Wedding survey reveals what your guests REALLY talk about on the way home

​It's NOT the dress, the music, the table plan, the food or even the champagne.
 
An anonymous survey conducted in the UK asked 380 wedding guests what topic would most likely dominate the trip home from a wedding and 95% answered: the speech. Nothing wrong with that if the speech is a good one but 50% also said they’d seen a bad speech nearly ruin a wedding.
 
It’s not surprising really when you think about it. I’m sure most of us have sat though a terrible wedding speech at one time or another. I know I have. Common mistakes – often intended as jokes – include bagging the institution of marriage, lamenting the demise of single life, and a best man who thinks - and drinks - like he’s at a 21st birthday party, leaving uncomfortable guests and a mortified bride and in his wake.

With Australian couples spending upwards of $30,000 to create the perfect wedding, it’s surprising that many people still do a half-baked job of their wedding speech at the last minute or even worse, decide to 'wing it.'

A speech can make or break a wedding, so it’s worth spending the time, effort and, if necessary, money to get it right. Let's face it, not everyone is a gifted wordsmith for the same reason not everyone is a handyman or good cook so if you need help, get it! 
 
Working with a speechwriter to write your wedding speech can cost less than some brides spend on their hair, which is a relatively small investment for one of the more memorable aspects of a wedding, don't you think? And a foolproof way to ensure you're not the one guests talk about all the way home, for the wrong reasons.

"​The worst I saw was when the father of the bride went on and on about how his marriage to the bride’s mother had nearly destroyed him. He spoke for nearly 20 minutes and then told the couple he didn’t believe in marriage anymore but wished them luck.” -- Phil

“I was at one where the maid of honour recited a rhyming poem to the wedding couple with a paragraph about the groom's small 'indiscretion' while they were dating! I didn't know where to look.” -- Karen


​“We had one where the best man accidentally toasted the groom and his ex-wife. Shock horror all around.” -- Annie
 
“I remember a drunk best man (brother of groom) spoke for 1 hour. They couldn't drag him off. Even when the band started playing (on request!) he still didn’t take the hint and kept trying to talk over the top of the music.”  -- Les

See the full survey results here.