As a freelance wedding officiant, I love to design the ceremony together with you and make every little wish come true. One of the best ways to make your wedding even more personal and touching is to include guests with spoken contributions. After all, who knows you better than your closest family members and friends. But how does it actually work? Who should speak? About what? And for how long? This article should give you a few ideas and food for thought. As your wedding speaker, I will of course also be happy to take care of the details of arranging and coordinating your loved ones' speeches.
Why contributions from guests enrich the free wedding ceremony
Imagine you're sitting there, beaming with happiness, and suddenly your best friend, your brother or even your grandmother stands up to say a few words. These moments are simply priceless and add a very personal touch to the ceremony. The stories your guests share, the memories they evoke and the emotions they express create a connection that goes far beyond what words alone can convey. These are the kind of goosebump moments that stay with you forever.
Who should give a speech?
The choice of people to give a speech is a very personal decision. Perhaps you have someone in your circle of friends and family who has accompanied you on your journey as a couple. Perhaps you simply choose people who are particularly close to your heart and who are particularly close to your heart.
It is of course also possible to include several guests - how about a “best of” from your closest friends, for example? Everyone tells a short anecdote, talks about a quality they particularly appreciate about you or gives you a wish for the future. But be careful: less is often more. Two to three speakers are ideal so as not to overload the ceremony and still have a varied contribution.
Topics and duration of the speeches
As far as topics are concerned, everything that is said should come from the heart. Personal memories, good advice for the marriage or even humorous stories from your past together are perfect. It is important that the speeches are positive and appreciative. Nobody wants to be reminded of embarrassing mishaps on their wedding day - it's better to save that for the stag party... In addition, the speeches should fit together or even build on each other if there are several speakers. Ideally, you should appoint a “head of speech” ;-) who will take over the coordination. As a wedding speaker, I am of course also happy to help so that everything is harmoniously coordinated.
The length of the speeches should also remain within reasonable limits. All contributions together should not exceed 5 minutes. This is long enough to tell a nice story or convey an emotional message, but short enough to hold the guests' attention and not go beyond the time frame of the ceremony.
What is the best way to integrate spoken contributions into the free wedding ceremony?
The spoken contributions can be seamlessly integrated into the ceremony. Depending on the content of the speeches, I will determine the optimal time for the speeches in your ceremony. This creates a harmonious flow and the speeches act as small highlights that make your free wedding ceremony even more emotional and varied.
Of course, I also coordinate the time with the speakers in advance and make sure that everyone has a microphone in their hand at the right time. 🙂
A final tip
If you want to be on the safe side, here's a little insider tip: don't forget to have a few tissues ready! 😉 Because when your favorite uncle suddenly starts talking, there's rarely a dry eye in the house - be it from laughter or emotion!
I would be incredibly happy to create a great and emotional wedding ceremony with you and your guests soon that suits you completely!
PS: Of course we can also integrate contributions from guests at the renewal of your marriage vows or your children's welcome party!
