Speech prep: Ann Romney's wisecracks, welsh cakes and wardrobe

Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- Hours before she was to introduce her husband to millions of voters tuned into the GOP convention, Ann Romney joked to reporters she would present her remarks in a way those obsessed with social media could understand.

"The speech is being reduced to a tweet," Mrs. Romney teased her husband's traveling press corps in a lighthearted conversation on the couple's flight to Tampa.

The wife of the Republican presidential candidate seemed to be working through any jitters with wisecracks and a lot of baking. On the plane, she handed out Welsh cakes made from her grandmother's recipe. She had spent the previous day churning out hundreds of the moist and chewy treats.

Political analysts are looking to Mrs. Romney, who finished writing her speech days ago, to address concerns about her husband's perceived stiffness by presenting him in a more personal, softer light.

She has often played that role in campaign events - reminiscing about growing up with a younger Mitt in Michigan, for example, or recounting how she raised five mischievous sons.

Tuesday night will bring a new level of scrutiny and stagecraft.

"I've never given a speech like this before, but I'm excited," she said.

Less than an hour after she landed in Tampa, Mrs. Romney was standing onstage in the convention hall to familiarize herself with the set-up.

One challenge she may face Tuesday night could be sticking to the scripted remarks.

"I think you will see that my speech is heartfelt, and I think a lot of you have been covering me long enough and you know I've never gone off a written text," she said, laughing. "So this is a unique experience for me, to actually have something written because I've never used it, no one has ever written a speech for me."

Mrs. Romney also admitted she found it difficult to read from a teleprompter - a skill she practiced alongside husband over the weekend.

In the build-up to her highly-anticipated address, even her wardrobe had become a ticklish topic, she said.

"The funniest thing of all is that Stuart Stevens, who wears his shirts inside-out, is advising me on what dress I should wear tonight," Mrs. Romney laughed. "So I know I've come really full-circle now."

Stevens worked with both Romneys on their speeches this weekend at their Wolfeboro home. When the couple ventured out to a nearby high school to practice speaking in a larger venue, Stevens was spotted wearing gray capri pants.

Mrs. Romney said she had never expected both her husband and other campaign advisers to weigh in on her fashion choices.

"It was going to be like my wedding night; I wasn't going to let him know what I was going to wear," she said. "But now they have opinions."