ChatGPT vs a wedding speech writer vs doing it yourself: cost, time and what you get

Write it yourself if you have time and stories, use ChatGPT if you want a free first draft and will edit hard, hire a professional writer if you can spend a few hundred pounds and book ahead, or use a wedding speech AI tool for a guided draft in between. Whichever you pick, the stories have to come from you.

The options at a glance

Prices are those shown on each provider's own page, checked on 25 October 2026. Check again before you buy.

	Doing it yourself	ChatGPT or another chatbot	A professional speechwriter	A wedding speech AI tool (ours)
Cost	Free	Free plan; paid plans are monthly	£399 to £445 at the two UK services below	$29.99 once, preview free
Time	Hours to days, spread over weeks	Minutes for a draft, then your editing	First draft within about a week; booking ahead advised	Five questions, then a preview in the same sitting
Personalisation	Entirely yours	Only what you type in; can fill gaps with clichés or made-up details	A writer interviews you and builds it around your stories	Built from your answers; instructed not to invent stories
Rewrites	As many as you like	As many as you ask for, within plan limits	Unlimited edits at both services below	Up to 20 regenerations, plus your own edits
Refund	Not applicable	Not applicable on the free plan	Speechy: money back if you still don't love it. All Speeches Great and Small: not stated on its pricing page	Full refund if you email within 7 days of purchase

Doing it yourself

The cheapest route, and the one that sounds most like you. You know the stories, you choose every word and nobody can doubt it is yours.

• Best for: anyone with a few evenings to spare and two or three good stories.
• Limits: the blank page. Many people struggle with structure and length rather than content. Our guide to speech length gives typical ranges for each speaker.

ChatGPT or another general chatbot

A general chatbot will write a speech from whatever you type. It is fast, and the free plan costs nothing.

• Best for: a confident editor who wants something to react to, or help with the order and flow of their own notes.
• Limits: it only knows what you tell it. Ask for "a best man speech for Tom" and you get a speech that could be about anyone, often longer than you need. Asked for a funny story, it may invent one. You need to write a good prompt, check every fact and rewrite it in your own words. Our guide on whether people can tell AI wrote a speech covers what gives a chatbot speech away.

A professional speechwriter

A person interviews you, writes the speech and revises it with you. We checked two UK services:

• Speechy's bespoke speech writing service shows £445 as a one-off fee, with unlimited edits. It says the first draft arrives within a week of your research call, and it encourages booking two to three months before the wedding. Its "Delight Guarantee" says that if you still don't love it, it will give you your money back.

• All Speeches Great and Small shows £399, flat and all in, for a bespoke wedding speech, with unlimited revisions and delivery within 7 days. It says the full fee is due upfront when you book, and its pricing page does not mention refunds.

• Best for: someone short of time who can afford it and wants a person to shape the speech.

• Limits: the cost, the lead time and the effort of briefing someone. It is still built on the stories you give them.

A wedding speech AI tool

Wedding-specific tools ask you questions rather than relying on your prompt. We run one, theweddingspeech.ai, so we describe it on the same terms as the others.

• How it works: five questions about the couple, shared moments, what you admire, how their relationship has grown and your wishes. You see a free preview before paying.
• Cost: $29.99 for the full speech, paid once, not a subscription.
• Rewrites: up to 20 regenerations per speech, and you can edit the text yourself.
• Refund: email within 7 days of purchase for a full refund.
• Stories: our writing instructions tell the AI to use only the facts you give and not to invent stories, dates or details. Check every line anyway.
• Limits: no person reads it, so tone and timing are down to you. The draft is only as specific as your answers.

How to choose

• Plenty of time, good stories: write it yourself, and use a free guide for structure.
• No budget, happy to edit: ChatGPT, with your own stories pasted in and every line checked.
• Short of time, budget of a few hundred pounds, wedding months away: a professional writer.
• Want guided questions and a draft today, on a small budget: a wedding speech AI tool.

Whatever you choose, read it aloud before the day. Our guide to wedding speech nerves covers rehearsing and delivery.

See a free preview

Answer five questions and see your free speech preview, then compare it with the other options before you spend anything.