WEDDINGS

Engagement party speech examples

The five speeches below are made up. Borrow their order and their length, then fill them with a story only you could tell.

An engagement party toast is short, and it often comes first: before the showers, the rehearsal dinner and the wedding speeches. Below is a template, questions to find your story, then five example speeches from one made-up party: from the bride's parents as hosts, the groom's mom, the maid of honor, a brother and the couple. After them: who speaks and in what order, how long to talk, how it differs from a wedding speech, what to leave out and how to give it.

Do people give speeches at an engagement party?

Usually, yes, though they're short toasts more than speeches. Zola says it's customary for whoever hosts the party to give a toast to the couple (Zola on what an engagement party is). Its etiquette guide says the hosts usually start, followed by the couple's parents, family members and close friends. Co-workers or acquaintances may add a few words too. On the more traditional route, the couple toast each other, and at the end of the party they thank their hosts and guests (Zola's engagement party etiquette).

An engagement party speech template

Most toasts at the party can follow these five beats. If you're hosting, welcome everyone first, as in example 1. Fill in the blanks, then read it out loud and cut any line you wouldn't say to the couple's face.

Say who you are and how you know the couple: "Hi everyone, I'm ___. ___ and I ___."
Thank the hosts: "___ and ___, thank you for having us."
Tell one short story about the two of them: "The first time I saw them together, ___."
Say what you wish them: "___, I hope ___."
Give the toast: "Please raise your glasses to ___ and ___."

Both families may be in the room, and some guests will be meeting for the first time, so don't skip the first beat. To learn the beats and rehearse them, see how to practice your wedding speech.

Engagement party speech ideas

Stuck for a story? Start from one of these questions:

When did your person first mention their partner, and what did they say?
What did you notice the first time you saw them together?
What has changed about your person since they met?
How did you hear about the engagement, and what did you say?
What do they do for each other that most people don't see?

Pick one answer and build the speech around it.

5 engagement party speech examples

The names and stories are made up, and all five come from the same party, in the order the toasts might go. The longest is under 120 words, about a minute out loud. If the couple are two brides or two grooms, change the names and pronouns. The beats stay the same.

1. From the hosts: the bride's parents

Zola says the bride's parents traditionally host the engagement party. Today the host could be the groom's parents, friends or the couple. Whoever hosts speaks first: welcome everyone, help the two families meet, keep your story short and raise the first glass. Here the bride's father speaks, and her mother gives the toast.

Tom: Good evening, everyone. I'm Tom, Leah's dad, and this is her mom, Diane. Thank you for coming. Marcus's family drove up from Philadelphia this morning, so if you see someone you don't know, introduce yourself. They're family now.

Leah has never been one to call home with news. When she got her first big promotion, we heard it from her aunt. So when she called on a Tuesday night and said, "Are you both sitting down?", Diane started crying before Leah said a word.

Marcus, the first time you came to dinner, you asked to see our old photo albums. Nobody asks to see those. You looked at every page.

Diane: Please raise your glasses. To Leah and Marcus.

Speaking as the father or mother of the bride at the wedding too? See the father of the bride and mother of the bride speech examples, and save your best story for that day.

2. From the groom's mom

Zola puts the couple's parents right after the hosts. If you're not hosting, thank the people who are, then welcome your child's partner. A father of the groom can use the same beats.

Hi, everyone. I'm Ruth, Marcus's mom. Tom and Diane, thank you for opening your home to all of us tonight.

Marcus is a planner. He packs for a trip a week early. He once made a spreadsheet to choose a toaster. So when he called to say he'd met someone and he didn't have a plan, I knew it was serious.

Leah, you make him laugh at himself, which nobody in our family ever managed. We've loved watching that.

So please join me. To Leah and Marcus.

3. From the maid of honor

Close friends come after family. If you'll give the maid of honor speech at the wedding, keep tonight's to one story and save the rest. A best man can use the same beats.

Hi, I'm Nina. Leah and I were roommates freshman year, and we've shared a wall, a car and one very bad haircut since.

Tom and Diane, thank you for having us.

Leah made me promise I'd keep this short, so here's one story. On her first date with Marcus, she texted me from the restaurant bathroom: "He brought a list of questions." I told her to leave. She told me they were good questions. She stayed four hours.

Marcus, you asked all the right questions. Thank you for listening to the answers.

Everyone, please raise a glass to Leah and Marcus.

4. Short, from a brother

If the hosts open the floor, short works best. This one is under 60 words, well under a minute.

Hi, I'm Eli, Marcus's little brother. I'll be quick.

Marcus has never asked me for advice. Then, before he proposed, he called to ask which ring to buy. He'd read reviews for three weeks. I said, "Get the one you keep coming back to."

Leah, he's been coming back to you since your first date. To Leah and Marcus.

5. From the couple

Zola describes the more traditional route as the couple toasting each other, and says the couple close the party by thanking their hosts and guests. This version does both. Split the lines between you and practice the handoffs out loud.

Leah: We'll keep this short, because the food is getting cold.

Marcus: Diane and Tom, thank you for hosting us tonight. Mom and Dad, thank you for driving up from Philadelphia. And to everyone who came a long way, it means a lot to us.

Leah: Marcus, you planned the proposal for six months, and it rained. You got down on one knee in a puddle anyway.

Marcus: Leah, you said yes before I finished the question.

Leah: Thank you all for coming. Please raise your glasses.

Marcus: To our families and our friends.

Giving a toast together at the wedding too? Example 5 in the groom speech examples splits a reception speech between the two of you.

Who speaks at an engagement party, and in what order?

Zola's etiquette guide gives the usual order:

The hosts.
The parents of the engaged couple.
Family members and close friends.
Perhaps a few words from co-workers or acquaintances.
The couple: on the more traditional route they toast each other, and at the end they thank their hosts and guests.

The guide says the bride's parents traditionally host. The custom goes back centuries, when many guests thought they were at a regular party until the father of the bride announced the engagement at the end. Today close friends or the couple often host, and some couples have more than one party, thrown by different people. When the couple hosts, they can use the party to announce their news.

How long should an engagement party speech be?

Short: one to two minutes, and less if several people are speaking. Ask the hosts how many toasts there will be. Each example above takes about a minute or less.

Time yours by standing up and saying it out loud, so the count includes your pauses. If it runs long, cut a whole story rather than a few lines from each.

Engagement party speech vs. wedding speech

The beats are the same as a wedding toast's. The party is different:

It comes first. Zola calls it typically the first of the pre-wedding celebrations and suggests holding it a week to three months after the proposal, so the wedding plans may not be set yet.
People are meeting. Zola says friends and family usually both attend, since it's a great way for everyone to meet one another. Say who you are and how you know the couple.
It's shorter and looser. A toast at a party can be a few lines and one story.
You may speak again. If you'll give a speech at the wedding, save your best story for that.

What to leave out

"See you all at the wedding." Zola's guide says engagement party guests should usually be wedding guests too, with exceptions: a destination wedding, or a small wedding with a bigger engagement party. Unless you know everyone is invited, don't promise it.
Wedding plans the couple hasn't shared, like the date, the place or who's in the wedding party.
Exes, and jokes about how long the proposal took or about cold feet.
A story your person wouldn't want told in front of their partner's family. Ask them first.
What anything cost, the ring and the party included.

How to give it

If someone is introducing the toasts, let them introduce you. If nobody is, stand where people can see you and wait for the room to go quiet.
Put your glass down while you talk and pick it back up for the toast.
Keep your notes on a card or your phone, and look up every few lines. On a phone, turn on Do Not Disturb.
There may be no microphone. Keep your voice up to the end of each sentence, since that's where the names and the punchlines land.
After a laugh, wait for it to finish before your next line.
For the toast, lift your glass and end on the couple's names.

For a day-by-day rehearsal plan, see how to practice your wedding speech. Asked to say a few words with no warning? See how to answer on the spot.

Rehearse your toast with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing an engagement party toast. Say it out loud one chunk at a time, like the welcome, the story or the toast. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, so end each chunk where you'd wait for a laugh. You hear the take played back, then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

If there won't be a microphone, open Voice Cam on the home screen and record your toast, with the camera or audio only. Each recording runs up to a minute, so record a longer one in parts. As you talk, it shows your volume, pitch and pauses, plus an estimate of your pace in words per minute. Check that your volume holds up to the last word of each sentence. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, the app needs Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

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FAQ

Are there speeches at an engagement party?

Usually a few short toasts. Zola says it's customary for whoever hosts to give a toast to the couple, and the couple's parents, family and close friends often follow.

Who gives a speech at an engagement party?

The hosts first, then the couple's parents, then family members and close friends. Co-workers or acquaintances may add a few words, and the couple can toast each other and thank everyone at the end.

What do you say in an engagement party speech?

Say who you are and how you know the couple, and thank the hosts. Tell one short story about the two of them, say what you wish them and give the toast. The template above has a line for each.

How long should an engagement party speech be?

One to two minutes, and shorter when several people are speaking. Each example above takes about a minute or less. Time yours by saying it out loud.

Does the couple give a speech at an engagement party?

Often, yes. Zola says on the more traditional route the couple toast each other, and that the couple close the party by thanking their hosts and guests. Example 5 above does both.

What does the father of the bride say at an engagement party?

If the bride's parents are hosting, he can welcome everyone, help the two families meet and give the first toast, as in example 1. Keep it short and save your longest story for the wedding.

Does the maid of honor give a speech at an engagement party?

She can, with the other close friends after family. If she's also speaking at the wedding, one story is enough tonight, as in example 3.

How do you end an engagement party toast?

Ask everyone to raise a glass and name the couple. How to end a speech has more on toasts.

More practice guides

Updated November 2, 2026.