"When do we have the speeches? It’s after the meal isn’t it?"
Well, not always.
There aren’t the wedding rules like there used to be. So why not make your wedding day suit you? I often hear myself encouraging Brides and Grooms to “Build it how you want it, because you really can!”
OK, so more often than not when I photograph a wedding the speeches do occur after the Wedding breakfast. But there has been a trend over the last few years to “do your own thing”. The main reason for moving the speeches seems to be in consideration of the speakers themselves. Let’s face it most people aren’t used to standing up in front of a packed room and waxing lyrically for 5 or 10 minutes. It’s a nervy/scary situation for most involved, and the anticipation could potentially ruin their enjoyment of the lovely food put before them (if it’s touched at all)!
So what are the options?
The most popular variation is to do the speeches before the Wedding Breakfast. Beware here, depending on meal time your guests may be hungry so pushing back the food might not be well received! I have also seen speeches take place between courses, but as a rule Chefs hate this because they are trying to get hot food out on time. The other option, which I have seen quite a few times (although it doesn’t help with the above paragraph), is to do the speeches before or during the dessert.
By the way, photographing the speeches can be a joy. The Bride and Groom rarely know what’s going to be said and consequently there can be some great expressions which all make for wonderful wedding photos.
