Wedding toasts are important for the vibe on the wedding day, but many people don’t really think about them until the week, the day, or the hour leading up to them sometimes! It’s important to rehearse and know what you’re going to say before giving a toast, so here are some tips on giving toasts at a wedding that you can share with your wedding party, family, or friends that plan on giving toasts at your wedding.

Keep it Short

We always recommend no more than 3 minutes for each speech and expect it to take 5. There always should be some parameters, or else you’ll end up with an 18 minute speech that really throws a wrench in the rest of your night. If you’re speaking, make sure that you try timing it to make sure that dinner isn’t late because of your speech!

2. Don’t Embarrass Them

It is in really poor taste to tell stories that don’t flatter the couple. If there is a funny story or two that is typically alright, but a toast is not the same as a roast. If you’re unsure, it probably doesn’t belong in a speech, but if you really don’t know then we recommend asking someone to proofread the speech and make sure it doesn’t paint the couple in a bad light. Typically, things that talk about them not being a good couple together or their bad qualities are things that you should save for another time.

3. Talk about Both People

Often, we hear speeches where the speaker doesn’t even mention the person they just married. We recommend mentioning something about how you first met their spouse or what they are like as a couple together that you appreciate. It’s just nice to acknowledge their celebration of their love since that is the reason you’re gathered together anyway!

4. Cut “For those of you who don’t know me…”

Nearly every wedding, at least one person will start their speech with this line. We recommend just saying, “Hi, I’m Madison’s sister!” and keeping the ball rolling that way. It’s just a note that gets really repetitive - especially if every speech starts with that line at the same wedding!

5. Keep it Simple

The general outline that we recommend is to start with saying how you met the person you know better with maybe 1 story talking about their character, then saying how you met their spouse and 1 story about them, and then talking about how they are together as a couple that you like and wish them the best. You can throw in a joke or other things as well, but the shorter, simpler ones without too many inside jokes or stories tend to hit the hardest!

6. Rehearse It

We always recommend practicing your speech with a timer at least one time when you’ve made all of your edits. It will get you familiar with your speech and help you make any corrections after hearing it, as well as making sure it isn’t too long. We can usually tell which speeches are rehearsed and not, so running through it once will always be more beneficial for making it sound the best!

7. DON’T Drink too much Beforehand

We understand you might be nervous and that might help you get some liquid courage, but it’s a dangerous line to tango on before you get too drunk for the speech. We recommend steering clear of alcohol before your speech if possible, but not having more than one drink for sure.

Of course this detail of the wedding day doesn’t tend to make or break the day, but it definitely helps to know what works and what doesn’t we have seen it all when it comes to speeches, so if you follow these tips this will ensure you have a nice wedding without any cringy moments! If you need some extra help, reach out to us at our contact page and we can help make sure your wedding day runs smoothly!