(*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.)
We love a good quote-but only when it earns its place. Quotes should elevate your speech, not take over it. Think of them as seasoning-not the entire meal.
We have romantic, funny, marriage and friendship quotes for you to consider.
But make sure you use them right…
Quote Recognisable People (or Add Some Context)
Feel free to go leftfield, but if you quote someone obscure, clue us in. A well-known name-Audre Lorde, Ellen, or Virginia Woolf-delivers more impact because it carries the weight of public recognition. That said, if you love a line, use it. Just let your audience in on the joke, the story, or the significance.
Less is More
One or two quotes. That’s your quota. Don’t drown your beautiful words with borrowed ones. Write your speech first-then slot the quote in where it earns its keep.
Add Context
Don’t let the quote do all the work. Give it a setup or follow it with a personal touch. Turn it into a punchline, or use it to introduce a sweet anecdote about your new wife.
Celebrate Lesbian Love
Why not quote the icons who paved the way? From Virginia Woolf’s tortured brilliance to Lena Waithe’s Netflix-cool confidence-these women made space for your love story. So go ahead, quote them with pride.
Love is love-but sometimes it takes a poet (or a screenwriter) to explain it just right.
Vita Sackville-West – Literary aristocrat and lover of Virginia Woolf. Her love letters read like operas.
“I think we have got something indestructible between us, haven’t we?”
Virginia Woolf – Modernist queen with a flair for heartbreak
“I see you everywhere, in the stars, in the river, to me you’re everything that exists; the reality of everything.”
Audre Lorde – Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet. Enough said.
“Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever.”
Portia de Rossi (via her wedding vows to Ellen) – Short but perfect
“It is good to be loved. It is profound to be understood.”
Lena Waithe – Emmy-winning screenwriter and unapologetic trailblazer
“The things that make us different, those are our superpowers.”
Julie Anne Peters – YA author with razor-sharp wit
“Cut the ending. Revise the script. The man of her dreams is a girl.”
Cristina Marrero – Romance novelist who doesn’t sugarcoat
“You had to be willing to fight in order for a love story to last a lifetime.”
Radclyffe Hall – Queer pioneer who gave us The Well of Loneliness
“Language is surely too small a vessel to contain these emotions.”
Ellen DeGeneres – Comedian and daytime telly icon
“It’s our challenges that give us layers of depth and make us interesting.”
Alice Dunbar-Nelson – Dreamy poet and fearless activist
“And now-unwittingly, you’ve made me dream of violets, and my soul’s forgotten gleam.”
Love’s funny. And speeches should be too. Here’s how the greats have handled it-with a wink.
Wanda Sykes – Comedian and badass wife
“If you feel like you’re too small to have an impact, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
Rosie O’Donnell – Always blunt. Occasionally wise
“My girlfriend told me to stop impersonating a flamingo. I had to put my foot down.”
Sue Perkins – Bake Off host and sarcasm sorcerer
“I’ve always said that love is like a soufflé-it needs warmth, timing, and someone not to slam the bloody oven door.”
Kate McKinnon – SNL genius
“Falling in love is like getting a tattoo on your face-you need to be really sure before you commit.”
Tig Notaro – Deadpan queen
“I feel like if you’re in love and you have a dog, you already know everything you need to know about marriage.”
Mae Martin – Comedian and gender-bending genius
“Love is like assembling Ikea furniture without the instructions: confusing, frustrating, but occasionally thrilling.”
Cameron Esposito – Funny and fierce
“Marriage is just two people trying to navigate Ikea on a Saturday without filing for divorce.”
Ali Wong – Crude, honest, brilliant
“I used to say, ‘I’m going to get married when I’m 90 and I’m about to die, so I can get someone to take care of me.’ And then I fell in love.”
Marriage: the wild adventure with matching rings. Here’s what the wise (and witty) have to say.
Audre Lorde – Still the queen
“Women are powerful and dangerous.”
Glennon Doyle – Author of Untamed, modern icon
“Marriage is not the end of freedom. It’s the beginning of partnership.”
Mary Lambert – Musician, poet, unapologetically queer
“Love is not a whisper or a weakness. No, love is strong.”
Jane Lynch – Glee’s sharpest tongue
“A wedding is one day. Marriage is the rest of your life. So buy the good cake.”
Samantha Irby – Author and loveable mess
“Being married means having someone to sigh at you when you forget your keys for the third time.”
Tegan Quin (of Tegan & Sara) – Indie icon
“The best relationships are built on rhythm, weird jokes, and snacks.”
Sara Ramirez – Non-binary queen of screen
“You get one shot to be in love. Make it count.”
Eve Sedgwick – Academic and queer theorist
“Love’s not a hierarchy. It’s a tangle.”
Brittney Griner – Basketball star and softie
“My wife is my peace.”
Because the ones who’ve supported your journey deserve a shoutout.
Jodie Foster – Actor, director, legend
“My definition of a friend is somebody who adores you even though they know the things you’re most ashamed of.”
Melissa Etheridge – Rock goddess
“Sometimes you just need one person to believe in you-and sometimes that person is your sister.”
Kristen Stewart – Lip-biting cool
“Friends are the family you get to choose.”
Roxane Gay – Writer and truth-teller
“The best relationships in life start with someone saying, ‘Hey, I like you just as you are.'”
Samira Wiley – Orange is the New Black star
“True love, chosen family. That’s all I need.”
Beth Ditto – Punk powerhouse
“The friends who stick around during the worst bits-those are your people.”
Hannah Gadsby – Stand-up genius
“There’s nothing funnier or more powerful than someone who knows who they are.”
Whoopi Goldberg – Always with the truthbombs
“You know you’re in good company when your weird is welcomed.”
Still stuck? Check out our full bride speech quotes guide, our lesbian bride speech advice, or get started with our AI speech writing tool crafted specifically for wedding vibes.
And remember-you don’t just have to quote the greats. You can become one. Say something beautiful, witty, and totally you, and one day we might be quoting you back.
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.
