3 Tips To Nail The Wedding Toast

Whether you’re a seasoned pro at public speaking or terrified of getting up in front of an audience, giving a wedding toast can be intimidating. Rather than a speech on an impersonal or dry business topic, you’re giving a highly personal tribute to someone near and dear to you. This increases the stakes for getting what you want to say “just right.” Although that may seem like a lot of pressure, remember that everyone at the wedding is there to have a good time and celebrate — and ultimately it’s all about the bride and groom. Eyes may be focused on you for a minute or two during the wedding toast, but, for better or worse, the attention will shortly be back on the happy couple and the festivities at hand. So, take a deep breath, keep a handkerchief handy to help with sweaty palms and follow these tips for keeping your toast as easy and stress-free as possible:

Wedding Toast 1

Give a Shout Out to Cherished Relatives

Start out by saying how great it is to see such beloved family and friends all gathered together — include people like parents, grandparents, longtime family friends and older relatives. This will undoubtedly elicit a group “awww” that will put the audience on your side and make the rest of your speech feel like smooth sailing.

Wedding Toast 2

Personalize it

Whether you’re close to the bride, groom or both, make sure to include comments about some their best qualities. If many of the people at the wedding don’t know you, don’t forget to introduce yourself and add some details about how life or feelings changed for the better when the bride or groom (whichever one you’re closest to) met the other person.

Wedding Toast 3

Talk Directly to the Couple

End your speech by facing the wedding couple and sharing your heartfelt best wishes for them. This will not only elicit another tender response from the guests, it will give you a chance to take your focus off the sea of faces staring up at you, which can be nerve-wracking if you’re on the shy side and don’t know a lot of the guests.