What are you having your readings/speeches written or typed on?

Erm... paper!

The boys printed their own speeches and so they ended up as folded up bits of A4 in their pockets!

If it was down to me they would have matched the rest of the stationery!!!

I'm just going to card mount the printed document, on card matching our colour scheme, and will attatch the image used on our stationery too.

This is exactly what I have done!

Our readings are in full in our day programme, so we assume that people will just use those, although of course those doing the readings have already agreed to do them after we sent the text to them.

For my speech, I'll be printing in large print and just reading from that. It's about 10 minutes so I won't be able to remember it all.

We will probably just type ours up on paper. Doubt we will print in the order of service as people tend to just read it rather than watch and actually listen to the reader.

10 min speech AJ? Wow that's a long time. It is broken up or will you just be reading for 10 min straight. Without being rude, as a guest I would probably switch off after the first 4-5 mins. I went to a wedding where the bride made a long speech and I switched off. Think speeches should be short and sharp

WSS!

Mine certainly isnt 10 mins. 2 if your lucky ?

Long speeches are only boring if the presentation and/or presenter is boring.

Ten minutes is short - I've cut back a lot of what I'd like to be saying.

We're putting up some pictures during the presentation to "illustrate" various bits of the speech, so that will keep people's attention.

My actual section will be somewhat longer as my new wife wants to say a few words (but not a whole speech of her own) and my mother would like to say a few words too, which will be happening during my speech, so maybe 15 minutes total.

I'm fully aware that many people feel that the speeches waste good drinking time, and want to keep them to the minimum - but the bride and groom are the most important people of the day, the hosts, and I don't think that guests giving them a little attention is really that much to ask for ten minutes. After all, we all know how busy the day is and you don't get much chance to talk to everyone so it's a great opportunity to entertain everyone.

All I'm doing is thanking people, explaining a bit about how we met, a humourous story or two from our childhood, and presenting a gift. I really don't see what is "unnecessary".

I'd disagree and say 10mins is quite short, in the grand scheme of things. I've known a BestMan speech go on for 45mins before, and it was so funny no-one seemed to zone out!

@AJ - I do lots of presentations and my top tip would be, have your full words printed in larger print and card back them, as if your nervous and get shaky hands, you can see the paper wibble and wobble but card doesn't do the same. Personally i'd also prepare cue cards which would be my main prompt and would summarise.

Eg: You speech would say "Mrs AJ - you look amazing, i'm so proud etc" but your cue cards would just prompt via a comment/bullet point of "* Mrs AJ" etc. This way you won't get that odd pause when you have to read before you can say it aloud.

I don't feel this at all. I think that the speeches are very important. However speaking as a guest where the bride made a 10 min speech I am being honest in saying that I switched off. She didnt have a PP presentation and maybe if she did it would have held my attention for longer, who knows

I printed off my readings last night on thick cream paper and put them onto dusky pink backing card, leaving a small border around the edge. I put little stick-on pink diamantes between the verses. They look really cute x

Unfortunately, our room doesn't lend itself to easy Powerpoint presentations - it does have a screen and projector we could use but it's on the wrong wall, which is too small for the top table to fit along, otherwise I would have used it. What I've done is printed out the pictures on large sheets of paper, and we'll peg them up on a 'washing line' kinda thing behind the top table during the speech, then people can come up and look at their convenience if they can't see the detail from where they're sat.

I think in the tradition where it's the father of the bride, then the groom, then the best man, the speeches are fine, but now we get the bride, the chief bridesmaid, Uncle Bob and the milkman all wanting to do speeches, they can indeed drag on.

I'm not much of a public speaker either, but this is one occasion where it is required of me to put my fears aside and do a talk, so I'm making sure I can make the most of it and do my new wife proud as she gets to hear all the lovely things I can say about her, as well as all the thanks etc that need to be done.

Lil Madam - thanks for the "printing on card" tip - will remember that.

The readings that my girls are doing will just be printed out on paper,although i might laminate them in work now i come to think about it.

AJ i think it's great you are making such an effort and putting such thought into your speech. I think my OH will write something a couple of days before and unlike when he has been a best man he won't have me to help him write it! I will give him 2 mins max which is fine as long as he thanks the appropriate people etc. I am very unsure what my dad or the two best mens speeches will be like,i think they will all put loads of effort into it, my dad is used to public speaking and the other two are quite funny folk.I disagree about the drinking time,i always get through more wine when the speeches are on as i am not talking!

I've been fiddling about with my speech for several months, as I've thought of different things I'd like to say, and things that I've come across that I've thought were funny. I've only nabbed a few funny expressions from other people's speeches (including the list on Hitched) so most of it is my own work.

The wedding is traditionally the bride's big day, and the groom's speech is the one opportunity he has to shine on the day. That's why I plan to make the most of it.

Good for him.

I totally agree AJ (that it's a chance to shine, alone).

My OH originally wasn't going to do a speech. He also, isn't a public speaker at all (Unless it's a shouted order at work). But yesterday he said he really didn't WANT to, but felt like if he didn't, he'd regret it. So he's not just starting work on it!

I was so pleased to hear this, and it's something i'm really looking forward to.

I had our readings all printed off on nice paper etc but the registrar had them printed off so gave these to the readers so there wasn't really any need for me to have printed them but it's better to have too many copies than not enough. I didn't give our guests a copy of the readings as I wasn't doing an order of service.

I don't think a 10 min speech is long and my H even used a picture! It's very common here for speeches to last about 20 mins each!