As the aunt of the bride, you may be a bit overwhelmed with what you’re supposed to say in your wedding speech. This speech writing guide will help you come up with material, organize your thoughts, and write a speech that you and your niece will love.

I’m a professional wedding speech writer, and I work with anyone who gives a wedding speech from the father of the bride to the mother of the groom. So now, let me help you.

Tip #1: Compile Notes

Before you sit down to write your aunt of the bride speech, jot down some notes. When you have a list of ideas to reference, it’s easier to draft the speech.

Use these writing prompts to brainstorm some material for your speech.

• What is your favorite memory of your niece?

• What do you admire about your niece?

• What does it mean to you that she asked you to speak at her wedding?

• How do you want your speech to make her feel?

• What do you want every guest to know about her?

Tip #2: Look Through Old Photographs

You can never have too much material to work from. After your initial brainstorm, flip through photographs to inspire more ideas. 

As you review each photo, write down any emotions, memories, or thoughts that come to mind. No idea is too silly or emotional to note.

Remember, this is a brainstorming exercise and so not everything you write down will end up in the final draft. But you never know what random nugget may hold the key to writing the best aunt of the bride speech. 

Tip #3: Know the Basics

As part of your writing prep work, understand some background details about the wedding. Below are the three questions I recommend knowing the answers to before writing your speech.

Where will you be speaking?

What is the venue and setting like? This can often influence the tone of your speech.

For example, an aunt of the bride speech at a black-tie wedding in a fancy hotel may take on a different tone than a beach wedding where the bride is barefoot. 

Who will be in attendance?

The answer to this question can greatly impact how you approach your speech.

For example, how many of the guests don’t already know the bride very well? You may want to share stories that teach those guests key characteristics about her so that they understand why you, her new spouse, and her family love her so much.

Also, will there be many grandparents or children in attendance? If so, consider how your speech can reach a multigenerational audience. This can especially affect how you write a funny wedding speech as certain jokes may require more context to land with various age groups. 

Why did the bride ask you to speak?

I recommend asking the bride this so you can hear her exact reasoning as opposed to your hunch on why you were asked to speak.

Her answer can provide insight into how to approach your speech.

For example, maybe she asked you because she appreciated all the vacations you took her on as a kid. In this case, she’d likely love to hear some of those vacation stories sprinkled throughout your speech.

Or maybe she asked you to speak because she views you as a motherly figure who has always given her strong advice. In this case, be sure to include some of your classic sage wisdom within your toast. 

Tip #4: Reference an Aunt of the Bride Speech Outline

Now that you have several ideas for your speech, it’s time to outline your wedding toast.

Use this outline as a guide to help slot in notes from your brainstorm. Soon, you’ll see the rough draft of your speech begin to take shape.

Aunt of the Bride Speech Outline:

• Introduction: Keep the intro short and to the point by simply stating your name and relation to the bride. 

  Example: Good evening, everyone! I’m Josie, this beautiful bride’s aunt. 

• Talk About Your Niece: Share two to three stories about the bride that illustrate the speech’s theme. For example, if the theme of your speech is having a great sense of humor, share stories that show when the bride’s sense of humor helped her or those around her. 

• Talk About Her New Spouse: Communicate one to two stories about her new spouse. Ideally, you’ll weave in the theme here as well. 

• Share Your Wishes for Her Marriage: This section can be short. Two to four sentences is appropriate. 

• Close with a Toast: The last line of your speech can be a toast to the couple. Be sure to capture the theme in this last line to really tie your entire speech together. 

Tip #5: Don’t Write Alone

It can be challenging to write a wedding speech alone. You’re so close to the material, it’s hard to determine which stories to keep, which to remove, and which jokes simply won’t land. 

As you work through the process, consult with one person who you trust to provide you with creative and constructive feedback.

And I do say one person for a reason. There is such a thing as having too many metaphorical cooks in the speech-writing kitchen.

Inevitably, the more people you ask for feedback, the more varying opinions you will receive. This can make writing your speech even harder. 

Rely on one person who you feel has a knack for this sort of thing. 

Even better, consider working with a professional wedding speech writer. 

At Katelyn’s Wedding Words, I work with family members to write their wedding speeches. We begin by meeting over a video call where I learn every detail so I can then go off and write an aunt of the bride speech that your niece will love and you’ll feel excited to deliver. 

Tip #6: Remember, Writing a Speech is All About the Editing 

When most people imagine writing a wedding speech, they see themselves sitting down, writing it in one go, and then being able to check this daunting task off of their to-do list.

But the truth is, no one writes a speech like this…not even me…a professional speech writer. 

There’s plenty of prework you’ll complete before even writing the first draft.

Then you’ll write the first of several drafts. But really, the key to speech writing is all about editing. 

Just know that you will write and then rewrite and then rewrite again. 

It’s during the editing process that your speech will begin to take shape and will get polished into the aunt of the bride speech that you’ll recite. 

Here are a few editing tips for you to keep in mind:

• Remove unnecessary words. As you reread your speech out loud, identify if sentences will still make sense without superfluous words. If so, cut the fluff. 

• Tighten up sentences. Initial drafts often include run-on sentences. Tighten up these too-long phrases for more impact.

• Delete unrelated details. Are there details in the speech that don’t support the overall theme? If so, delete, delete delete.