Prompt details

Tested on

Claude Opus 5.5

Length

556 words · 3 fill-ins

Example input

[Your role and the couple]: I'm the best man. The groom, Marcus, was my college roommate for three years and we've been close for 12 years since. The bride is Priya. They've been together 5 years. About 140 guests: a lot of Priya's family, including her grandmother, Marcus's mom Linda, and our college friends. Marcus's dad, Frank, passed away two years ago.

[Stories and details]: - Camping, sophomore year. Marcus planned a 3-day trip to a state park two hours north. He forgot the tent poles. We slept two nights in his 2004 Corolla. It rained the whole time. He kept saying it was "basically a hotel with worse wifi." He made chili on a tiny camp stove that tasted like a campfire and called it "rustic." That's Marcus: he commits to a bad plan 110%. - How they met: after college Marcus's trivia team, Quiz Khalifa, played every Tuesday at a bar called The Low Road. Priya's team beat them six weeks running. Week seven came down to a tiebreaker: the capital of Australia. Marcus wrote Sydney. Priya's team wrote Canberra. He walked over to argue, she pulled it up on her phone, and he asked for her number "to send corrections." She still says "Canberra" whenever he's sure about something. - Last summer they went camping together. Priya made a packing spreadsheet with 64 rows and checked the tent poles twice. Marcus says she "fixed camping." - Four years ago my car died on the highway at 1 a.m. Marcus drove 90 minutes to get me and never brought it up again. That was the month his dad was in the hospital. - Priya is the only person who has ever got Marcus to read instructions. She also taught him to make a real curry. His chili is retired. - Not sure about these: the Vegas bachelor weekend (the karaoke incident), his college girlfriend Jenna who dumped him on Valentine's Day, and "IKEA Marcus," the time he got lost in IKEA for two hours (our old roommates think it's hilarious).

[Tone, time and no-go topics]: Funny but warm, not a roast. I have 4 minutes; the DJ said hard stop at 5. No swearing, Priya's parents are pretty traditional. Nothing from Vegas. I'd like one short, quiet line for his dad, Frank, without making it sad. I talk plain and a bit deadpan, I'm not a big-words guy, and I get nervous in front of people.

Example output

1. Story picks

Story from my notes	Use it?	Why
Camping sophomore year (no tent poles, Corolla, "rustic" chili)	Yes	It's the clearest picture of Marcus: he commits 110% to a bad plan. The laugh comes from the situation, and it sets up the payoff with Priya.
How they met: Quiz Khalifa, The Low Road, Canberra	Yes	It's the best "how she came into it" story. Priya wins it, Marcus is charming in defeat, and "Canberra" makes a callback for the toast.
Last summer's camping trip (64-row spreadsheet, poles checked twice)	Yes	It pays off the first story and shows why they work: he brings the commitment, she brings the tent poles.
Car dies at 1 a.m., 90-minute drive, the month his dad was in the hospital	Yes	It's the warm counterweight to the jokes, and it's the natural place for the quiet line for Frank. It stays short and factual so it doesn't turn sad.
Priya got him to read instructions; curry; chili retired	Yes	These are quick and affectionate, and they let you close the chili joke.
Vegas bachelor weekend (karaoke)	No	It's on your no-go list.
College girlfriend Jenna / Valentine's Day	No	Exes don't belong in a wedding toast. It would make Priya and her family wince.
"IKEA Marcus"	No	It's mainly an inside joke for your old roommates, and it overlaps with the camping story's "Marcus gets it wrong" joke. Camping does that job better.

2. The speech

478 words, about 3:40 at 130 words a minute. With laughs, expect close to 4:00.

*Assumption: [your name] is a placeholder for however you introduce yourself.*

Opening, 0:00 to 0:35

Hi, everyone. I'm [your name], and I'm Marcus's best man.

First, to Linda, and to Priya's whole family: thank you for having us.

Marcus and I were roommates for three years in college. We've been close for twelve years since.

Priya, you've been part of the last five. And I can say this with total confidence. You're the best decision he's ever made.

(pause)

To understand why, you need to hear about some of his other decisions.

Claude Opus 5.5

Write a Wedding Speech – Wedding speech prompt for ChatGPT and Claude

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Claude Opus 5.5

This prompt turns your stories about the couple into a wedding speech for a best man, maid of honor or parent. Paste your notes, time and no-go topics; you get a timed speech, a toast and a 90-second backup.

What you get

A table of every story you gave, each marked use or drop, with the reason
The full speech in timed sections, sized to your minutes at 130 words a minute
Three other openings, the toast with an alternative, and delivery notes for this speech
A 90-second version for when the schedule runs late

How to use it

1
Write down every story
Note each story the way you would tell it to a friend, including the ones you are unsure about, plus your time limit and the topics to avoid.
2
Read the picks, then the speech
Check which stories it dropped and why, then read the speech aloud with a timer running.
3
Fill the gaps and rehearse
Replace any [add detail], swap in an opening you prefer, and rehearse three times with the delivery notes.

Better results

Write your notes the way you talk, half sentences and all. The prompt keeps your own phrases, so polished notes give a stiffer speech.
After the first draft, send: "Make the how-they-met story 20 seconds shorter and keep the punchline."
Read the speech to one person who knows the couple and ask which line they would cut. Then cut it.

Questions

Can ChatGPT write a wedding speech?

Yes. ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini can write a good wedding speech when you give them real stories, the couple's names, your time limit and the topics to avoid. Without your own material it falls back on clichés, so your stories decide how personal it sounds.

Is it okay to use AI to write a wedding speech?

Yes, as long as the stories and feelings are yours. Use AI to choose and order your stories, fit the time and tighten lines, then read it aloud and change anything you would not say. Guests hear your memories, not who typed the draft.

How long should a wedding speech be?

Most wedding speeches run 3 to 5 minutes, about 400 to 650 words at a relaxed speaking pace. Ask the couple or the DJ how long you have. This prompt sizes the speech to your time and adds a 90-second version in case the schedule runs late.

What should you not say in a wedding speech?

Leave out exes, the bachelor or bachelorette party, inside jokes only a few guests get, and anything that would embarrass the couple in front of family. A good test is whether both grandmothers would laugh. This prompt drops those stories and tells you why.

Updated 8 Nov 2026