You’re the bride’s or groom’s best friend – The Maid/Matron of Honor or the Best Man. You’ve been with your friend through thick and thin. Now the wedding reception is almost here, and you play an important role in the big day. One of your biggest responsibilities is delivering the toast for the reception and honoring the bride and groom.
I’ve witnessed thousands of speeches and toasts as a wedding band leader, so I’d like to offer advice for making your speech truly exceptional.
WRITING
A little preparation goes a long way
Outline your speech and practice it more than a few times. After you have written it, remove extra sentences that don’t flow or don’t relate to the main theme of your speech.
Opening Remarks and Gratitude – Welcome everyone (throw in a joke if that’s your style)and thank those who made this day possible.
Introduction – Just state your name and your connection to the bride and or to the groom.
Add Humor
Tell a humorous story that involves the bride or groom or the couple themselves. If you know a humorous tale of how the bride and groom met, or a hilarious situation involving the bride and groom.
Spotlight on the wedding couple – Tell one or two heartwarming stories about your friendship with the bride or the groom. If you have known the bride or groom since you were children or teenager, share a short story about an episode that happened.
Ask yourself some questions
How has the bride or groom always been there for you?
What do you bond over and have similar interests?
How have you changed for the better since you have known him or her?
Has the bride or groom changed since they have been in a serious relationship?
Here are some qualities of the bride and/or groom you might want to mention one or two:
Thoughtfulness, Generosity, Kindness, and a seeking /adventurous spirit
Try to link your stories to the other partner, too
Ideally, you could share words regarding both the bride and the groom. However, if you’re the maid or matron of honor much of your toast should be about the bride. If you’re the best man, most of your toast should be about the groom.
Heartfelt Comments in the toast for the reception
Whether it’s a quote, advice, or a mix of both, conclude by sharing inspirational words. Don’t be worried about showing your sensitive side. Everyone has that side, although some don’t display it often enough.
Keep your toast for the reception short
A toast within three to five minutes is perfect. An effective toast doesn’t have to be long and complex. Please remember that there are usually toasts from the father of the bride, maid of honor, and or matron of honor, and the best man that needs to be included at the wedding reception along with the dinner and the parent dances.
Here are some more toast for the reception ideas
You don’t have to memorize the whole thing. Have the entire toast written on your smart phone, or you could write the highlights on your phone.
You can even use index cards to read your toast or important details from the index cards. But make sure it’s a toast- not a roast. Save any embarrassing or inside jokes for the Bachelor or Bachelorette Party.
Some brides decide to have some of the toasts take place at the rehearsal dinner. For example, if you have two maids of honor, matrons of honor, or two best men, some could give their toast at the rehearsal dinner.
Another alternative would be to have the two maids of honor or two matrons of honor share a toast a the same time and give a joint speech at the wedding reception. This also could pertain if you have two best men.
These toasts should happen before the entrée is served. After dinner, you would want a dance party celebration without interruptions.
DELIVERY
Even the best-written speeches fall flat if the delivery isn’t very effective. So be yourself; trying too hard makes it seem fake or not sincere. Also, stay sober; you’ll want to have good memories of your speech the next day!
If you’re having multiple speeches, it would be a good idea not to have more than two toasts at a designated time. Separate the toasts so your guests keep their interest intake.
Who is more comfortable giving a toast? You may want that person to give their toast last.
Concluding Sentence of an Effective Toast
Don’t forget the toast for the reception is meant to honor the happy couple. You could simply ask the guests to raise their glasses to toast the bride and groom and wish them the best. An effective way to end your toast would be to include a quote. Here are some other examples:
“Please join me in wishing the new Mr. and Mrs. (Name) all good fortune, health, and happiness.”.
“You don’t marry the person you can live with; you marry the person you can’t live without.”
“Please join me in wishing (Name of the bride & groom) couple a long life together filled with happiness and wonderful memories.”
“Here’s a quote from Antoine de Saint Exupery to finish my toast – “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction”.
Here are some examples of a closing line if the toast for the reception is humorous
“We all realized that (Name) had found “the one” when he started spending more time with (Name) than he did playing on his Xbox”.
“Here’s a quote by Oscar Wilde, “When you’re wrong, admit it, and when you’re right, keep it to yourself and shut up”.
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person”.
The guests may not remember everything you say in your toast, but the most important thing is the closing line. You can make it strong by incorporating one of the examples given above.
Please remember that no one expects you to be a professional toastmaker. Just be yourself and enjoy the process and the moment. Hopefully, the information I have written will make the process easier.
Cheers!
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Martha Stewarts’ take on the importance of the toast
The Sid Miller Dance Band strives to make your upscale wedding reception experience truly memorable. For more information, contact Sid at 267-259-7570.