Conquer the Wedding Toasts
Unless you are the life of the party type, you more than likely have reservations about toasting the bride and groom at the upcoming wedding. Most people have plenty of interesting or humorous stories to tell, but throw two hundred people in the room and they may close up like a clam. Offered below are a few surefire tips at having the crowd roar in approval!
- Prepare. No matter how well you speak publicly draft a plan. Created a beginning, middle and end to your speech.
- Do some investigating. You may find something special from their past by speaking with the parents, grand parents, maid of honor, friends,…etc.
- Introduce yourself, you may not be known by everyone in the crowd. Announce who you will be toasting. By tradition, the best man normally toasts the bride and groom .
- Consider whom you will be addressing. Make your speech appropriate to your audience.
- Make your speech from the heart. Let the crowd know how long you have known the groom, how you have seen him change through the years, how he spoke of his bride when they first met or how you knew you would be attending their wedding.
- Stray from embarrassing stories. Do not speak of past relationships the bride or groom might have been involved in. No mentioning of wild escapades or references to activities taking place on the honeymoon. Keep it clean.
- Keep your speech balanced. Do not report a condensed life history of the groom and only mention the bride as being lucky. Offer some insight as to how they came to meet, how their friends knew this was the one. Make your story about the two of them.
- Feel free to add humor. Keep in mind your speech should not be one big joke. Two people are joining forces for life, two families will become one. Offer some insight as to why they compliment each other, why their relationship will work, or how each of them have been blessed by this marriage.
- Stand addressing the crowd and speak clearly. Make eye contact with individuals in the crowd. Make sure people in the back of the room can hear if not addressing with a microphone. Pace yourself, do not speak to fast. Limit your speech to approximately five minutes any longer and you will have a hard time holding the attention of the wedding party.
- In closing your speech, raise your arm with glass in hand offer congratulations and drink to your toast.
Your toast should be considered an honor. Rehearse, practice and perfect the delivery. Your speech should appear effortless and spontaneous. Keep it upbeat and end on a serious note. Most receptions have video cameras rolling. Your words, gestures, facial expressions and tone will be a part of history. Follow these few guidelines and you will honor your friends and offer the attendees an insight they will treasure.
Myles Castello
|
