Should you use ChatGPT to write your wedding speech?

ChatGPT is amazing. But is it capable of writing your best man, maid of honour, or parent-of-the-bride-or-groom toast? Let’s investigate the merits of a ChatGPT wedding speech.

If you’ve been near ChatGPT in the last few months, you’ve likely been blown away by its wordsmithery. 

I know I have. Whether I’ve instructed it to write me a funny bedtime story about a strawberry, or answer complex questions about politics, it generates writing that’s cohesive, readable, and eerily human-like. So of course, as a wedding speech writer and coach, I wanted to know: can it write a wedding toast? 

To test out ChatGPT’s wedding writing abilities, I gave it a few simple prompts about my friends Lisa and Paul. 

Write a wedding speech for my friend Lisa. I am her maid of honour, and she is marrying Paul. 

Point out key traits of their relationship, like: 

Lisa is very talkative, and Paul is a good listener.

I’ve never seen two people have so much fun as Paul and Lisa seem to have together. 

Start the speech with an inspiring introduction, and finish with a quote about love. 

Add some jokes.

And here’s what it churned out.

Good evening everyone. I am honored to stand here today as Lisa’s maid of honour and witness the love and commitment she and Paul share.

When I think of Lisa and Paul’s relationship, two things come to mind. First, Lisa is a talker and Paul is a listener. He always takes the time to truly understand her, and she feels heard and understood. And second, they have so much fun together. They can always be found laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

But their relationship is more than just fun and laughter. It’s about the deep understanding and support they give each other. They have built a strong foundation of trust and respect, and it’s clear that they are each other’s best friend.

It’s a great pleasure to see Lisa and Paul make this commitment to each other, to build a lifetime of memories together. Today is just the beginning of a beautiful journey.

“Love is not something you go out and look for. Love finds you, and when it does, ready or not, it’ll be the best thing to ever happen to you.”

And now, let’s raise a glass to the happy couple, Lisa and Paul. May you have a lifetime of laughter, love and happiness.

(Jokes)

I heard Lisa has been counting down the days to this wedding, but I think Paul has been counting down the days to the honeymoon!

I also heard Paul is a bit nervous about the wedding, but I think Lisa just wants to make sure he says “I do” and not “I don’t”

Cheers to the happy couple!

Pretty impressive, right? I mean, apart from the crude jokes at the end.

It’s written cohesively, it makes sense – it even added a paragraph about the couple’s ‘foundation of trust and respect’, without me prompting it to.

Honestly, given the relatively scant prompts I entered, I’m not disappointed with that for a first attempt. 

With some more sophisticated prompt engineering, we could polish this into something pretty solid.

But here’s the thing: while ChatGPT may have written a cohesive wedding speech, it’s far from a great wedding speech.

Think about the best wedding speeches you’ve ever heard. What set them apart?

When casting my memory back to a stand-out example, I remember a maid of honour speech I heard a few years ago.

At the top of her toast, the speaker made mention of the bride’s unshakable morals, her determination, and her stubbornness. She weaved in a hilarious anecdote about her sister getting arrested in an environmental protest, and told of brutal fights she had had with her sister as a child. 

She then praised the groom for being the only person she’d ever seen her sister back down in a debate against, and observed how that made him the perfect partner – someone who had helped her sister grow and soften as a person, while sharing her signature determination and strong sense of justice.

The maid of honour showed a side to the couple that not everyone would have been privy to, yet a side that she, as the bride’s sister, could speak to. 

It was delivered with warmth, and it was full of laughs – I still remember it clearly all these years later.

A great wedding toast isn’t about stringing lukewarm sentences together – it’s about giving your subject the gift of being truly seen.

And that’s something only you – with your catalogue of memories, your human observations and empathy, and your unique knowledge of the couple – can do.

Further to that, a truly memorable speaker will weave in stories to add vibrancy and richness. And while ChatGPT might be able to whip up a first draft of any given story (in fact, it’s great for this) you’ll still need to spend the time recalling the story, feeding ChatGPT the key plot points, and editing it for tone, flow, and – if you’re going for funny – humour.

Of course, these edits could be partially made through prompts. Think: 1. What are some comedy techniques used by comedians to improve writing? 2. Apply these comedy techniques to the above passage. 

But the fact remains: you need to use your human ability to critique, and assess what needs tweaking.

And I know I said to discount ChatGPT’s wedding speech jokes – but in truth, they neatly summarised a major problem with mediocre toasts: the use of canned gags. 

A funny wedding speech isn’t made that way from saying things like, “I heard Lisa has been counting down the days to this wedding, but I think Paul has been counting down the days to the honeymoon!”

In fact, that’s a great way to make the whole room cringe, and be remembered for all the wrong reasons. (Still, it’s amazing how many speeches are packed with jokes exactly like this.)

A truly funny wedding speech is built on humour that’s unique, insightful, and honest.

And it takes a lot of work and thought to achieve. That’s the whole reason I wrote an entire guide on writing a genuinely funny wedding speech. You can download it for free right here.

For ChatGPT to write a great wedding speech, you’ll need to spend a lot of time considering what prompts to feed it.

Think about what you want your speech’s core message to be. 

Consider what makes the couple’s relationship truly unique. Ponder what traits your subject exhibits that will make them a wonderful spouse. Mine your memory for stories to illustrate your points to make your speech richer and more memorable, and feed ChatGPT the key plot points to generate a first draft.

Then, spend some time editing ChatGPT’s wedding speech. 

Writers have a saying: there’s no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.

It’s a way of saying that your first version will never be perfect. Your words will always benefit from being edited in order to produce a better, more impactful piece of writing. 

Sentences can be eliminated to make the message sharper. Words can be repeated to put emphasis on an important point. Battle-tested techniques can be used to introduce humour that will have the audience smiling wide. 

Finally, think about your delivery.

Consider when you’ll speed up, and slow down. Think about your posture. Rehearse your speech in front of someone you trust – as many times as you can. 

By rehearsing your speech well, and getting to know it thoroughly, you’ve got a much better chance of working through nerves and anxiety on the day, and delivering a speech that hits all the right marks.

For such an important speech, you owe it to yourself to do it right. 

For many people, a wedding is the biggest speaking occasion they’ll ever experience. And even if you’re a seasoned speaker, it’s unlikely you’ll get many chances to speak in front of this particular group of friends or family members again. 

Sure, use ChatGPT as a tool to help you break through writer’s block, pump out your speech’s first draft, or play around with writing techniques. 

But remember: there’s a reason they chose you to deliver this wedding speech. 

Tap into your humanness to be sure you do it justice.