It's surprising how much more difficult it is to give a speech if your wedding suit is uncomfortable.

You might well ask, 'How can a wedding suit effect my speaking?'

Less and less of us are wearing suits in our everyday life! This is because more and more people work from home using computers and no-one can see what they look like and even those that work in the public eye have a lot more choice in work wear today. Consequently when we do have to dress smartly we feel uncomfortable.

Clothes

Strangely enough what you wear can affect how you speak. Your suit may feel a bit tight or you might feel too hot, it might be a style you'd never, ever wear in your ordinary life. However, learning how to speak in public when we feel self conscious about our wedding suit is possible.

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.

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 suit is to be hired you may not have much chance to practise your speech in your wedding suit 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! 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 in case 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).

The secret is to practice your speech in a suit not your jeans and trainers. Try to copy the situation as much as possible and then when you stand up to speak you'll feel as though you've done it a hundred times before.

What ever happens, you'll look great in the photos so if you make a mistake during your speech don't worry - you know you look good!

Serena Greenslade is founder of http://www.afraid-of-speaking-a-speech.com and spends her time helping people find the confidence to give wedding speeches and her site is full of helpful tips.