Toast Worthy

Bride Speech quotes

Written by the Toast Worthy speech team Β· Updated August 2026

The short answer

The best bride speech use no more than one quote β€” placed just before the toast, right after your own story. Below are hand-picked quotes by theme, with how to use them so they still sound like you, not a fortune cookie.

A bride's speech is having a moment β€” and one well-chosen line about love gives your thank-yous a heartbeat.

Quotes about love

For the heartfelt turn β€” the moment you stop joking and mean it.

  • β€œTo love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”— David Viscott
  • β€œYou know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”— Dr. Seuss
  • β€œWhatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”— Emily BrontΓ«
  • β€œBeing deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”— Lao Tzu
  • β€œLove does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”— Antoine de Saint-ExupΓ©ry
  • β€œThe best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”— Audrey Hepburn
  • β€œLove is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”— Aristotle

Quotes about marriage & commitment

Perfect for the run-up to your toast.

  • β€œMarriage is our last, best chance to grow up.”— Joseph Barth
  • β€œA successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”— Mignon McLaughlin
  • β€œA good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love.”— Pearl S. Buck
  • β€œIt is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”— Friedrich Nietzsche
  • β€œThere is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship than a good marriage.”— Martin Luther
  • β€œGrow old with me! The best is yet to be.”— Robert Browning

Quotes about family & letting go

For parents of the bride or groom, and anyone speaking as family.

  • β€œTo us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.”— Barbara Bush
  • β€œYou don't marry someone you can live with β€” you marry the person you cannot live without.”— Traditional saying
  • β€œThe love of a family is life's greatest blessing.”— Traditional saying
  • β€œChildren are the anchors that hold a mother to life.”— Sophocles
  • β€œA daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart.”— Traditional saying

Funny quotes to open with

Land one of these early to win the room β€” then get sincere.

  • β€œBefore you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are.”— Will Ferrell
  • β€œI love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.”— Rita Rudner
  • β€œLove is telling someone to go to hell and worrying about them getting there safely.”— Traditional saying
  • β€œMy wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.”— Rodney Dangerfield
  • β€œMarriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?”— Groucho Marx

How to use a quote without sounding cheesy

Frequently asked questions

Should you use a quote in a bride speech?+

One, at most β€” and only if it earns its place. A borrowed line works best as the hinge into your heartfelt moment or your toast, right after your own story. A speech built entirely from quotes sounds like a greetings card; one well-placed quote sounds wise.

Where should the quote go?+

Near the end. Tell your true story first, then use the quote to lift into the sincere turn β€” "Someone once said… and watching these two, I finally get it." Land it, then toast.

How do you make a famous quote sound like your own?+

Introduce it with a personal line, keep it short, and follow it immediately with something specific about the couple. The contrast between a timeless line and one real detail about them is what makes it land.

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