Wedding Toast, the 8 Tips to an Easy Speach

Congrats! You’ve been asked to give a speech at a loved one’s wedding soon. It may seem nerve-wrenchingly awful to get up in front of all those family members and friends (and even strangers, but there’s no need to feel that way.  Here are some tips and tricks to help you give the best wedding toast ever. 

Tips and tricks for the best wedding toast ever

1. Introduce yourself

There’s will always be guests there that don’t know who you are. If you’ve only met their partner a handful of times, chances are you won’t recognize a lot of their friends and family members. Before you begin your speech, introduce yourself its simply the polite thing to do! Tell people in a few words how you know the bride or groom so they have a better understanding of your relationship to the newlyweds. 

2. Tell a story

Throw it back to your days in school, college, or even work if you that is where you met, by telling an old story about the bride or groom. Do you have a memory of the two of you discussing the qualities you wanted in your future spouse on the playground when you were 12 and just started like boys or girls? If they’re someone you met later on in life, can you recall what they told you after their first date, or talk about what they were like before their spouse came along? Try to brainstorm with everyone you guys share a friendship with or even family for some good stories you can share. 

3. Make a joke (or two or three lol)

While this shouldn’t turn into a Comedy Central special (even if you want it to), it’s okay to crack a few good jokes. Perhaps, they had a funny first impression of their significant other (that won’t cause hurt feelings), or maybe they had an awful habit they were forced to break once they’d found the one (I’m sure everyone has that habit we need to get rid of). We recommend splashing in only a handful of jokes throughout your speech, versus making it a huge load of embarrassing events. Remember, grandma’s and grandpas are probably in attendance!

4. Be sentimental

 The most important part of the speech is letting the bride or groom (or both) know how much they mean to you, and how happy you are to see them find the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. Give an overview of the relationship you have with either and let them know how much they’ve influenced your life. If there’s ever a time to be super cheesy and teary, the wedding toast this is it.

5. Address the couple

With that being said, make sure you’re not giving the speech solely to just one of them. This day is about both of them, not just the one, and while you may be closer to one person versus the other, do your best to include both of them. Reach out to their spouse’s friends for some inside information if needed, or make note of all the wonderful ways your friend’s partner has had a positive influence on them. Talk about his or her first impression, or what they said right after their first date. Memories like that are what the newlyweds will be happy to hear and remember forever. 

6. Keep it short and sweet

Remember, this isn’t a one-man show. There are likely loads of other people making speeches; therefore, keeping your toast between 2-3 minutes if possible (but 6min max if you can manage it). Find out how many other people are speaking and then adjust your time accordingly. It’s better to be on the shorter side, as people are probably eager to get to the dance floor and shake what their mamma gave them! 

7. Don’t panic

There’s no need to freak out if you’re asked to make a speech! It’s an absolute honour to be asked to toast at your friend or family member’s wedding, and it doesn’t require the same prep work as those long super boring graded speeches you made in school. Write out your thoughts on note cards and practice in the mirror before you stand up in front of everyone.  As long as you take a deep breath and speak from the heart, you’ll rock it.

8. Need Help?

If you are not a natural and need a helping hand you can always outsource it. Use the tip and trick mentioned above, send these raw ideas or rough draft to a writer that they can polish it in a beautiful rounded story that will have your audience at your fingertips. Click here to find help with writing your wedding toast.