How many words is a 5 minute wedding speech?

Around 600 to 650 words. Wedding speeches run slower than ordinary speech because of laughter and pauses, so budget roughly 120 words per minute rather than the usual 130 to 150.

Is a 10 minute wedding speech too long?

Yes, for almost every role and every room. Ten minutes is roughly double the ceiling, and it costs the speakers who follow you more than it costs you.

Should I time my speech before the wedding?

Yes, reading it aloud, standing, at a calm pace, then add 20 percent for laughter, applause, and the microphone. If that total is over your target, cut rather than planning to speak faster.

Delivery and etiquette/6 min read/View as Markdown

How Long Should a Wedding Speech Be? Timings by Role

Word counts, minute counts, and the reason every speech runs longer on the day than it did in your kitchen.

The honest answer is that almost every wedding speech should be shorter than it is. Not because the material is bad, but because the room's attention is a shared resource and there are usually four speakers drawing on it in a row.

Here are the timings by role, the word counts that produce them, and what to cut when you are over.

Timings by role

Best man: 3 to 5 minutes, about 400 to 650 words. Under 3 feels thin. Over 6 and open bars start working against you.
Maid of honor: 3 to 5 minutes, about 400 to 650 words. Same range, usually with more of it spent on the sincere turn.
Groom: 4 to 6 minutes, about 500 to 780 words. The only speech that earns extra time, because it carries the thank-yous.
Bride: 3 to 5 minutes, about 400 to 650 words. If the couple speak together, 5 to 7 minutes for both combined.
Father of the bride: 3 to 5 minutes, about 400 to 650 words.
Mother of the bride or groom: 3 to 5 minutes. If both parents speak, split the time rather than each taking the full slot.
Father of the groom: 3 to 4 minutes. Shorter is safer when you are following another parental speech.
Bridesmaid or friend: 2 to 3 minutes, or 90 seconds each if several of you share a slot.
Officiant remarks: 2 to 3 minutes inside the ceremony, not counting the vows themselves.
Wedding vows: 90 seconds to 2 minutes each, about 150 to 250 words.
Rehearsal dinner speeches: 2 to 3 minutes each, and there are usually more of them than anybody planned for.

Total speeches time

The number that actually matters is the sum. Four speakers at five minutes each is twenty minutes of sitting still, plus applause and glass-raising between each. Thirty minutes total is the practical ceiling for a reception.

Words to minutes

A relaxed speaking pace is roughly 130 words a minute. Wedding speeches run slower than that because of laughter, pauses, and the fact that you will be holding a microphone for the first time in a decade. Budget 120 words a minute and you will be close.

2 minutes: around 240 to 260 words.
3 minutes: around 360 to 390 words.
4 minutes: around 480 to 520 words.
5 minutes: around 600 to 650 words.
6 minutes: around 720 to 780 words.

Why it runs long on the day

Laughter. Every real laugh costs three to five seconds you did not rehearse, and a good speech has six of them. That is half a minute you did not plan for.
Applause on entry and exit, plus the pause while people put glasses down.
The microphone. People slow down when amplified, usually by about ten percent.
Emotion. If you get choked up once and have to pause, that is fifteen seconds.
Improvised additions. Almost everybody adds something in the moment. Almost nobody removes anything.

The practical rule

Time yourself reading it aloud, calmly, standing up. Whatever that number is, add 20 percent. If the result is over your target, cut now rather than planning to speak faster. Nobody has ever successfully sped up on the day.

What to cut when you are over

1. The second story
Almost every overlong speech has two stories doing the same job. Keep the better one. This single cut usually solves the whole problem.
2. The setup on your remaining story
Most stories can start two sentences later than they do. Begin at the moment something happens.
3. The list of thank-yous, if you are not the groom
Only the groom has thank-you obligations. Everybody else can reduce them to one sentence or none.
4. Any joke that needs explaining
If you have to build context for a laugh, it is costing more time than it returns.
5. The third adjective
"Kind, funny, and generous" becomes "kind", or better, becomes one example of kindness. Do this everywhere and you will find 40 words.

What never gets cut: the sincere turn, and the toast. Those two are the reason the speech exists. If you are cutting into them, cut a story instead.

Reading about it is the easy part

Pick your role and your target length, and the wizard writes to it: 2, 4, or 6 minutes, with the word count checked. Free preview, no signup.

Draft my speech at the right length

Questions people actually ask

How long should a wedding speech be?: Three to five minutes for most roles, four to six for the groom because he carries the thank-yous, and 90 seconds to two minutes for vows. Total across all speakers should stay under about thirty minutes.
How many words is a 5 minute wedding speech?: Around 600 to 650 words. Wedding speeches run slower than ordinary speech because of laughter and pauses, so budget roughly 120 words per minute rather than the usual 130 to 150.
Is a 10 minute wedding speech too long?: Yes, for almost every role and every room. Ten minutes is roughly double the ceiling, and it costs the speakers who follow you more than it costs you.
Should I time my speech before the wedding?: Yes, reading it aloud, standing, at a calm pace, then add 20 percent for laughter, applause, and the microphone. If that total is over your target, cut rather than planning to speak faster.