How long should a wedding speech be?

Three to five minutes is ideal, which is roughly 400 to 700 words. Guests are happy to hear more stories only when the speech is short.

Is it okay to read a wedding speech from my phone?

Yes. Many speakers do. Use large text, look up at the end of every sentence, and turn on do-not-disturb so nothing pops up mid-toast.

How do I stop crying during a wedding speech?

Rehearse the emotional lines aloud several times until they feel familiar, mark a pause before them, and breathe slowly. A short pause to collect yourself is completely fine.

Wedding Speech Tips: How to Write and Deliver a Toast Without Notes Panic

How to write a best man, maid of honour or parent-of-the-couple speech (structure, length, stories, what to avoid) and how to deliver it confidently with notes or a phone.

A wedding toast is one of the few speeches most people give only once or twice in their life, in front of the people who matter most. It does not have to be funny or long. It has to be warm, personal and clear.

A simple structure

Introduce yourself: who you are and how you know the couple (1–2 sentences)
A story about one of them: a moment that shows who they are
How they changed when they met: or a story about them together
What you wish for them
The toast: ask everyone to raise their glasses

Length

Three to five minutes, roughly 400–700 words. Check with the words-to-minutes table. Allow extra time for laughter and applause by writing a little less than the maximum.

Writing tips

One or two stories, told well, beat ten quick anecdotes.
Specific details make it real: the place, the date, the exact thing they said.
Include both people, even if you know one far better.
Write how you talk. Read it aloud and change anything you would not say at a pub. See writing for the ear.
End on warmth, not a joke.

What to avoid

Exes, embarrassing secrets, or anything the couple's grandparents would wince at
Inside jokes nobody else understands
Long lists of thank-yous (keep them to a line, unless it is your role)
Reading your whole speech without looking up

Rehearse the right way

Read it aloud five times over a few days.
Time it.
Practise the emotional lines until they are familiar. They will hit you harder on the day.
Record yourself once on your phone and watch it back.
Do a final run-through standing, holding a glass.

Notes, cards or phone?

All are fine. What matters is looking up.

Printed cards: large font, numbered, one or two paragraphs each.
Phone: large text, do-not-disturb on, brightness up, screen timeout off.

If you use your phone, a teleprompter app in Cue Cards or Sentence Focus mode shows one chunk at a time so you never lose your place. Put [pause] before punchlines and emotional lines, and [raise glass] at the end. Keep the text large enough to read at arm's length. See reading styles compared.

Delivery on the day

Wait for quiet before starting.
Hold the mic a hand's width from your mouth and keep it there.
Slow down. Nerves speed you up. Breathe at every full stop.
Look at the couple during the heartfelt parts, and at the room for the stories.
Pause for laughs. Don't talk over them.
Drink after, not before.

A short example opening

For those who don't know me, I'm Sam. I've been Alex's friend since we were eleven, when he convinced me that we could build a raft out of shopping trolleys. We couldn't. But that's Alex: every idea is possible until proven otherwise. And then he met Jordan…

Warm, specific, and it sets up the story. Now all that is left is to say it like you mean it.