(*Of course, if you’re looking for more than ‘advice’, check out all the different ways the Speechy team can help you write & deliver a great speech. Or check out our new AI-powered team member, SpeechyAI.)
‘(Of course, if you’re looking for more than ‘advice’, check out Speechy’s bespoke speechwriting service. We also have a range of excellent speech templates that might be just what you need.)
(*Of course, if you’re looking for more than ‘advice’, check out our eulogy writing service or our eulogy template.)
(Of course, if you’re looking for more than ‘advice’, check out Speechy’s bespoke speechwriting service. We also have a range of excellent speech templates that might be just what you need.)
Clever people have that knack of articulating stuff that seems impossible to describe. Those ‘unique’ feelings often turn out to be universal.
But don’t let the choice of great quotes out there make you lazy. Use the quotes as an addition to what you want to say, rather than a substitute for your own words.
Write your speech first, then see if a quote or two can make it better.
1 – Make the quotes meaningful
Think about the songs, the films, the books that mean something to you both. Do any of these lend themselves to a great quote?
2 – Don’t overload your speech with quotes
Two maximum as a general rule. One at the top and one towards the end.
3 – Quote recognisable names (or at least provide some context)
It’s always good to quote people that you’ve actually have heard of (or at least respect after you’ve looked them up on Wikipedia). You’ll find there are loads of great quotes by people you’ve never heard of, but do you really want to qualify them by saying they were written by a ‘relationship consultant’?
4 – Don’t just use quotes for the sentimental bit
Quotes can also add humour where it’s needed.
5 – Add a back ref
Put the quote into a personal context, or make it humorous with a suitable ‘ad lib’.
“You look like the rest of my life.” Beau Taplin
OR
“The one thing I know for sure is that feelings are rarely mutual, so when they are, drop everything, forget belongings and expectations, forget the games, the two days between texts, the hard to gets because this is it, this is what the entire world is after and you’ve stumbled upon it by chance, by accident––so take a deep breath, take a step forward, now run, collide like planets in the system of a dying sun, embrace each other with both arms and let all the rules, the opinions and common sense crash down around you. Because this is love kid, and it’s all yours. Believe me, you’re in for one hell of a ride, after all––this is the one thing I know for sure.”
Hands up. We’d never heard of Beau until recently but boy, is he worth knowing if you want a romantic quote.
‘You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Dr Seuss.
OR
“People are weird. When we find someone with weirdness that is compatible with ours, we team up and call it love.” Dr. Seuss
No matter how soppy it sounds, it’s always going to be cool quoting the chap who wrote The Cat in The Hat.
‘’When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.’’ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Paulo’s books have a lot to offer a wedding speech.
“It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together.” Sleepless in Seattle
Ok so it’s from a 90s ‘chick-flick’ but the sentiment works. We approve.
”The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” Audrey Hepburn
The queen of cool was also the author of the rather cool quip ”When I get married, I want to be very married”. Might work well if your wedding is on the ‘extra’ side!
”Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get – only with what you are expecting to give – which is everything.” *Katharine Hepburn
*(Unless we’ve made the dinner in which case we expect you to do the dishes).
“When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” Arrigo Boito
Yep, it’s fair to say you can’t get away with much these days.
“When you love someone all your saved up wishes start coming out.” Elizabeth Bowen
This Irish novelist might have died over fifty years ago but we rather like her style.
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” Zelda Fitzgerald
Another romantic quote from a literary titan.
‘‘The Inuits had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.” Margaret Atwood
We agree. Make up some words to describe your unique brand of love – or get inspired by the foreign words for love that don’t exist in the English language; (an especially nice idea if you have an international guest list). The Spanish have one word for that ‘love at first sight’ feeling and the Inuit’s have nailed that sense of anticipation you feel when you’re waiting for your loved one to visit.
“I love being married. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” Rita Rudner
It’s a classic but it works.
“Listen to me, mister. You’re my knight in shining armour. Don’t you forget it.” Katharine Hepburn
Cool lady. Cool quote.
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” Mignon McLaughlin
The humour in this quote relies on your delivery.
”I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.” A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh.
That moment you met your bloke for the first time. Summed up by a honey-munching bear. Check out more lovely quotes from the bear.
“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they really are.” Will Ferrell
You can always add more ‘marriage advice’ to your speech. Use the invites to ask your guests for their tips for long-lasting love. When we did, the advice ranged from ‘always compliment her bottom no matter how tight the trousers’ to ‘no number twos in front of each other’. Funny and helpful.
“Never go to bed on an argument. Stay up and fight.” Phyllis Diller
Still love this classic quote. And we follow her advice every night.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Charles Schulz
Yes, the girls will get this one. It gives you a great way to intro any chocolate favours you’ve treated your guests to, or it could lead you into a chocolate liqueur toast!
”Well, you know boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like women. You just have to read the manual and press the right button.’ Homer Simpson
Kudos to the bride who quotes Homer Simpson.
Check out some more love-nuggets from Homer. Completely unsuitable for your speech, but they’ll give you a laugh.
”It’s the friends you can call up at 4am that matter.’ Marlene Dietrich
You know the ones…
“There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends.” Sylvia Plath
Even world-renowned novelists understand the powerful bonding experience of a hen do.
”It’s not what we have in life, but who we have that matters’. Author Unknown
You may feel odd quoting those ‘Unknown’ authors but sometimes it’s worth considering. It can simply be done with a casual ‘Someone once said…’
“Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life; you can barely remember what life was like without them.” Anna Taylor
Those friends who have been there for you through the heartbreak years, they’re the ones who deserve quotes like this one.
“Love is telling someone their hair extensions are showing.” Natasha Leggero
Yeah, that’s true friendship.
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” C.S. Lewis
If you’re brave enough, give examples to make this quote genuinely funny.
The Speechy team are TV-trained scriptwriters/comedians by trade & we’ve helped 1,000s of speakers around the world deliver their dream speech.
Our advice has been quoted everywhere from The New York Times to Grazia and from Forbes to The Observer. Our founder has also featured on the BBC Sounds’ Best Men podcast with Jason Manford and written ‘The Modern Couple’s Guide to Wedding Speeches’, published by Little, Brown.
