Speeches at weddings (vows, band, ceremony, bride)
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Does anyone else find that speeches at weddings are generally annoying and drawn out? Especially when they're weepy? The worst I saw was a weepy best man. I was embarrassed for him.
Anyone else generally not like the speeches? Ever listened to any particularly painful ones?
I don't recall hearing any long speeches at weddings but have heard many a long speech at wedding receptions via a part time gig for years. And yes, the vast majority of them should have ended earlier and had a Howard "Sandman" Sims character (the Apollo Theater 'roust-er' of bad acts with a hooked cane) to take the microphone and remove from proceedings.
In most cases the long stories only are meaningful to a few people attending and the things they tend to 'reveal" are not usually complimentary nor funny. They are generally like sharing an old inside joke or experience among peers to a larger audience who usually could care less.
I do recall one where the groomsman did a hilarious 'roast' of said groom via a series of props/gifts for him and the bride based upon their knowledge of his 'character' that was entertaining. Most are not.
In the 1980s and 1990s I was a minister, during that era I celebrated around three dozen weddings. It was a lot of fun, as I dreaded doing funerals. I found that from timing the ceremony, from the end of the procession, through the vows and blessing, up to the moment the couple is walking down the aisle married, the entire process took 7 minutes. We were adding anything into it to drag it out a bit. A soloist, a poem, a music recital, some couples want a candle lighting,
I have found that 99% of people when asked to give a speech will try to 'wing it', no preparation, no thought out words, nothing written down. And that annoys me. If you agree to give a speech, write it down, practice it, ask for advice so that it sounds polished.
Does anyone else find that speeches at weddings are generally annoying and drawn out? Especially when they're weepy? The worst I saw was a weepy best man. I was embarrassed for him.
Anyone else generally not like the speeches? Ever listened to any particularly painful ones?
The wedding?
Or do you mean the reception?
Not been witness to annoying, drawn out, weepy speeches at weddings.
The receptions I have been to did toasts that were just a few sentences long. Some serious, some playful, all good.
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Not as bad as when the groomsmen and bridesmaids do a skit, like one I went to recently. There was a lot of “inside humor”:that only they really understood and found funny.
Not been witness to annoying, drawn out, weepy speeches at weddings.
The receptions I have been to did toasts that were just a few sentences long. Some serious, some playful, all good.
I meant to say the reception.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
Not as bad as when the groomsmen and bridesmaids do a skit, like one I went to recently. There was a lot of “inside humor”:that only they really understood and found funny.
I've been to a lot of weddings (I play in a wedding band), as well as my own, and those of numerous friends.
Keep it short, make it humorous or at least interesting, then get the heck off the microphone. The bride & groom and 200 other people aren't interested in your dumb speech.
That said, I've heard some pretty entertaining speeches and toasts over the years. Sadly, my own wedding not included. M-I-L recited a cringeworthy poem she concocted for the occasion. F-I-L told some really lameass jokes until the band leader/emcee basically dragged him away, promising "he'll be back by popular acclaim" (the band leader's done a lot of weddings, too).
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