While it may be a tradition for the father of the bride, the groom, and the best man to give speeches at the wedding, more and more brides are standing up to say a few words to their loved ones. We’re living in a world where more and more weddings are leaving some traditions behind and making the day more inclusive.

A Chance To Say Thank You

Some brides also want the chance to say thank you to their friends and family. Every couple is different and has had to overcome obstacles of their own, sometimes family and friends have been there to help and support them in their time of need. This is the perfect opportunity for giving them the recognition they deserve. Sometimes the bride may have planned to say something that the groom hadn’t thought to mention. It’s the perfect opportunity for the bride to address their loved ones directly.

Recognizing The Family You’re Marrying Into

The groom has the chance to recognize the family he is marrying into on a raised platform, so it seems reasonable that the bride would have the opportunity to say a few words. It’s the perfect way of starting your new life as a married couple with a whole new family. Chances are, you have already been accepted as part of the family, but it’s lovely to recognize it all the same.

Takes Some Of The Pressure Off The Groom

Sometimes the groom might not be happy with the idea of standing up in front of a crowd; sometimes it’s simply a lot of pressure riding on one speech. If you have a speech from both the bride and the groom, then it takes a whole load of pressure off. Alternatively, some people have even opted for standing up together and saying different parts of the speech.

A Moment To Remember

More than anything, it’s a moment to remember. People will look back, and those speeches will stand out because they were a change from the regular tradition. People will also recognize that someone stood up to make a wonderful gesture even when they didn’t need to.

In general, more brides should have the opportunity to give a speech, say thank you to their guests and make a memory of a lifetime.

There are various reasons why people don’t have children and we’ve seen some of those examples modeled by celebrities. While there are plenty of celebrities out there with a huge family, these famous individuals opened up about their choice not to have children.

When Sarah Silverman was asked about having children, she was clear about what she wanted. It isn’t necessarily a situation that she’ll never commit to but it had to be her priority if it happened. “I want to have kids when there’s nothing else I want more,” she said.

Dame Helen Mirren has used her time to make herself into a legendary actress that almost everyone can recognize. She’s also been open about the fact that she never had any children. When asked about in 2013, she stated that “[Having children] was not my destiny, I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but it never did, and I didn’t care what people thought.” She also said, “It was only boring old men” that would ask her about it.

Tracee Ellis Ross has played a mom on our television screens but, in real life, the actress is happy without taking on the extra responsibility of motherhood. When asked about it in 2018, Ross stated, “I’m constantly asking myself questions, reminding myself, ‘are you making that decision for you or someone else?’ The husband and the babies are the expectation of what’s supposed to happen at a certain point.” It’s this level of realization that Ross uses to keep a level head for major decisions.

Margaret Cho has made her career as a successful and hilarious standup comedian. When it comes to kids, though, Cho has stated that she’ll pass on being a mother. She once blogged, “I don’t know if I could stand that kind of commitment, or if I am really honest, I don’t think that I could handle being that vulnerable to someone else. My child would have my heart completely and having never truly given that over […] I don’t even know where to begin.”

Anjelica Huston has worn many hats throughout her career: she’s directed, acted, modeled, and written but she hasn’t been a mother, mostly due to personal feelings and her aforementioned busy career. “There have been times when I wanted children and other times I’ve been grateful not to have them. I am a mess if I have to say goodbye to my dog for longer than five days. I don’t know how I would deal with kissing my children as I left for work.”

Jon Hamm is an actor that has enjoyed plenty of success over the years. He’s most well-known for his role as Don Draper in Mad Men and he’ll feature in a new Top Gun movie soon. As for the role of father, Hamm isn’t interested. He explained in 2012, “I’d be a terrible father! I see my friends who have children and I’m like, ‘Dude, how are you even upright, much less here at work at 6 a.m.?’”

Megan Mullally has been married to her famous husband, Nick Offerman, since 2003. Yet, the adorable couple remains a family of two, something that interviewers have brought up to both of them. Mullally said she never had a “burning desire” to have kids but they’d considered it. She said, “So we tried, but I was a little long in the tooth for that sort of thing. But we didn’t turn into a soap opera […] It didn’t happen, and took that to mean it wasn’t meant to be.”

There’s no one who quite rocketed to the same level of fame as Oprah Winfrey. Since her debut, she’s become a household name that many people cite as a role model. On children, though, Oprah has said, “If I had kids, my kids would hate me.” She explained that with so many things going on in her life, it would be hard to find time for everything. She stated, “because something [in my life] would have had to suffer and it would’ve probably been them.

There are few figures in Hollywood as beloved and admired as Betty White. Now in her 90s, the actress is clear about her opinions on the matter. When asked, she stated the following: “I’m so compulsive about stuff. I know that if I had ever gotten pregnant, of course, that would’ve been my whole focus but I didn’t choose to have children because I’m focused on my career and I don’t think, as compulsive as I am, that I could manage both.”

Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi have been married since 2008. The two have remained childless through their marriage – a marriage that Portia has called “blissful.” Degeneres stated that she and her wife would be great parents but “it’s a human being […] and the amount of work and responsibility – I wouldn’t want to screw them up! We love our animals.” In a separate interview, Portia discussed she and her wife’s decision on children, “You have to really want kids and neither of us did.”

Lily Tomlin and her longtime partner, Jane Wagner, had been together for years before they married in 2013. Yet, the couple remains without children. When asked why, Tomlin was candid: “God only knows what I would have done with them, poor things. I really do like kids, but there wouldn’t have been room in my life to raise children. I was so involved with my career and I would have had to give up the career.” Her sentiment remained that she wouldn’t have had the time.

Sarah Paulson has discussed her views on having children many times. At one point, she stated that, despite her love of kids, she didn’t want to make an impulsive decision to expand her family and regret it. Since then, Paulson has discussed her opinions in more detail. She shared that she wouldn’t want to find herself in a situation where she looked at her child and thought, “You’re the most extraordinary thing that ever happened to me, but also the death knell.”

Keanu Reeves has enjoyed a long and illustrious career with multiple huge spikes in popularity. He’s stayed focused on his career and, after a tragic pregnancy with his girlfriend who has since passed away, Reeves’ is fine without kids. When Reeves was asked if the actor wanted to have kids in the future, he answered simply, “It’s too late. It’s over. I’m 52.” The interviewer tried to press him again, pointing out that Mick Jagger, who’s much older. Reeves simply responded by saying, “He’s ageless.”

With two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and a pair of BAFTA Awards, Renée Zellweger has kept busy and kept us entertained. She’s also been straightforward in her answers about kids. In a 2008 interview, Zellweger was asked why she didn’t have kids and if she’d want any in the future and she didn’t shy away from answering the question either. She answered the question directly to the point and said, “Motherhood has never been an ambition. I don’t think like that.”

Marisa Tomei is best-known for her starring role in My Cousin Vinny. When she was asked in a 2009 interview why she didn’t have kids, she didn’t hold anything back. Seemingly frustrated by the constant questioning of actresses as to when they would have children, she simply said, “I don’t know why women need to have children to be seen as complete human beings.” Her sentiment is a familiar one to many actresses and is an opinion shared among many who don’t want children.

Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren, aren’t staunchly against never having children. In fact, he’s called it an “open conversation” but that they didn’t want any at the moment. However, he did state that when it came to that decision, it was “mostly a lifestyle thing.” He stated that he and his wife are very relaxed and enjoy their downtime. He’s since stated, “We’ve gone from people who just haven’t had kids to people who don’t have kids.” He continued, “We can just do whatever we want.”

Miley Cyrus has been in the public eye since she was a child both thanks to her own career and as part of a famous family. Cyrus has said climate change is a huge factor in her decision, “We just take and take and expect it [the Earth] to keep producing and it’s exhausted.” She further added, “Until I feel like my kid would live on an earth with fish in the water, I’m not bringing in another person to deal with that.”

Dolly Parton has talked many times about how she came from a large family. At one point, she said she was eager to start a family of her own but now isn’t upset about the outcome. In an interview in 2014, Parton shared her love of her position in her family. “I’ve loved their [her siblings’] kids just like they’re my grandkids, and now I’ve got great-grandkids! […] I often think it just wasn’t meant for me to have kids so everybody’s kid can be mine.”

Jennifer Lawrence has grown a lot as an actress in recent years. At only 29 years old, she has become a pretty well-known star in Hollywood with quite a few popular franchises and titles under her belt. Lawrence explained in a 2017 interview that her view on motherhood has changed in ways she didn’t expect. She indicated that while she wanted children when she was younger, she was less interested not. She said that she wanted children “less and less as I get older.”

Jay Leno has been with Mavis Leno since the 1980s and the two have remained childless through their own choice alone. He once stated, “I married a woman that works very hard for women’s rights and other issues like that and it balances out. You marry the person you wish you could be.” As for Jay Leno, he’s committed to a woman who doesn’t want children and that’s fine by him. Instead, both partners have focused on their careers.

When Kim Cattrall was asked why she didn’t want kids, she stated that the beliefs she once held were ones that she had to reevaluate once she got older. She said in a 2003 interview, “When I was five, my fantasy was to have a hundred dogs and a hundred kids. I realized that so much of the pressure I was feeling was from outside sources, and I knew I wasn’t ready to take that step into motherhood.”

Truth be told, Kylie Minogue has a more complicated perspective on having kids than other celebrities on this list. The Australian pop star’s life was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with cancer at 36. She simply doesn’t believe that being a mother is her destiny. “Of course I wonder what that would be like but, your destiny is your destiny and I can’t imagine, if by some miracle I got pregnant…at this point in my life, I wonder, could I even manage that?” she said. “I don’t get caught up in it.”

There are few actors with the same presence and fame as Christopher Walken. At 77 years old, he’s lived a successful life without any children because, by his terms, they weren’t feasible. He once compared his decisions to his colleagues saying, “I’m sure many of the kids I knew as a child would have continued in show business, but they had kids of their own, had to do something dependable. I didn’t, so I could get by even in periods of unemployment.”

Leonardo Dicaprio has spent a lot of his life in the public eye. The world has gotten to see him grow up from a fairly young age and many people are wondering if we’ll see him have kids. He’s kept the specifics of his feelings on the subject close to his chest but he seems open to the idea without chasing it. He said in one interview, “Do you mean do I want to bring children into a world like this? If it happens, it happens.”

Mickey Rourke is an actor that’s been through tough points in his life. Some of these tough points have brought him to his conclusion not to have children. During one particularly rough patch in his life, Rourke stated that he looked at his precious pet and said, “He made a sound, like a little almost human sound. I don’t have kids, the dogs became everything to me. The dog was looking at me going, ‘Who’s going to take care of me?’”

Dita Von Teese has made her name as a professional and highly talented burlesque dancer, model, designer, singer, actress, and businesswoman. When asked about children, she cited her love life in the decision. “I was married to someone [Marilyn Manson] who was not cut-out to be a father. He could hardly take care of himself, let alone a child, so I changed my views, adapted accordingly, thought: It’s okay not to have children. I’m not going to be less of a person if I don’t have children.”

Musician Fiona Apple has made it clear that she is happy to be child-free. In fact, she said that she’s put a focus on parenting herself. “I have a thing about, like, wanting to learn about parenting myself. I don’t want to have kids, but I tend to buy a lot of books about parenting.” Continuing that same 2012 NPR interview, she explained that she used the parenting tips to teach herself new habits rather than teaching a child.

Rachael Ray has made her name as a celebrity chef and business owner. In 2009, she discussed not having a child and why she felt that was the best decision for her. “For me, personally, I would need more time to feel like I’d be a good mom to my own child,” she said. “I feel like a borderline good mom to my dog, so I can’t imagine if it was a human baby… I feel like it would be unfair.”

Gloria Steinem is a talented author and lauded feminist with even a few acting credits to her name. Her view of motherhood is simple and judgemental. In 2011, she explained her choice to remain without a child: “I’m completely happy not having children. I mean, everybody does not have to live the same way and somebody said, ‘Everybody with a womb doesn’t have to have a child any more than everybody with vocal cords has to be an opera singer.’”

Jennifer Aniston is an insanely talented lady. She’s worked on plenty of massive projects ranging from her early work, to her portrayal of the iconic Rachel Greene, to recent projects. When asked about kids, Aniston’s answer was simple. She stated, “I don’t have this sort of checklist of things that have to be done and if they’re not checked then I’ve failed.” She also went on to say that she feels like she’s mothered a lot of things and that pressuring people into motherhood was unfair.

Candace Bushnell is the author and brain behind the creation of Sex and the City. She’s dedicated her life to her career which she chose over motherhood. She shared in 2003 the following: “There are a lot of women writers who never get married and don’t have kids […] I think it’s a career where you have to put the career first. I don’t have kids – and luckily everyone isn’t like this – I think if you have that passion, in a way, your career is your child.”

In years past, women had to deal with an even more intense expectation that they would one day have children. However, Katharine Hepburn, born in 1907, stayed true to her own wishes and didn’t have kids. She was quoted in a biography about her by A. Scott Berg called Kate Remembered saying, “I would have been a terrible mother because I’m basically a very selfish human being. Not that that has stopped most people going off and having children.”

Chelsea Handler has always been clear about why she doesn’t want children. She’s famous, after all, and she just doesn’t have the time or desire. In 2013, she delved into the specifics of her decision, mentioning not allowing a child to become a Hollywood trope. “I definitely don’t want to have kids…Don’t think I’d be a great mother,” she said. “I don’t want to have a kid and have it raised by a nanny…Don’t have the time to raise a child myself.”

Stevie Nicks has been a revolutionary force in music through the last few decades both in her solo career and her time with Fleetwood Mac. She’s remained without children throughout her life. When she was asked about this in 2002, Nicks explained her priorities in life. She said, “It’s like, do you want to be an artist and a writer, or a wife and a lover? With kids, your focus changes. I don’t want to go to PTA meetings.”

Alison Brie has been straightforward about why she doesn’t have children right now: it just isn’t something that she’s interested in. Validly, she doesn’t want to and it doesn’t match her lifestyle. In 2018, she said, “I don’t really want to have kids. It’s great because I don’t worry about when I should get pregnant […] I don’t think about it every day. It would be nice, but I think of all things that would be so stressful.”

Christina Hendricks and her husband Geoffrey Arend have never been shy about their preference: they don’t want any kids of their own. According to Hendricks, the concept just “isn’t in the cards” for the happy couple. Like many actresses and women around the world, Hendricks’ direct answer has prompted more than one interviewer to push harder asking if she’ll change her mind one day. According to Hendricks, it’s possible but no one should wait with bated breath.

An American film and television actress, Bo Derek has been with longtime partner John Corbett since 2002. Before Corbett, though, Bo had been married to filmmaker John Derek for 22 years before his passing. While she and John considered having children, the timing was somehow never right. Beyond that, Bo felt that her “clock was ticking. Then I thought I really didn’t necessarily have that drive and that desire to have a child that I think you should have.”

Now 74 years old, Diane Sawyer has been a television broadcast journalist since 1962. With anchoring major programs on two networks including ABC World News Tonight and 20/20 among many more, there’s no denying that Sawyer has kept herself pretty busy throughout the years. Although she was married to late husband Mike Nichols for almost 30 years, she never had children. During an interview with Time magazine, Sawyer revealed that she has always thought kids were “a curious idea” but that it just never happened, although she does have stepchildren.

James Woods is an American actor and producer that has been making waves in the industry since 1970. Known for his work in theater and television, as well as film, Woods is one of the most outspoken celebrities in Hollywood. Although he’s been married twice — first to costume designer Kathryn Morrison-Pahoa and a second time to equestrian-boutique owner Sarah Owens — Woods never ended up having kids with either wife. Perhaps that’s for the best, though, considering that he’s insulted children multiple times.

An award-winning actress and director, Kathy Bates has been a household name in Hollywood for almost 60 years. Although she has had an extremely successful career, Bates has had her fair share of personal issues including battling cancer twice. Although she tied the knot to actor Tony Campisi in 1991, their marriage only lasted briefly as they got divorced by 1997. Since then, Kathy has kept busy with different projects aside from working on her own health. With that being said, it sounds like motherhood just hasn’t been in the cards for the critically-acclaimed actress.

Janeane Garofalo stated that she once wanted a child of her own. However, she has since changed her tune as to how she feels about having children. Since she’s realized her change of heart she’s been open about the reasoning. She says that she wanted children because that’s what society wanted her to do and that she’d be perceived negatively if she didn’t have children. Instead, she opted to make decisions for herself rather than let other peoples’ perceptions control her.

Winona Ryder is a household name for blockbusters ranging from Beetlejuice to more recent titles such as Stranger Things. The actress has dedicated countless hours to her career and isn’t interested in having kids. The actress has stated before that as she got older, she worried about not having children, to which her father said there were other ways to have children in her life. She said that it was true and she spends time with her brother’s kids rather than having her own.

Aisha Tyler is a talented comedian and actress known for both serious roles like her recent one on Criminal Minds as well as her comedic credits such as hosting Whose Line Is It Anyway? She’s also very open about her choice not to have children. She once stated, “I want people to feel – men and women – it’s okay to say ‘I love my marriage, I love my life, I choose not to have children.’”

Famke Janssen is a Dutch actress who made her mark in Hollywood after roles in films such as X-Men where she played Jean Grey and for roles in the James Bond series. As for her personal life, Janssen has made it clear that she’s not interested in being a mother. She’s stated, like many other actresses assuaged with the question of motherhood, that she doesn’t feel that having children is a necessary step to finding happiness. Instead, she said she likes spending her time with her pets.

Lara Flynn Boyle has a long and illustrious acting career including a tenure on the cult-classic TV show, Twin Peaks. She’s also made one thing clear in interviews: she won’t be having children. According to Boyle, children are a lifelong commitment that she isn’t interested in committed her whole life to someone else. In 2002 she said in an interview, “I love children and I love men, but I can’t commit to either for the rest of my life. I am a very selfish person. I had such a great mom and I know that I’d never be that mom. I wouldn’t want to bring a child into this world unless I could be.”

At this point in his life, Matt Dillon doesn’t have any children. He’s stated that a large part of his drive not to have children in the past was not being in the right relationship. After starting to date Cameron Diaz, Dillon stated the following: “I was dissatisfied with where I was a man, with my relationships, with my career. Like a lot of guys, I was driven by my work.” Since then, he’s reconsidered children and even separated from Diaz due to different views on the matter.

Ashley Judd hasn’t said no to children as a whole. Rather, the actress has stated that she’s against having biological children of her own and instead opts for philanthropy. In her memoir, she writes, “The fact is that I have chosen not to have children because I believe the children who are already here are really mine too. I do not need to go making ‘my own’ babies when there are so many orphaned or abandoned children who need love, attention, time, and care.”

Ricky Gervais is a successful comedian at 51. He’s also very outspoken on his beliefs and doesn’t shy away from hard questions. When interviewers took note that he and his girlfriend of 30 years hadn’t wed or had children, he wasn’t hesitant in his answer. He told Jane Fallon that kids were “too much hassle” and that “we just didn’t fancy dedicating sixteen years of our life to it.” After all, starting a family isn’t for everyone.

Liza Minelli is talented and philanthropic. Now, she’s come to see her philanthropy as her calling rather than motherhood. In 2012 she answered an interview question saying, “Nowadays, why get married? Nobody else does. It’s not like I want to have children. I tried that, didn’t work, unfortunately. It helped me because now I work with all kinds of children all over the world. Brain-damaged children and I work with kids with [various health conditions].” She’s found other ways to help children than having her own.

George Clooney has taken his time as a Hollywood bachelor very seriously. Despite welcoming twins with Amal in 2017, Clooney was vocal about not wanting to be a father before. Before reaching the point where he was ready to become a father, Clooney confessed that he was married to his job. He said, “I’ve always known fatherhood wasn’t for me. Raising kids is a huge commitment and has to be your top priority. For me, that priority is my work.”