You’re going to be called upon to give the wedding toast at your best friend’s wedding and haven’t got a clue what to say. You may be afraid to stand up in front of hundreds of people to give the toast. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Keep It Short
The toast is generally short and sweet. It can range anywhere from a minute to five minutes or so. Try not to go over five minutes as this is just too long. However, a toast that is too short is not memorable either, so try to avoid a common cliché toast.
Add Some Humor
Using a funny antidote will help break the ice and keep the toast from being too formal. Don’t use humor to humiliate or embarrass anyone, though. Remember this is not a roast and not the place to try out your new stand-up routine.
Make It Personal
Talk about real-life situations and personal experiences of the bride or groom. After all, you are giving the speech because you know the couple the best of anyone. Show it with a heartfelt meaning. Don’t let the couple hear the speech ahead of time.
Practice and Revise
You want the toast to flow nicely. Practice by recording yourself and listening to it to find out where you can make improvements. If you have a section that you can’t remember chances are it will not sound natural, so consider revising that part. The trick is to sound natural and unrehearsed while having the speech prepared ahead of time. It takes practice to sound natural!
Remove The Fear
Two things will help you if you are afraid of speaking in public – preparedness and rehearsal. Prepare the speech well ahead of time. Write it down so you can practice it. Rehearse it in front of a small audience. Get some close friends or co-workers to listen to the speech and critique it. It will become much easier to say once you have practiced it often and feel comfortable with what you are going to say. Remember that it is only a few minutes of time.