How can my wedding attire effect my speaking?

Your daughter's getting married and wedding attire is all she can talk about. She wants a beautiful dress with all the accessories - but what will you wear?

Less and less men are wearing suits in their everyday life!

More people work from home using computers and no-one can see what we look like. Consequently when we do have to dress smartly we feel very uncomfortable.

Shoes

Oddly enough the article of clothing that can effect us most is our shoes.

If you have new shoes for the wedding make sure that you wear them around the house so that they can stretch and mould to the shape of your feet. Clenched, squashed feet will tense all your muscles from your feet right up through your body to your neck. It is very difficult (if not impossible) to clench your feet without tensing the muscles in your leg - try it now. The best way to give a speech is with bare feet - you can then stand comfortably feeling the ground beneath you.

Wedding Suit

Next, the suit. Wedding suits are designed to look good, not necessarily to feel good! The waist may be a little tighter than you're used to. If the wedding is a summer wedding you will probably feel over dressed and a little hot (especially if you have a waistcoat to wear). Unfortunately, unlike the bridesmaids, if your wedding attire is to be hired you may not have much chance to practise your speech in your wedding attire so try to find something similar in your wardrobe that you can wear for practising.

Shirt and tie

Your shirt will probably have a tight collar and the tie will make it feel even tighter! One of my memories from my own wedding was watching my dad as he gradually loosened his tie, and then undid his top button. He was a wholesale fish merchant and never wore a suit - he couldn't wait to get home and put his t-shirt on!

How on earth can you expect to breathe - your lungs need room to expand, your vocal cords need room to vibrate - no wonder you're worried about giving a brilliant speech. I'd be frightened to move incase a button popped off!

However, you are now prepared so be aware and undo the top button of your shirt and loosen your tie just before you speak. If you feel very hot - take something off (jacket or waistcoat - or both).

What ever happens, you'll look great in the photos and your daughter will be proud of you, so if you have to put up with a little discomfort for a few hours - it'll be worth it!