The Best Wedding Speeches We've Recorded
Wedding speech tips · Minneapolis, MN
Every weekend we hear speeches at weddings. Not all of them are created equal. You have probably heard the stories — toasts that wander, drinks that go a little too far, moments that make the room hold its breath for the wrong reason. Those happen, but thankfully they are rare. Nobody wants to embarrass themselves in front of hundreds of guests, or worse, have it preserved forever by the videographer.
In our opinion, one of the best parts of a wedding day is the speeches. If you have watched any of our wedding highlight films, you know a good speech can completely carry the story. The opposite is also true: a toast without substance or heart can take away from the day — not only in the moment, but in the final film. After more than a decade of filming weddings, the speeches that shine are the ones that share heartwarming, funny, and meaningful stories about the couple together.
Danielle and Charlie Coyle | Teaser | The Whim, Minneapolis
Three tips from a wedding videographer
It seems obvious to talk about the couple, and yet speakers often get stuck on only the bride or only the groom. The moments that translate best to a highlight are the ones that speak to them as a pair. In Danielle and Charlie Coyle’s wedding at The Whim (film above), Charlie Coyle’s sister does exactly that — and it carries the story.
Tell stories, but keep them short. We cannot fit a five-minute story into a five-minute highlight film. A long digression may never make the cut — even if it was lovely in the room.
Be yourself. You do not need to follow a checklist you found online to make the speech “perfect.” Think about what you actually want to say. Then talk about the couple together: how they met, when you first knew they were right for each other, why they are a great match, and the wishes you have for their life together. You cannot go wrong there.
We are married ourselves, and our favorite anniversary ritual is going back to watch and listen to the speeches from our wedding day in 2016. They are a memory of our beginning — who we were, and the people who stood with us. That is why we care so much about recording them well. Two more films follow — Keniesha and Landon at Hidden Meadow, and Amanda and Michael at Bavaria Downs — where a father’s toast and a mother’s toast do the same work in different voices.
Keniesha & Landon | Hidden Meadow & Barn, Pepin, WI
Keniesha’s father speaks about their beginning, about them together, and about his wishes for their life — poetic, grounded, and unforgettable in the room. One of the most captivating father-of-the-bride speeches we have recorded.
Watch or read moreAmanda + Michael | Bavaria Downs, Chaska, MN
The mother of the bride tells stories and shares her wishes for Amanda and Michael as a couple — the kind of toast that stays with you long after the night ends.
Watch or read moreMoments from the films
“The portion we love to use in a highlight film is when the speaker is talking about the couple together — it fits beautifully under a sequence of them as partners.”
Why the speeches matter
Every Alma Films collection includes a Ceremony & Toasts film so you can keep the full words spoken by the people you love — not only the moments that fit a highlight.
Years from now, couples do not only want to see how the room looked. They want to hear the voices of parents, siblings, and friends — the laughter, the pause before a toast lands, the specific stories that only that gathering could tell. A wedding film without those voices is missing half the day.
If you are writing a speech for someone you love, keep it short, keep it true, and keep it about them together. If you are planning your own wedding and want those words preserved with care, we would be honored to film them.
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