Yes, and a teleprompter helps most in rehearsal. Write the speech the way you talk, put it in a teleprompter that follows your voice, and rehearse it out loud until you can look up for most of it. On the day, your phone with the script plus a few index cards is a sensible setup. Aitho's Free plan includes the voice-following script on the web, iPhone and Android, with no card. If you want extra help for this one speech, such as an AI first draft or timing after each session, the Speech Pass is $29 once for 30 days of Presenter Pro.
What a teleprompter helps with at a wedding, and what it does not
A wedding speech is short, emotional and given once. The hard parts are predictable: names that must be right, a story you want to land, a laugh you need to wait for, and a moment where your voice might catch. A script in front of you takes the fear of going blank out of all of that.
A fixed-speed scroll is the wrong tool for it, though. Guests laugh, someone heckles kindly, you stop to swallow. A teleprompter that follows your voice waits while you pause and carries on when your words return, which is what a live speech needs.
What a teleprompter will not do is make a read speech feel warm. The couple wants to see your face. Treat the script as something you glance at, not something you read from start to finish, and rehearse enough that the glances are short.
Write it to be said, not read
Most good wedding speeches have three parts:
- An opening. Who you are and how you know the couple, in a sentence or two.
- One story. A single, specific moment that shows who they are. One good story beats five short ones.
- The toast. A line that turns to the couple, and the raised glass.
Write in the words you would use out loud. Read each sentence aloud as you write it, and shorten anything you trip over. Three to five minutes suits most receptions, which is roughly 400 to 650 words at a relaxed pace. You can check yours with the talk length calculator.
Before you settle on the story, picture the oldest and youngest guests in the room. If it needs a warning or a long explanation, pick another one. Write every name exactly, with a pronunciation note if you need one.
Rehearse it with the script following your voice
Aitho is built for talks with slides: you import a PDF or PowerPoint and attach your script to each slide. A wedding speech usually has no slides, so use a simple setup:
- Make a plain PDF with one page per part of the speech, for example Opening, Story and Toast, and import it into Aitho on your phone.
- Put the words for each part in that page's script.
- Choose Just this phone and tap Start. The word you are on is highlighted. If you pause for a laugh, the script waits, and when you speak again it catches up.
Rehearse out loud, standing, at least five times over several days. Each time, try to look up for a little more of it. Learn the first line and the toast by heart, because those are the two moments everyone is watching your face. Record one run and listen for the places where you rush.
Setting up on the day
- Ask what you will have. A handheld microphone, a stand, or nothing. A handheld microphone takes one hand, so practise holding the phone in the other.
- Prepare the phone. Turn on Do Not Disturb, raise the brightness, and set the screen lock long enough for the whole speech.
- Know your connection. In the iPhone and iPad app, following your script works offline. In the browser and on Android it needs a connection, so check the venue's signal or Wi-Fi beforehand.
- Plan the toast. Decide where your glass will be. Most people pocket the phone, pick up the glass, and say the last line from memory.
- Carry anchor cards. Three or four index cards with the opening line, the story in a few words, the names, and the toast. If the phone fails, the cards get you through.
Start free, or get the Speech Pass for this one speech
For a wedding speech, most people only need the free plan. Aitho's Free plan costs $0, needs no card, and already includes the part that matters most for rehearsing: the script that follows your voice, waits when you pause and finds your place again. It also includes your own PDF or PowerPoint, the browser, the iPhone app and the Android app. You do not need to pay anything to rehearse a speech this way.
If you want more help with this one speech, the Speech Pass is a one-time $29 payment for 30 days of Presenter Pro. It is not a subscription. For a personal speech, the parts that make a difference are:
- AI script drafts. Draft with AI writes a first draft from your slides, which you then edit into your own words. It works from what is on the pages, so put your outline points on them first. For a toast, that can mean a page that says "how we met: the camping trip" turning into a first draft you rewrite in your own voice.
- Session insights, if you turn them on. Timing and coverage statistics for each session you run and a short debrief afterwards, so you can see whether you are running long or skipping a part. No audio is kept.
- A readiness check before you go on.
The pass also includes the rest of Presenter Pro, such as unlimited private answers and web lookups, which matter more for talks with audience questions than for a speech. After you pay, an access code arrives by email from help@aitho.app within one business day, and the 30 days start when you redeem the code, not when you pay. So buy it a few days before you plan to start rehearsing. Plan details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is it rude to read a wedding speech from your phone?
Not if you look up. Guests mind a speech that is read to the page, not a speaker who has notes. Rehearse until the phone is a glance, say the opening and the toast from memory, and hold the phone low and steady.
Do I need to pay to rehearse my wedding speech with Aitho?
No. The Free plan includes the voice-following script, your own PDF or PowerPoint, and the browser, iPhone and Android apps, with no card. The Speech Pass is optional.
What does the $29 Speech Pass add?
It gives you 30 days of Presenter Pro for a one-time $29. For a speech, that means AI script drafts from your slides, opt-in session insights with timing and a short debrief after each session (no audio is kept), and a readiness check before you go on. It is not a subscription.
When should I buy the Speech Pass?
A few days before you want to start rehearsing. Your access code arrives by email from help@aitho.app within one business day, and the 30 days start when you redeem it, not when you pay.
Does Aitho work for a speech without slides?
Aitho attaches your script to slides, so make a simple PDF with one page per part of the speech, such as Opening, Story and Toast, and put the words for each part in that page's script.
Rehearse your speech free
Put your speech on your phone and rehearse it out loud. The script follows your voice and waits when you pause. Free needs no card.
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