Header image by Northamptonshire wedding photographers Sky Photography
I wonder if we’re being subtly steered towards the use of AI for everything wedding. At the top of almost any Google search result in 2025 is an AI overview. When, out of curiosity, I asked ‘how to write wedding vows‘, Google’s AI threw up a detailed breakdown of what to include, recommending that I ‘write from the heart’ and ‘be authentic’, following up with notes on structure and where to find more inspiration online. Oh, the irony…
At least it stopped short of asking me if I wanted it to help by writing vows for me.
A guest article by Nathan, Dorset wedding photographer at Libra Photographic
Let’s start with a note here that jokes are absolutely not just for the best man. Anyone at a wedding can make a speech; you may have a ‘Best Person’ instead, or the bridesmaids / bridesmen might team up and give a cracking speech which has the room in stitches. Traditionally, the (best man’s) funny speech is the one people are really looking forward to, so we thought it would be fab to share some real life favourites with you – and with fab photos by English Wedding member Nathan at Libra Photographic. Grab a cuppa, and have a chuckle (or a groan) at these golden moments!
Some books really do stay with you. Today I want to tell you about one of them.
This is a paid blog post (sort of), but the content is 100% genuine and from the heart. (Read my note at the end!)
I loved reading this. I’d spoken to the author and JP’s voice and gentle, considered way of talking won me over from the start.
This book is full of his personality – and unlike many “how to make a wedding speech” books, its pages are softly spoken and thoughtful. They guide you gently through how it feels to prepare and make a speech, without being in any way bossy or prescriptive.
By James Evans, Public Speaking Coach & Stand-Up Comedian
Picture the scene: A close friend calls you up. ‘Hi, how you doing? Look, I know it’s not really your thing, but would you mind doing ten minutes of stand-up comedy in front of a room half full of friends and half full of total strangers? It’d mean a lot to me.’ You want to put the phone down but you can’t. They’ve just asked you to be their best man and give a brilliantly funny speech at their wedding.