This weekend marks the half way point of my 2009 wedding season. I’ve ate the cake, drank a barrel of wine and watched the moms bust a move to the electric slide. I’ve also listen to my share of wedding toasts. I must say, each wedding had some fab speeches – especially by the best men!
That got me thinking…what makes a good toast? Here are some good tips I found around the World Wide Web…
* Focus on the couple. Don’t dwell on how you met the bride or groom, but make sure you introduce yourself.
* Don’t find a speech on the internet and insert the bride and grooms name into the script. The best speeches come from the heart.
* Practice! Read your speech out loud and do your best to memorize it. If you keep looking down at a paper, you may lose your place and become flustered.
* Avoid inside jokes. Chances are 80 percent of the room won’t think it’s funny.
* KISS – Keep it Short Stupid. Most speeches are before dinner and chances are people are hungry. Keep your speech short.
* Be careful with your jabs towards the bride and groom. I like the quote from David Pitlik on Chow.com – “It’s a toast, not a roast.”
* Avoid negative statements. Don’t bring up past relationships, job failures, death, etc.
* Reader Amy’s tip is if you stumble on your words, fake cry – it’s a good cover up.
* Lastly, don’t forget to tell your audience what to do at the end of the toast – raise their glasses and chug!
(Sources: chow.com, wedding crashers photo)
