How to read a wedding speech from your phone
Put your speech in large type on a phone that won't lock, ring or buzz, then practice reading it from that phone, standing up. On the day, read a line, look up, and move the words on only when you pause.
The steps below work with any app. The phone on this page is Lectern's reading screen, with a short toast. Tap it to try.
Eight steps, from the draft to the toast
Most of this happens the day before. The last two are for the moment you stand up.
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Put the whole speech in one place.
Paste the final version into a single note or document, from the first line to the toast. Delete old drafts so you can't open the wrong one.
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Make the words big and easy to find.
Choose a text size you can read with the phone at chest height. Keep paragraphs short, with a blank line between ideas.
Write in where you'd like to stop, such as <Pause> or <Look up>.
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Turn on Do Not Disturb.
Open Control Center, touch and hold Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb. A crescent moon shows in the status bar while it's on.1
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Stop the screen locking.
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and choose a longer time. Apple notes this can use more battery, so set it back afterward.2
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Charge it, and keep a copy elsewhere.
Charge the phone before you leave. Email the speech to yourself, or give a printed copy to someone at your table. Then a flat battery can't take the speech with it.
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Practice from the phone itself.
Read it aloud, standing, holding the phone where you will on the day. For a eulogy, the National Association of Funeral Directors suggests practicing aloud three or four times.3 The same habit helps with a toast.
Time one run, so you know how long it takes. A speech length check gives an estimate before you start.
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Read a line, then look up.
Hold the phone at chest height, low enough that people can see your face. Read to the end of a line, look up as you say the last few words, then look back down.
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Move the words on when you pause.
Scroll in the gaps, after a laugh or before the next story, so your thumb isn't moving mid-sentence. If you lose your place, stop, find the line, and carry on.
Which app should I use?
Any of these can carry a wedding speech. The best one depends on how long your speech is and how you like to speak.
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The Notes app
It is already on your iPhone and costs nothing. It works well for a short toast you know well: make the text big, turn off Auto-Lock for the day, and scroll with your thumb in the pauses. For a longer speech, scrolling by hand gets harder to do while you talk. Notes vs Lectern goes through it in detail.
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Cue cards or printed pages
Paper needs no battery, can’t ring, and stays readable in bright sun. Cards are the better choice if you speak from a few points rather than reading every word. A full word-for-word speech takes a lot of cards. Cue cards vs your phone compares the two.
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A teleprompter app
Teleprompter apps scroll your words at a steady speed. Most are made for recording video, with camera and recording tools around the words. If you already use one for video, it can carry a speech too.
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Lectern
Lectern is made for reading a speech aloud to a room, described below. It suits a full word-for-word speech, such as a toast or a eulogy, read from your phone.
Where Lectern fits
Lectern is an iPhone app for reading a speech aloud. Your speech sits on one calm screen in large, warm type, and the screen stays awake while you read. Tap to start or pause, and the words scroll at the pace you set. Tap the top of the screen to step back a line, or drag to find your place. Lectern makes no sounds or pop-ups while you read, so turn on Do Not Disturb for everything else. Preparing any speech is free, and so are practicing and delivering its first 2 minutes.
Lectern is for iPhone only. Your speeches stay on your phone, with no account, ads or tracking.
Sources
Apple Support, How to turn Do Not Disturb on or off on your iPhone. Turning it on from Control Center, and the icon that shows while it's on.
Apple Support, Keep the iPhone display on longer. The Auto-Lock setting, and its note on power use.
National Association of Funeral Directors, How to Write a Eulogy. Practicing aloud three or four times before the day.
Try it with your own speech.
Preparing any speech is free, and so are practicing and delivering its first 2 minutes.