It was like Lucy and Ethel go to town. Judy sprained her ankle badly and Mrs. Jones had to take her to the E.R.”
“But practice made perfect! Judy, my best friend, you cleaned up real well and look absolutely divine in your wedding gown. And Mrs. Jones, we said it back then and we’ll say it again today, Rufus broke your china vase. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. Joel, you are a lucky dog. All this time you thought that when Judy fell into your arms it was just your lucky day. Actually, it took a great deal of practice!”
You must practice your speech as often as possible so that it doesn’t sound stiff or like you are reading from cards. Once you have perfected your delivery, try it out on a friend who will give you their honest opinion. While you want to add a little humor to your speech, always remember that this is the Bride’s big day. You want her to remember you and your words the rest of her life.
