Wedding Speech Ghostwriters
Radio 2 DJ, Scott Mills, married to his partner Sam Vaughan in a star-studded wedding near Barcelona earlier this month. And last week, he made a confession…
‘I kept it a secret at the time 🤐 and this is not a #spon but I just want to thank the brilliant people at @speechyspeeches for helping me out when I honestly did not know where to start with my wedding day speech.
Knowing what to say I found incredibly daunting, and wanted to avoid all the cliches you can easily find on the internet (even the cake is in tiers etc 😂)
To be clear, they do NOT write your feelings. That all comes from you.
But they can really help to shape what you want to say into something concise, personal to you and make sure you get it bang on.’
Heidi Ellert-McDermott, founder of Speechy, says the team loved working with Scott and were delighted that he went public about it.
‘We’ve worked with a fair few famous folk over the years but not many confess to it!’, says Heidi. ‘I think a lot of people still worry it’s ‘cheating’ but as Scott says, we just help people package up their genuine feelings and help them find the humour in their everyday lives, as opposed to resorting to googled-gags or cheesy jokes.’
The Speechy team all have experience of writing for TV, radio or professional comedians and have now helped thousands of people around the world deliver their dream speech. Heidi says demand for the service continues to grow year on year and they are increasingly working with a wide range of speakers. ‘
‘It’s obviously not just the grooms, fathers and best men these days – but brides, mums and bridesmaids too. We’re also working with more couples delivering joint speeches, like Scott and Sam did, which always proves a massive hit as it’s still a bit different.’
Heidi believes too many couples leave thinking about their wedding speeches until the last minute, or even worse, see it as a begrudging duty. But since lockdown, she says more nearlyweds are waking up to the potential of their wedding speeches to add something special to the day.
‘Couples are less shackled by tradition now and want to make their weddings personal and bespoke. Speeches are a great way to unite all your guests, tell them a bit more about your love story, and get them laughing. It’s the ultimate present to your guests!’.
Heidi says some clients are now signing up to working with the team a year in advance, and while the service is strictly confidential, she’s hoping more people can start being open about working with wedding speech ghostwriters.
‘When professional comedians, presenters, politicians and actors often rely on speechwriters, it’s time everyone had access to a bit of professional speech help! Nearlyweds often work with choreographers to perfect their first dance and make an impression. Why not get help with the speech?’
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF WRITING A GREAT SPEECH
DO
- Start writing your speech at least two months before the wedding date. It will take longer than you think and you want time to rehearse it!
- Discuss the thank yous with your partner – but don’t think you need to namecheck everyone who’s travelled far or anyone you’ve paid. Your speech needs to be more than a tedious thank you list
- Put storytelling at the heart of your speech. People are programmed to care about stories
- Have humour throughout – but resist any internet gags! Observe your relationship in action and find its quirks
- Smile throughout your delivery – it’s infectious
DON’T
- Resort to the usual cliches and platitudes – ‘You’ve made me a better person’ etc. They are so overused they’ve become meaningless
- Talk over laughter – pause and lap up the giggles instead
- Give out gifts during the speech – do it privately earlier in the day
- Read from your phone – use cue cards or old school A4 paper instead
- Forget size matters – 1,300 words max. No speech should take over ten minutes to deliver
Heidi Ellert-McDermott is the author of ‘The Modern Couple’s Guide to Wedding Speeches’ and founder of Speechy.com
Photo Credit: https://www.laraonac.com
