01 Six weeks out — gather

• ✓Write down 5–10 real moments: things you saw, heard, or felt. Not jokes — moments.
• ✓Ask one other person who was there for their favourite memory. They'll hand you material.
• ✓Pick the ONE story that shows who the couple (or your person) actually is. That's your centrepiece.

02 Four weeks out — structure

• ✓Opener (20 seconds) — earn the room with something true, not a joke you found online.
• ✓Thanks (60 seconds) — pick three groups maximum. Two sentences each.
• ✓Your centrepiece story (90 seconds) — one story, told well.
• ✓To your person (60 seconds) — one specific thing you love or admire. Eyes up.
• ✓Toast (15 seconds) — short, warm, sit down.

03 Two weeks out — cut

• ✓Target 4–7 minutes total (roughly 600–1,000 words). Shorter beats longer, every time.
• ✓Cut anything embarrassing, inside-jokey, or about appearance. If in doubt, out.
• ✓Read it aloud once. Any sentence you stumble on gets rewritten.

04 The week of — rehearse

• ✓Practise out loud three times — once standing up, glass in hand.
• ✓Transfer to cue cards. Big writing. Number them.
• ✓Have one water plan and one "if I get emotional" plan: pause, breathe, carry on.