It can feel incredibly daunting to write for a wedding day. Whether you’re the bride, groom or someone making a speech. It might feel like there’s either too much to say, or perhaps that nothing needs to be said at all. Making the most of what you say in any situation takes thought and consideration. Here’s what I think about the things that can be said on a wedding day.

I’ve heard A LOT of speaking

Hi, I’m Andrew and I’ve been a wedding filmmaker for about 7 years now. I’ve been to countless weddings, edited together hours and hours of speaking on a wedding day and I’ve also watched a lot of amazing films from other wedding filmmakers.

I’m going to first focus on what brides and grooms can say to each other as I think those are usually the most significant words on the day. I’ll be making a follow up for speeches and toasts shortly.

The secret to good speeches and vows

What makes the things you say great on your wedding day are the things you reference outside of the day.

Okay let me explain. It’s always good to talk about how much you love someone but what’s going to be the most meaningful and also most interesting are the stories you tell in order to explain why.

Finding your stories

Here’s a few places you could draw stories from when writing for your wedding day. You don’t need to retell whole events in excruciating detail but you should say enough to paint a picture of what happened and how it changed you or how you felt.

A great place to start are the stories you might have from when you first started dating, talk about your first impressions or even talk about where or who you were before you met your partner. Maybe meeting your partner changed your life and that’s an important part of your story.

Once you’ve got the start have a think about the rest of the time you’ve spent together. Have there been any significant or memorable moments? Any turning points or epiphanies? Any shared experiences that brought you both closer?

Funny stories are great too. Anything that shows off questionable but endearing aspects of your partner’s personality or anything that shows how they complement yours well.

So at this point we’ve covered a lot of what’s come before, let’s move on and talk about the stories you hope to write in the future. What’s the life you see with your partner that makes you want to commit the rest of your days to them. What are the hopes and dreams you have that you’ll bring to life with your partner by your side?

By telling these stories that span your relationship and what’s to come you’ve used the power of storytelling to engage, express and give your love roots. It builds a foundation that makes any declarations feel so much more substantial, which is what I think you should finish with.

Right now, to this wonderful person standing facing you, think about what you feel for them and how much you feel it.

That’s my suggested approach for writing personal vows, and I think it’s a great way to make sure that the love you have for your partner is communicated well on such a significant day.