October 22, 2007

Tips For A Toast

Being chosen to give a speech is an honor and a chore. To ensure that it is also not an embarrassment, make sure that the person or people you choose will be ones that will take the honor and responsibility seriously.

Of all the times to wing it on a wedding day, this is not one of them. That is why it is a good idea to provide your chosen toasters with the following tips to help them with their toast preparations:

Have them choose a theme for their toast. Whether it is how the bride and groom met, tips for living with the groom, or how to cheer the bride up when she is sad, it helps both the person giving the toast and the listening guests to focus if a toast revolves around a theme.

Make sure they write their toast out in point form notes. A fully written and read toast can sound too forced and unnatural. Reading notes in point form helps with focus while retaining a personal flow.

If you have the ability to give your toasters access to your reception hall the night before, it will give them the ability to familiarize themselves with the location and allow them to get a feel for the size and scope of the room they will be addressing.

Instruct the individual giving the toast to keep it within the boundaries of good taste. Use the illustration: "Imagine if your grandmother was in the room." If it is a joke or a story that you would be hesitant to say in front of her, then it should not be said. Weddings offer such a cross-section of people that it is important to be sensitive to all ages and tolerance levels.

Formalize the closing. If throughout the speech the toast giver spoofed the bride and/or groom, the closing is where the speaker should ultimately bring it back to the bridal couple and their special union in a serious vein, and give the formalized toast.

The one final tip to give any would-be toasters is to ask them to do all of the above in fewer than five minutes. Three minutes is a good-sized speech.

Bear in mind when choosing those who will make toasts and speeches at your wedding that some people are just not cut out for the life of an orator, while others were born for it.

©2007 Weddingstar Inc.