Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Critique my speech!
This is an extrememly rough draft, but I'd love to hear your thoughts:
Good evening, everyone. I hope you?re all having a great time tonight. I?m Andrea X and I?m honored to be here tonight as Kristi and JT?s matron of honor. Thank you both for inviting me to be part of this wonderful day.
I?ve known Kristi for nearly 19 years and I?m proud to call her one of my best friends. Over those nineteen years, we?ve been through highs and lows; from spending countless weeks up at the cabin (thanks for all of those the pancakes, Don!) to all but drawing a line down the middle of a hotel room in Dallas. Hey, it was high school! But, regardless, the lows have always been short lived and our friendship has remained strong.
Kristi is a fabulous person as I?m sure all of you already know. She?s caring, beautiful, smart, and funny. And I have to say the same for JT. Though he?d probably prefer I use the word handsome instead of beautiful. I met JT shortly after he and Kristi started dating and I could tell they were a great match. PUT QUOTE HERE. (ANYONE HAVE A GOOD QUOTE ABOUT LOVE???)
Before I continue on, JT, I?m going to need to give you a heads up. In the three or four years that I?ve known you, I don?t think I?ve ever referred to you by anything other than JT, but I?m going to have to use Jonathan in the next part of my speech. Is that alright? Before you answer, I think you should know that you pretty much have to say yes, or you?ll mess it all up. No pressure. Yes? Wonderful.
Now, I forgot to mention this earlier, but Kristi and I are total trendsetters. And, no, shockingly, I?m not referring to our nearly identical closets in junior high. That?s a whole other story, though at the time we would?ve liked to believe that our matching Abercrombie flannels and Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirts were cool ? and layering them we was even cooler. But I digress.
Does anyone know who Brangelina is? Anyone? Good. How about TomKat? Right. One more ? how about Bennifer?
Now that you're wondering why I switched from our discussing our trendsetting ways to quizzing you on celebrity nicknames, I think you should know that those two things are actually related. I?m going to let you in on a little known fact -- the celebrity nickname trend was actually started right down the road in CG, by yours truly. We?re still not sure exactly how it made it all the way from Minnesota to Hollywood, but rest assured, it started here. Though I?m sure there is someone from TMZ or other tabloid source that would dispute that. But who?s going to believe the paparazzi? Exactly. Because before there was Bennifer, there was Garol and Crane. Garol being my parents, Gary and Carol, and Crane being Kristi?s parents, Chris and Jayne. I?m not even sure they knew they had these nicknames, did they? Did you? Well, now you know. Now you all know.
Anyway, as the self-proclaimed inventors of the celebrity nickname, I thought it would only be appropriate that Kristi and JT (or Jonathan as he?s going to have to be known for this purpose) be given a nickname in honor of their wedding day. So, ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to raise your glasses in a toast? to Kronathan:
May your love be modern enough to survive the times and old fashioned enough to last forever. To love, laughter and happily ever after. Cheers!
I wish you two all the best. Congratulations!
margaritas in mexico
Re: Critique my speech!
really good, andrea.
Tears....very cute!!!!!!!
i love it! so sweet and funny too, which is always good.
some things i try to include when i've done my speeches (though this may be for the best man to do) is to thank the parents for hosting the party (if they are hosting, that is).
also, where you put in the quote about love....maybe a quick story as to how they are such a perfect match for each other?
I've sat through my share of wedding speeches in my time...and I've heard everything...including a 45 minute father of the bride speech.
I honestly think you need to cut some things, it's wordy and it all doesn't tie together from beginning to end. Also, NEVER EVER EVER read from a piece of paper, so memorize this as if you are speaking from your heart. I can tell you that when you look at the couple instead of glancing a piece of paper it's always taken better by the couple and the crowd. I've literally heard sighs in the crowd when someone pulls out a speech. So make sure you can memorize it.
Also, being a communication major, every single class had a speech assignment and usually for toasts, under 3 minutes is the best (and 3 is pushing it). You can say something meaningful to the couple while still holding the audience's attention (plus, they're all hungry)
I would immediately cut the first part except the thank you because the DJ should announce who you are, and if people don't know you're the MOH, they're dumb.
I think you need more focus on what you want to say. Do you want to go funny or do you want to go sentimental? Because the top part does not flow with the bottom part, you'd have to create more to make them fit together and then it'll only get longer.
That's only my opinion because I've seen so many of these! I think you have good bones but you're trying to say everything and it's not making a great deal of cohesive speech. If you want to say some of these things to her personally on her wedding day, write them in her card.
I was debating whether or not to thank her parents... thanks for the tip, Jen!
margaritas in mexico
I really didn't think it would be that long until I read it tonight - it was just shy of 3 minutes (I thought it would be too short typing it out!)
First part has to say. DJs don't announce toasts.
I'm still working on making it completely cohesive, so I may end up nixing some parts and moving stuff around.
Thanks for the tips!
margaritas in mexico
Ok i'm really a dork. I actually started my stopwatch on my phone, Yes this is way long.
If I remember currently you should nix the " high school/college memory stuff ". Not everyone who attends the wedding will have been there and they probably don't want to sit there and hear about it.
This is what I would do: IMO of course
Good evening, everyone. I hope you?re all having a great time tonight. I?m Andrea X and I?m honored to be here tonight as Kristi and JT?s matron of honor. Thank you both for inviting me to be part of this wonderful day.
I had this whole long drawn out speech written out,re-living old times Kristi, there was some talk about Brangelina, Topkat, Tomkat... whatever
and even letting it slip that JT's real name was Jonathan. Boy i'm glad I was able to keep that under wraps ( Make an oops face, and you should get a chuckle).
I decided that was about 2 minutes too long.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to raise your glasses in a toast? to Kronathan:May your love be modern enough to survive the times and old fashioned enough to last forever. To love, laughter and happily ever after. Cheers!
I wish you two all the best. Congratulations!
/End of speech.
I hope you don't take offense to the chopping I did. Maybe you could write her a little note in a card remembering the good ol' days. I think that might be a little more sentimental for her
Good Luck Andrea! and let us know what you end up with
Of course I don't take offense! I asked for feedback, right?!
My friends are big on including at least a little bit of history/old stories, so I think I have to include at least part of it (as to not appear like a toast slacker). But I was aiming for no more than 2 minutes, so I will be scaling back a little.
I'll let you know!
margaritas in mexico
Read it outloud to Vik and make him time it
Things in your head always go faster than reading outloud, I have no idea why, but it's just the way it is!
I think you can definitely tie it together!
And that's so bizarre the DJ doesn't mention those things there. Each time a speech is here they go "and now a few words from YOMAMA the MOH"....