22 powerful quotes for the perfect wedding speech

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Who doesn’t love a good quote? And a good quote (emphasis ‘good’) can be a powerful technique in any good speech. You can use them as a hook, a closing statement, or as the subject of your toast.

If you use a quote as a hook or as a transition from one point to another, you need to expand on it; if it’s used at the end, it should be a strong finisher that doesn’t need explanation.

Quotes can take several forms: sayings or aphorisms, definitions, quotes form famous people, and songs or poems. Below are 22 perfect quotes to add into your wedding speech to blow everyone away:

Sayings/aphorisms

1. “Everyone smiles in the same language.”

2. Success in marriage is much more than finding the right person; it is a matter of being the right person”

3. “Love is friendship set to music”

4. “Maths is like love -- a simple idea but it can get complicated.”

5. “Love: A temporary insanity curable either by marriage or by removal of the influences under which he incurred the disorder. It is sometimes fatal, but more frequently to the physician than the patient.”

6. “What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.”

Definitions

7. “Love is a perfume you cannot pour o others without getting a few drops on yourself.” ~ Phyllis Diller

8. “Marriage is the best method for getting acquainted” ~ Heywood Broun

9. “Matrimony, the high seas for which no compass has been invented” ~ Heine

10. “Love is the blending of two into one” ~ D. E. Frederick

11. “Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell.” ~ Anonymous

12. “An armed alliance against the world” ~ G. K. Chesterton

Quotes from famous people

13. “Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you.” ~ Walter Winchell

14. “To be loved, be lovable.” ~ Ovid

15. “Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?” ~ Christopher Marlowe

16. “For love is heaven, and heaven is love” ~ Sir Walter Scott

17. “Love conquers all, and let us too yield to love.” ~ Virgil

18. “The best gifts are tied with heart strings” ~ Andrew Jackson

19. “Marriage is the one subject on which all women agree and all men disagree” ~ Oscar Wilde

20. “Love is the greatest possession of human existence. Today you have it in abundance. T keep your love as bright as this flame, remember it takes a lot of effort. For you must love not only for a moment, or a day or sometimes, but always.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

21. “Love conquers all things except poverty and a toothache.” ~ Mae West

22. “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Songs/Poems

You’ll probably know your favourite songs or poems, so I won’t list them here.!

A word of warning: Be careful not to quote too much.

Quotes should drive your words, not drown them. For this reason, when you quote from songs and poems, choose only short excerpts.

About the author: Alexander Westenberg, milestone speechwriter, is a teacher, a musician, and long-time speechwriter. Read more…

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Inside you’ll find learn:

Why the wedding speech matters
The 3 most common hooks for your speech
The time-tested 'Rule of One' that can make the difference between a speech that makes an impact... and a speech that doesn't
4 steps to finishing your speech with the perfect wedding toast
...and more!