First, take some time to relax and regroup before going in to the reception. Emotions will be running high after the ceremony, guests will be clamoring for your attention and your nerves will be on edge knowing that shortly, all eyes will be on you. You’ll have to get yourself calm and under control in order to deliver a speech worthy of your daughter.

How do I relax, you say? Be prepared. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel. No one is a natural public speaker. Some are just more prepared than others.

Secondly, take time to write out everything you want to say. Using cue cards to remind yourself as you go along is great, but you’ll have more success if you’ve written out your speech in its entirety.

Now it’s time to practice. Choose a few friends or family members who will be give you honest feedback and try out your speech on them.

Using their input, edit what you want to say so as to avoid redundancy and overlong sentences. Stay on topic and keep the speech to 5 minutes or less. Chooses stories about your daughter that are meaningful but brief.

Lastly, avoid being clichéd. Do not fear the thesaurus. Use words that create imagery and will make the way you describe your daughter endearing and remembered.