Tips On How To Give A Wedding Toast

My topic for the week is how to give a wedding toast. If someone close to you is getting married, you’re probably going to make a toast at their wedding and show the couple how happy you are for them. But if you’ve never made a toast before, you might start feeling
nervous or your palms get sweaty just thinking about the right words to say. If you have been looking for some guidance, well, look no further because I’m here to give you a guideline.

What Is A Toast?
According to the dictionary, a toast is: “The act of raising a
glass and drinking in honour of a person or thing.” In other words,
it’s a socially
acceptable way to drink a bit more than usual while expressing good will.

Who gives a toast?
The toast is delivered by the best man and is
directed at the newlywed couple. Below are tips on how to give a wedding toast:

1. Write The Toast
This is your chance to honor the couple, so don’t wait until the
night before the wedding to think of what you’re going to say. Even if
you
want to be spontaneous, it’s good to have a toast written in case your
mind goes blank. The toast should be short, sweet, and personal. A
humorous quote or story can add a nice touch, just keep it tasteful.
Anecdotes that involve
nakedness, drunkenness, or ex-significant others of the couple could
make the moment very awkward for yourself, the couple and the guests!

2. Make Notes
If you’re not confident in your public speaking abilities, don’t
write your entire speech out word-for-word. You don’t want to spend
the
entirety of the toast staring at your index cards and sounding like a
robot. Instead, include short quotes or key phrases like “Talk about
meeting bride for first time, mention how comfortable they were with
each other.” The
idea is for the note to be in your memory, but the actual wording
should be off the top of your head.

3. Practice Your Speech
Get a kitchen timer, a mirror, and an audience (any combination of
people and stuffed animals will do, as long as they have eyes and can
sit still
like attentive wedding guests). Rehearse your speech in its entirety
as if you were at the wedding. Modify your index cards as needed. Keep
practicing until you feel at ease with the toast.

4. Go Through All The Motions
Imagine where the audience is sitting, for example, and pretend to
make gestures and eye contact in that direction. Insert strategic
pauses to add emphasis. Doing so will also help prevent you from
rushing through the speech. Keep your toast to around two minutes. If
you find yourself talking quickly (which is likely if you’re nervous)
make a conscious effort to slow down. Announce your relationship to
the couple. Some people at the wedding might not know who you are, so
making this clear at the beginning will avoid any confusion. Bring
your glass down as you start to speak, but continue holding it in one
hand (unless you’re holding both a microphone and notes).

5. Give The Speech
Look at the person you’re toasting to, but also shift eye contact
towards the guests occasionally.

6. End The Toast On A Positive Note
Include a formal indication to inform them of the ending of the
toast and what to say next. For example: “Let us now toast to the
happiness of Lola and Femi… To Lola and Femi!” As you say this, wave
your glass to all, then tip
it towards the person you are toasting to, or clink their glass if
you’re close enough. Then clink your glass gently with those around
you and sip (don’t gulp or chug) your drink.

7. Bring tissues if you think you may shed a few tears while you’re speaking.