Are you someone who has been asked to give a toast at an upcoming wedding? Maybe you are reading this because you want to do a little research so that you can tackle the toast prepared, or maybe you've been sent this link by someone. Whether you are the Best Man, Maid of Honor, a parent of the Bride or Groom, or a close friend, you've come to the right place! This post will serve as your ultimate guide to the perfect wedding toast.
Do's and Don'ts
DO... | DON'T... |
Add a personal touch | Tell inside jokes that won't be funny to the audience |
Keep it short and sweet- 5 minutes or less. | Tell super embarrassing stories about the Bride or Groom |
Talk about both the Bride and Groom- not just one of them the whole time | Bring up past relationships of the Bride or Groom |
Introduce yourself and your relation to the Bride/Groom if the DJ doesn't introduce you | ​ |
End the speech on a positive not | ​ |
Bring a hard copy of your toast to the wedding just in case you can't remember or freeze, or someone else has to give the speech for you | ​ |
Perfect Wedding Toast Template
(with a little bit of humor added)
Step | ​Directive | Example |
1 | Start by introducing yourself and talking about how you know the Bride and/or Groom | "Hello! for those of you who don't know me, my name is Anne and I am the sister of the Bride." |
2 | Talk about the person you knew before meeting their spouse and then connect it to how the person is now with the spouse | "My sister and I have always been the closest of friends. We used to play a lot of imaginary games as kids and one of our favorite games to play was "Princess Wedding," where one of us would dress up like a princess (I'm sure you can guess which one of us that was...), and the other one would dress up as a potential suitor and would try and woo the princess into marrying him. Then we got to plan a big royal wedding. Well I'm standing here today to say that she finally found a prince to plan the big wedding of her dreams (fit for a princess), and thank goodness it's not me!" |
3 | Talk about the first time you met the spouse and what you think of them | ​"The first time I met [Groom], I knew he would be a great addition to our family someday. He treats [Bride] with the patience, love, and respect that I didn't have while playing the role of her prince as her sister. In all seriousness though, I view him as an older brother, and I know that my family all accepts him with open arms. [Bride] couldn't have found a more perfect match." |
4 | End with happy wishes for the future and "Cheers!" (don't forget to raise your glass during the "Cheers!") | "[Groom], welcome to the family. I am so incredibly happy for you both, and I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together. Cheers to the happy couple!" |
Pro Tips
Think outside of the box. The below video is a fun example of an alternative wedding toast- where the Maid of Honor decided to deliver her toast in the styling of a popular song:
Don’t be afraid to do something a little different than just speaking for 5 minutes. And that’s a quick wedding toast 101! Don’t overthink it or psych yourself out and you‘ll do just fine.
Until Next Time,
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