Your palms are sweaty, your throat’s dry, your heart’s beating faster and louder than a marching band – it’s quite likely then, that you’re about to give the all -important wedding speech. But before you drag your feet to the microphone like a person condemned to the gallows, take a little inspiration from our do’s and don’ts that will soon have you leaping onto the stage brimming with confidence.

The Father of the Bride’s Speech

Traditionally, the father of the bride’s speech is the first speech given. As father of the bride, it’s appropriate to welcome all the guests and thank them for attending.

Do
- Welcome your new son-in-law, and his parents into the family
- Let your daughter know proud you are of her and how lovely she looks
- Relate a humourous anecdote about your first impression of your son-in-law
- Offer advice and well wishes to the couple
- Propose a toast to the happy couple

Don’t
- Joke about polishing your shotgun or breaking bones if your new son-in-law hurts your daughter. Just remember: Threats (even in jest) + Weddings = Bad Atmosphere – no matter how protective you are of the bride.

The Father of the Groom’s Speech

Traditionally the father of the groom’s speech occurs after the father of the bride has made his speech.

Do
- Welcome your new daughter-in-law and her parents into the family.
- State how proud you are of your son and how pleased you are to see him married to his bride.
- Tell an anecdote about your first impressions of the couple, an amusing incident involving the wedding preparations or a memorable moment during the bride and groom’s courtship.
- Give advice and well wishes to the couple.
- Propose a toast to the happy couple.

Don’t
- Embarrass the bride and groom with your anecdote. At best, you’ll only get a few uneasy laughs and a whole lot of uncomfortable silence.

The Groom’s Speech

The groom’s speech usually comes next and provides him with the opportunity to respond to the wedding speeches already given by his father and father-in-law. Traditionally the groom would speak on behalf of himself and his bride. However nowadays, a bride’s speech has become commonplace also.

Do
- Welcome all the guests, with a special mention of those who have travelled a long way to be there.
- Thank the bride’s parents for allowing you their daughter’s hand in marriage and for welcoming you into their family.
- Give appreciation of the comments made by your father and father-in-law.
- Pay tribute to your own parents.
- Acknowledge all the people involved in the wedding preparations.
- Propose a toast to the bridesmaids and acknowledge their unique role as support to your bride during the wedding and reception.
- Thank your best man and groomsmen for their role during the wedding and wedding preparations.

Don’t
- Forget to thank and compliment the bride. It’s a common mistake many grooms make. Though many people need to be acknowledged for all the time and effort they’ve put into the wedding, she’s put in many hours too – especially in transforming herself into the vision of beauty that stands before you now!

The Bride’s Speech

It’s become quite common for the bride to give a speech on her wedding day, particularly if family members or close friends can not be present.

Do
- Thank all guests for traveling to be with you for the occasion.
- Describe the feelings of the day and how happy you are to be married to your new husband.
- Thank the groom’s parents for accepting you into their family.
- Pay tribute to your own parents.
- Acknowledge the help of bridesmaids and others for their role in the wedding and preparations.
- Acknowledge anything notable said in previous speeches.

Don’t
- Hog the limelight! Whilst it is your special day, the speeches aren’t supposed to be your domain.

The Best Man’s Speech

The one that everyone’s been waiting for! Usually the best man’s wedding speech is last and rounds off the formal speeches. However, the best man is often called upon to be the master of ceremonies and can sometimes be the first to toast the bride and groom also.

Traditionally the best man is either a close relative or close friend of the groom and is therefore in the unique position of having known the groom long before he met his bride. This means the speech is often the most intimate of them all. It’s usually light-hearted and fun and demonstrates his affection for the groom and happiness for the couple.

Do
- Thank all the guests for coming (particularly if you are also acting as master of ceremonies).
- If you are a friend of the groom, describe how you met the groom and relate a funny but not too embarrassing story of the groom that others will enjoy.
- If you are a relative of the groom, describe a childhood incident or something similar which may be amusing for guests to share.
- Talk about the groom’s life, experiences and qualities.
- Describe how happy you were when the couple met and began their courtship.
- Propose a toast to the parents of the happy couple.
- To finish, read out letters and telegrams from those who were not able to attend. If there are many, read a selection.

Don’t
- Get drunk. Many best men make the mistake of having a few for Dutch courage and get a little carried away. Slurring and stumbling is not attractive in a speaker.
- Relate incidents involving the groom’s past girlfriends. Nobody – especially the bride – likes to be reminded that they weren’t the only one.

Other Common Wedding Speeches:

Aside from the above wedding speeches, the respective mothers’ of the bride and groom and also the maid of honor may wish to give a speech also.

As mother of the bride, or mother of the groom, you may wish to stand with your husband while he is making his speech and add a few words of your own, finishing off by proposing a joint toast to the couple. Or you may have a full speech of your own prepared along similar lines to topics traditionally addressed by the father of the bride or father of the groom.

Similarly, as a maid of honor, it is common to make a speech similar to that of the best man but with the focus being on the bride’s qualities and experiences you have shared together.

Other Important tips:

Be mindful of your audience: There is likely to be a variety of guests from different cultural or social backgrounds and it’s important to keep this in mind when planning what you will say and the gestures that you use when delivering your speech. You may hold your palm up to stop people’s conversations and to get their attention but in Greece it’s the equivalent to giving someone ‘the finger’. A thumb’s up to an attendee of the wedding may be meant endearingly but to citizens from the Middle East, West Africa and South America it’s hideously offensive. When in doubt, always err on the side of caution. Refrain from swearing and keep your gestures discrete.

Make eye contact: As with all public speaking, it is effective to make regular eye contact with your audience. Making eye contact engages your audience and makes them feel involved in what you are saying. If you are using palm cards or written notes, make sure the writing is big enough to see easily. Rather than writing out the whole speech, consider writing only the main points so that your delivery feels natural and you are able to maintain regular eye contact with your audience.

Don’t rush: Speak at a normal conversational pace, or slightly slower. It is natural to speak more quickly when everyone’s attention is on you but try to resist this urge. Listeners will relax and hear you better if you speak calmly and at a steady pace.

Speak with heart: Weddings are a beautiful celebration of love and unity. Keep this in mind when you are delivering your wedding speech. If you speak with a full heart you will add to the feeling of love and auspiciousness which surrounds the occasion and your words will penetrate into the hearts of all those present.

About the Author:

Article brought to you by Bride Online, Australia’s premier wedding portal. Find wedding dresses, flowers, bridal gowns and bouquets, bridesmaid dresses, reception venues, marriage celebrants, flowers, cakes, invitations, photographers and more. Bride Online have free wedding planning tools, articles and tips, photo galleries and even wedding classifieds listing pre-loved bridal items to make organising your wedding day nuptials stress-free and easy. Also visit Wedding Directory Australia, for more wedding resources and ideas.

Let’s face it, there will always be someone that will say negative things about you behind your back. It’s human nature and something that simply can’t be avoided.

There’s things your boyfriend or husband may say behind your back that if you
only knew the results would be devastating.

I hear it all the time when guys hang out and carry on conversations. They
start talking about what they hate about their girlfriend or wife, talk about
how they cheated on their mate, and even talk about what they don’t like about
their mate’s physical appearance.

I often think to myself in the middle of the conversation, “wow, if that poor
girl only knew what’s really going on”. See you have to take it from a guy’s
perspective. The truth is I hear things that most women will never hear simply
because I’m a guy.

The reason is because guys will often have an easier time letting loose and
sharing things with their guy friends about their significant other. They will
share things they would otherwise have a harder time communicating with their
mate.

It’s unfortunate, because of the lack of communication, some women are totally blinded to
what’s really going on behind the scenes in their relationship.

The best way to combat this is to keep an open line of communication with your
mate so he is not afraid to tell you what’s on his mind. If you always act
defensive or fail to keep an open mind in your relationship then your mate may
be more inclined to share important things about you with his friends instead
of with you.

Also you can’t live your life caring too much about what anybody thinks,
because no matter what you do, people are going to talk about you behind your
back. Matter of fact, the more successful you become the more negative comments
will come out of people’s mouths.

You also have to learn how to be insightful and aware about everything that
goes on in your relationship in order to protect yourself. Of course this is a skill that can always be improved and used on a daily basis.

To find out other relationship secrets men don’t want you to know visit http://www.LoveUnlock.com

Are you interested in permanently stealing your man’s heart and make him love you even when a princess charming comes his way? Or are you in a marriage where you are not satisfied with the love your husband has for you and dire need for help?

Then practice the powerful tips recommended below.

1. Locate his talents and worship them.

There is one thing that most men have in common. It’s called EGO. If you want your man to show much affection each time he sees you then you’ll need to be his number one cheerleader.

It will not matter much how many out there are trying to win his love if the closest person to him – which is you- make him a champion of your life.

2. Be unconditionally supportive.

I have discovered that the most loved women are those who personally take it upon themselves to be part of their man’s dream.

For instance, if you have a man who loves to be a great golfer… offering to accompany him for his weekend trainings may create a bonding that can never be tampered with even if he meets an extremely charming lady.

3. Never attempt to ‘change’ your man. Influence him by accepting him for who he is.

That you love your man doesn’t mean you will like everything he does. But if you want to make him crazy about you… all you need to do is to play down his weaknesses.

He may be a know-it-all, or the wishy-washer type, or a criticizer, or a procrastinator or even a bully. But… there is only one way to help your relationship: make him love you like crazy… first… then you’ll be able to influence him to be better.

4. Understand your man. Know when and when not to communicate with him.

Men get really crazy about women who understand them. If your man is tired, or involved with a project, and you really want to talk to him about something, wait for the right time.

But if you must talk to him immediately… then go straight to the point. If he wants the details of the topic, he will ask for them.

5. Shower Him with Affection

Hold your man’s hand in the public. Flaunt him to the world. Let him know how proud you are of him. The mistake a lot of women make is that they think loving a man begins and ends in the bedroom.

That is not true. You need to use the power of his ego to your advantage and that’s what you do when you are affectionate to him in public.

6. Respect him

Show respect for your man by… not making lousy comments about his judgments and opinions. Be considerate of his plans and avoid the “eye roll” when listening to him.

In fact… if you are dating or in a marriage with a younger man… this will be a great way to shower him silly with your love flooding his heart. Very few men can maintain a long term love relationship with arrogant women. It doesn’t just work.

7. Give him the precious gift of freedom.

Men need time to be alone. Trying to close-mark them is highly counterproductive. They need some privacy to re-energize and regroup from time to time.

You can be extremely supportive by understanding such times and letting him be. It increases your uniqueness and multiplies the value he would place on you as his woman.

Ejiroghene Eboh is a relationship expert that has helped thousands to find true love in marriages and avoid the pains of divorce. Find out everything you need to know on how to solve the toughest marriage problems at his blog: http://www.fix-your-bad-marriage.blogspot.com

With the recession on the horizon, everyone is looking for deals, and cheap Coach handbags are no exception. With the average price of a coach handbag around $300, shoppers are all looking for discount coach handbags in places like the internet.

For those of you looking for a way to get one, there are things you can do. Coach handbags are perhaps the most sought after of all designer handbags, due to their quality and style. They are created with an eye for detail, and the workmanship had brought it to being highly in demand. Any company that is able to offer a lifetime warranty must provide an extremely high quality product. It isn’t just the hype. Coach handbags are in demand due this high quality. Flip though any tabloid or rag, and you will see the famous handbags in all the spreads.

When you start to search for your cheap coach handbag, and hit the internet, you will undoubtedly be hit with many sites offering unbelievable pricing. Buyer beware! All sites are not created equal. Many online sites selling discount Coach handbags are offering fake bags. If a price on a Coach bag is too low, then don’t be fooled into thinking you are getting some kind of super deal. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

If you buy online, buy from a respected seller that you feel comfortable buying from. When you buy from a seller, a place to consider is from auctions. The reason for this is most auction sites like eBay, will provide seller feedback. If you stick to the sellers with high ratings, and good comments, then you are probably in good company. Make sure you also check the stats offered on the item, make sure the picture you are looking at is the actual bag, and contact the seller to make sure they are stating that the bag you are looking at is authentic.

So, you are thinking, can I find cheap Coach handbags online? The answer is yes, and everyday, more and more people are turning to the internet for great deals, and to save gas! It’s possible to get a Coach handbag for around $150-$250, which can be 30-50% off the regular price of a $300 bag, but don’t think you found a deal if your normally priced bag at $300 is selling for $60. It’s a scam!

Cheap Coach handbags are great for the savvy shopper. Take a look at some great prices on discount Coach handbags on sale today.

My only solace that summer is over is that fall has come. And with it, ubiquitous fashion magazines boasting the season’s must haves, gotta haves, wish you had. While I generally pore over such magazines, I’m especially voracious for the shoe section. If jeans are my first love, shoes are a very close second. I won’t even admit to how many pairs I own, partly because I lost count quite some time ago. Due to my collection (”collection” sound so much nicer than “obsession” doesn’t it?!) I am always eager to read what the “experts” are saying about shoe trends and how to apply them to long legs, and let’s face it- big feet. Typically I write very favorably about our good fortune in the height department. But let’s be honest. Sometimes the price we pay is looking longingly at the size 8 section while cursing our genes, or if we are freaks of the family as I am, just cursing in general. But just because we have big feet, ahem…non petite feet, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the season’s hottest trends.

I could write a novel about the many styles, designs, trends, shapes, colors, textiles, genus, species, and families of shoes. And though it would be fascinating, I’ll spare you the delightful details. I’ll just talk about a few of my favorite styles. Now this one may be disputable, but my absolute favorite fall staple is a pair of warm, cozy, and comfortable Uggs. I’m aware that every fall, some fashion columnist deems Uggs “out.” Yet, I argue that this trend has staying power. People are still splurging on the real thing, or buying every kind of knock off known to man. So apparently their appeal has yet to wane. Next is the riding boot phenomenon. Who knew equestrian wear could be so fun? Like Uggs, I suspect there will be those who label these “so last season,” but again I beg to differ. Casual boots of all styles are a staple for your fall wardrobe.

What I appreciate most about both Uggs and riding boots are that they look great on long legs and big feet. Most women might avoid cutting the line of their legs nearly in half but we have a few inches to spare. Both of these styles also typically come in flats and large sizes. Another flattering trend for tall women is ballet flats which are showing up all over the place in fall textures like tweed, patent leather, and faux animal skins. I won’t lecture those of you who do not wear heels; I understand the temptation to avoid all the unoriginal comments about already being tall enough, not “needing” heels, the air up there, yada yada yada. Regardless, I am six feet tall and I refuse to give up heels. Um, does the word “glamazon” mean anything to you?!

For those of you who are a slightly bolder and like not only a high heel, but unexpected details, you will be pleased to find that of bows, jewels, peep-toes, updated oxfords, and retro shapes. To make your foot appear smaller try round toes, the recent “cap toe” trend, with the toe in a different color than the rest of the shoe (the caveat is these heels are typically higher), color blocks, and banded flats or Mary Jane’s. These styles break the foot into smaller parts and trick the eye. No ladies, there are no Spanx for feet. I googled it.

All advice aside, if you are obsessively self conscious about your feet…they will appear bigger (terribly silly pun intended). So the balance is to wear trends that flatter, but not focus on the negative. While I have a weakness for fashionable trends, I refuse to be enslaved by them. There are a variety of options in terms of large sizes, styles and trends, so shop around until you find the perfect pair (ok, let’s be realistic- the perfect pairs) for fall.

Tiffany DeLangie, a tall fashionista loves all things fashion, including writing about tall fashion for Tall Clothing Mall http://www.tallclothingmall.com a website for tall women and tall men looking for current trends in tall sizes. Visit the tall shoes page to find lots of great styles at http://www.tallclothingmall.com/womensshoetrends.html

There’s a difference between a shirt, and a shirt. Just like there’s a difference between those shoes, and those shoes. Some clothing just pulls the eye, drags the attention, and really is an interesting point in any room.

These are clothes that demand attention. Even if you don’t care about fashion, when you see those clothes, they can’t help but catch your eye. What is so irresistible about this clothing?

And more importantly, how can you pick clothes that truly demand attention?

Bold Colors

Looking to stand out from the crowd? Well, no matter how beautiful a piece is, something in plain color like black, grey, or brown won’t get any attention, if only because it’s simply not exciting.

Clothing that gets attention is in bold colors that are taking a step forward in the fashion world, not backwards. Don’t be afraid to wear something that’s daring, a color you’re not sure about, and a piece that you haven’t seen before.

Basically, the bolder, the better! Take a chance, and really do something so very interesting.

Patterns

If you’re searching for clothing that truly demands attention, look for clothing that has a pattern you have to look at twice to really understand, or get your head around.

Searching for those sorts of patterns takes some muscle, and you might have to sort through some truly horrid patterns in order to find that perfect piece that looks great, but the wear you’ll get out of that pattern is worth the hassle.

Vintage

Clothing that truly demands the attention of you, and the people around you, doesn’t have to be new. Most of the time, the reason your eyes are drawn is because it’s something different.

Vintage clothing is very hot right now, and wearing a tasteful vintage suit, dress, or even just carrying a vintage bag is so stylish that you can add a small touch, or a wear a full vintage outfit, and look great.

You can scour local antique stores, looking at their stock of vintage – if you just don’t have the time, however, you can find hundreds of vintage items on the web, with numerous stores, along with auction houses.

Overall…

Don’t be afraid to wear clothes that demand attention. Wearing what everyone else does – something that’s plain, boring, that you’ve seen a million times – doesn’t mean you’re fashionable.

Be a trend setter, and wear what people will really remark about. You’ll get more comments on your new wardrobe than you can handle!

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used clothing, used watches, and vacuum food sealers. When shopping for used clothing, used watches, and vacuum food sealers, shop only at the best online stores for stylish clothing, used watches, and vacuum food sealers.