AI vs hiring a wedding speech writer
Human ghostwriters are genuinely good at what they do. This page is for people weighing cost, time, and quality -- and who want an honest answer about when each option makes sense.
The cost question
A professional speech ghostwriter costs $180 to $600. SpokenVow costs a fraction of that.
How they compare
$180 to $600+ depending on writer and timeline
A fraction of human ghostwriter rates
1 to 2 weeks turnaround; rush fees apply
Drafts in minutes after your interview
Skilled writers probe deeply; a good one will find material you forgot you had
Conversational interview designed to surface the same stories a human writer would ask for
Async email or call; days between revision rounds
In-app editor -- change anything immediately
Hard to evaluate quality before you pay; reviews are sparse
No vetting required -- the product is the product
The highest possible quality ceiling -- a great human writer is genuinely hard to match
Exceptional for almost every speech; human escalation available if needed
Depends entirely on the writer's revision policy
Not happy? Regenerate, edit, or escalate to a human writer
The case for hiring a human writer
There are real reasons to pay for a professional. If any of these apply to you, they are worth taking seriously.
The highest quality ceiling in the world
A skilled human speechwriter who specializes in weddings has written dozens or hundreds of these speeches. They know how to pace a room, how to land a joke without losing the emotion behind it, and how to find the line that will make people cry in the right way. That specific expertise is real, and no AI product has fully replicated the ceiling that a genuinely great human writer can reach.
A truly human voice -- with no tells
Human writers do not produce AI patterns. There is no risk of recognizable phrases, hedged language, or structural habits that listeners can identify as machine-generated. For some speakers, that matters enormously. If you are someone who would lie awake worrying that people at the reception might sense AI in your words, a human writer removes that concern entirely.
Deep experience with emotionally charged moments
A good ghostwriter has navigated complicated situations -- blended families, difficult histories, grief that needs to be acknowledged without becoming the whole speech. They have judgment built from doing this work repeatedly. That kind of judgment is harder to systematize, and it shows in edge cases where the emotional stakes are highest.
The case for SpokenVow
For most people writing most wedding speeches, the case comes down to a few practical realities.
The cost difference is significant
Reputable wedding speechwriters charge $180 to $600 or more, with rush fees on top of that if you need something in less than a week. SpokenVow costs a fraction of that rate. For many people, especially those already managing wedding expenses, that gap is decisive on its own.
Iteration is built in, not bolted on
With a human writer, revisions happen over email. You send notes, they disappear for a day or two, and you get a new draft. The feedback loop is slow, and it is easy to feel awkward asking for a third or fourth round. SpokenVow gives you an in-app editor where you can change anything immediately -- a line, a tone, a whole section -- without waiting and without the social cost of asking for more.
No need to trust a stranger with private details
Writing a wedding speech often means sharing personal history, family dynamics, and stories you would not post publicly. With a human ghostwriter, you are sharing that material with an individual you found on Fiverr or Upwork. SpokenVow is a product. Your answers stay in your account. For many people, that privacy difference matters.
Human escalation is available if you need it
If the AI output is not enough -- if your situation is genuinely complex and you need a professional set of eyes -- SpokenVow offers access to human writers who can work with what the interview already captured. You do not have to choose between AI and human from the start. You can start with SpokenVow and escalate if needed.
The interview is not a shortcut
The biggest difference between SpokenVow and a raw AI tool is the interview. SpokenVow's conversational intake is designed to extract the same material a skilled human ghostwriter would go looking for: specific memories, the small details that make stories believable, the texture of a relationship, the things that would be said at the rehearsal dinner but never quite make it into the speech.
The difference between SpokenVow and a human writer is not the depth of intake -- it is speed and cost. Both start by asking the right questions. One does it for a fraction of the price, and returns drafts in minutes instead of weeks.
Try SpokenVow before you decide.
Start your interview, see what the drafts look like, and decide from there. If you still want a human writer, you will at least have done your thinking. Most people do not end up needing one.
Start my interview