The Perfect Wedding Toast
Your best friend is getting married and you’ve been called upon to be her maid of honor. Or maybe you are the Best Man. And we all know what that means - you’re going to have to get up in front of all of the guests and make the wedding toast. Some people are gifted speech writers who enjoy speaking in front of a crowd. Others need a little help with their speech writing!
First and foremost, ! The worst thing you can do is talk about the bride for 30 seconds, talk about the groom for 30 seconds and then go off on a five minute long tangent about how beautiful the ride in the limo was on the way to the reception!
A wedding toast is not a chance to make yourself look good, it’s about making the couple look great! So no sending people to check out your business’ website or your online dating profile! Make it all about the bride and groom!
Avoid these common mistakes:
- Do not pick up your glass until the end of your speech.
- Do not cover your face with your notes.
- Do not bring up lots of paper (if you’ve prepared a long speech the guests
- don’t need to know about it before you even begin!
- Do not speak exclusively in the direction of the bride & groom—address
- the entire room.
WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY:
Share a funny story or a warm memory about the bride or groom. Then say a few genuine words explaining your own feelings about him or her or both. Finally, speak directly to the couple offering your well wishes. To end your speech, raise your glass and offer a simple, “Ladies and Gentlemen, to the happy couple!”