Wedding Toast: Tips, Speech Ideas, How To Write, & How To End
Melanie Levin is a successful event planner in Southern California with 5 years of experience. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2014 with a BA in Communications and opened her business immediately. Melanie brings her clients' visions to life in authentic, detailed, and personalized ways.
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Shivani Chandel is a postgraduate in English literature from Panjab University, Chandigarh and a certified relationship coach. She has four years of experience in copy editing and writing about entertainment, health, lifestyle, and beauty.
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subhrojyoti mukherjee Subhrojyoti is an associate editor at StyleCraze with four years of experience. He has a master’s degree in English from Presidency University, Kolkata, and has also done a post-graduate certificate course in Editing and Publishing from Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
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sneha tete Sneha has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad, a professional Relationship Coach diploma, and over four years of experience in writing. She writes about relationships and lifestyle.Sneha began her career as an instructional designer, shifted to freelance technical and research writing, and self-published a novella on the theme of adolescent mental health.
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In This Article
A wedding toast is often short and sweet. It involves a few anecdotes and wishes for the couple from a friend or family member who represents them the best and is the closest to their relationship. It can, however, be a nerve-wracking experience to put together as it is a part of the most memorable days in a couple’s life. It is important to go above and beyond to give your best friend the most memorable toast. A good toast is delivered with a lot of love, warmth, and genuine sentiment. So, do strike the right balance between being fun and light but also meaningful and emotional.
We have put together a few ideas to ease the process for those confused about how to give a toast at a wedding reception.
Tips On How To Propose A Toast At A Wedding Ceremony
Below are a few tips guaranteed to make your toast a hit include the following:
- Introduction: It is essential to let the audience know who you are and the part you play in the couple’s life before delving into your toast to get the audience’s attention. Keep it brief and simple, and super catchy to get everyone’s attention focused on you before you get into the actual toast.
- Congratulations: Represent the collective wishes of everyone gathered for the day to share in the couple’s happiness by congratulating them on behalf of all their friends, family, and well-wishers. Further in this article, we have included some quotes and ideas that you can use too.
- Personalize: Once you establish your relationship with the couple and wish them on behalf of everyone gathered, it’s time to get up close and personal. Share an intimate story that’ll help the audience relate to the couple, with consent, of course. You don’t want to reveal your friends’ secrets on their wedding day. Poking fun at the couple should be done cautiously.
Al Dea, a leadership and personal development blogger, shares his process of writing a wedding toast that does not draw attention away from the couple: “It’s Not About You — The day is about the bride and groom first and foremost. I say this because in a number of my first drafts, I tried to include a lot about my relationship [with them], and it quickly became the ‘Al show’ which is not the purpose. If you’re ever in doubt, just remember what the focus is supposed to be on (i).”
- Be Inclusive: It is mostly possible for you to be friends only with either the bride or the groom and not both but ensure that you give both of them equal attention in your toast. It is crucial to address both halves of the couple. If you do not have enough information about your friends’ partner, recall instances of when your friend has mentioned them, like their first meeting, for example.
- Be Relatable: Remember that weddings often include large, mixed crowds, and your inside jokes and first-hand experiences with your friend may fall flat with the larger audience. Remember that it is a toast and not a roast. Pick out those stories and anecdotes that will work for a diverse audience and have something for everyone. Always make sure to keep the matter relevant to the occasion.
- Timing: Ensure to make the speech around 3-4 minutes or one page single-spaced. That’s the sweet spot for a toast length.
Quick TipWho Gives A Toast At Weddings?
Traditionally it is the best man who kicks off the evening by acting as the primary soul of the ceremony and starting off with the toast raising speech for the wedding. He is also responsible for ensuring the order and passing the mic on to the right person to keep things going in order. He is usually the best friend or the sibling of the groom or a very close family member. Since these toasts seldom go well when they are impromptu, it is important to establish the order and time parameters well in advance and follow it to perfection. It is also essential to have a parental figure and a maid of honor give a speech.
Types Of Toast Delivered At Weddings
While the number of people delivering toasts is entirely up to a couple’s preference, the below are traditionally followed.
- Toast from the best man dedicated to the groom including the bride
- Toast from the maid/matron of honor to the bride including the groom
- Toast from the father of the bride to the couple
- Toast from the couple to each other
- Toast from the couple to their guests
Wedding toasts can be funny, sentimental, or traditional based on the dynamic of the couple’s relationship and the equation shared by the person delivering the toast for them.
What Does The Couple Do During The Toasts?
The couple should first be invited onto the stage or central point of the venue. The choice of drink for the toast, which is traditionally wine or champagne, is distributed to the guests and the couple. The couple takes center stage, and the person delivering the toast stands on the side, well within visibility but not drawing too much attention away from the couple. The ones delivering the toast should angle themselves slightly towards the couple and make eye contact when they call out their individual qualities to add a personal touch to the speech.
Toast Speech Ideas For Weddings
Here are some fun ideas to express your heartfelt wishes for the couple if you feel tongue-tied. Use these wedding toast examples as starters before you get into your personalized message, or use them to wrap your speech up with a bang.
- May your love keep each other warm on the coldest days.
- May your love constantly evolve to match modern times but stay steadfast and age like old wine, getting better with time.
- May your marriage be as awesome as (name of the bride and the groom) are looking today!
- Wishing you both health and wealth all the time in the world to enjoy them with each other.
- May your marriage be poor in sorrow and rich in blessings. Through dark days and bright, may you hold each other tight.
- May you always be faithful and true to each other as you have been so far, the bond only strengthening with the promise you have entered into today.
- Don’t forget to fall in love every single day but ensure it is with the same person.
Quick TipWedding toasts do not always have to be serious. Check out the next section for some inspiration on how to add humor to them.
Funny Wedding Toasts
Here are some funny wedding toasts that are sure to garner some chuckles:
- What do nightouts and wild parties have in common? You won’t be able to go for them from now on. But congratulations on your wedding!
- Here’s to the couple who will now have to answer the question, ‘So, when are you having kids?’ at every family gathering.
- My advice? Don’t ever laugh at your partner’s choices. You are one of them!
- May your marriage be more successful than my attempts to dance after a few drinks!
- Here’s to love, laughter, and a happily ever after – or at least until the dishes pile up!
Writing a wedding toast is a meaningful task. Scroll down to learn how you can ace it.
How To Write A Wedding Toast?
While writing a toast for wedding celebrations, one of the basics to keep in mind is to greet the crowd with a cheerful good morning/afternoon or evening followed by a brief introduction of yourself. In terms of sequence, talk about a few of your best memories of the bride and groom and then move on to specific traits that make the couple perfect for each other. Pause when there’s applause, and make sure to nod in the couple’s direction when you speak specifically of them. Editing and rehearsing are vital in getting these nuances right; however, you must remember to keep it organic and let emotions flow freely. Surprise the couple with the contents of your speech to get their authentic first reactions. It, however, won’t hurt to give them a brief in case they would like to add certain things; after all, it’s their big day, and everyone else is only playing a part. Not every couple wants a traditional toast, so it is also important to check in on the couple’s theme for the evening before deciding on the tone of your toast whether, light-hearted, classic, or short, simple and sweet.
How To End A Toast At A Wedding?
The ending of the toast should summarize everything the wedding stands for, particularly if there is a theme. It is also essential to add wishes for the couple’s future, such as wishing them good health and happiness in their new life together in your wedding toast closing line. The toastmaster or speaker asks everyone to raise their glasses to toast the couple
The toast is given before the couple’s first dance as husband and wife, so the best man invites them to the dance floor as soon as the toast are made.
While your toast can run the gamut from being entertaining and lighthearted to being an emotional tearjerker, the best wedding speeches are the ones that come from the heart, and nothing can make up for the lived experience with the couple that you can share through little stories. It is the ultimate way to pay tribute to a couple’s love. So, learn how to make a toast at a wedding party from our aforementioned tips and examples and bring joy to the day!
Infographic: History Of Wedding Toasts – 8 Interesting Facts
Armed with all the information about how to present a wedding toast, we are sure you must feel quite confident about it. But do you know about the interesting genesis of wedding toasts and how they became an integral part of any celebration? Check out the infographic below to see how this widespread practice took shape over time. Scroll down!
Illustration: The Bridal Box Design Team
Being asked to give the wedding toast is an honor and a big responsibility. While you can always draft a toast that is a good mix of laughter and tears, the best wedding speeches are the ones that come from the heart. Nothing can make up for your lived experiences with the couple that you can share through little anecdotes in your speech. It is best to pay tribute to a newly-wed couple’s love as a close well-wisher. So, use the tips mentioned above to make a toast at a wedding and bring more joy to the day!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a wedding toast be?
A wedding toast can be 3-4 minutes long. That’s enough time to say everything you want while holding the guests’ attention.
What should be avoided in delivering a wedding toast?
While delivering a wedding toast, you must avoid making embarrassing jokes about the bride and groom. Also, make sure to avoid bringing up anything related to their exes. At the same time, do not make harsh remarks about caste, creed, gender, or religion.
How many toasts are there at a wedding?
Traditionally there can be four or fewer wedding toasts at the event. However, you may want to add your touch and decide on your own as to how many toasts you would prefer at the ceremony.
What is the difference between a speech and a toast?
A wedding speech is a small talk delivered to honor the couple and their families. It may or may not end with a toast. However, a toast is a brief statement congratulating and appreciating the couple. In its conclusion, the guests are signaled to drink.
Do you make a toast before or after you eat?
Toasts usually occur after a meal as most people gather around after being happily fed. But, it can also be scheduled during the cake cutting ceremony as the guests like to witness the sight of the wedded pair cutting their wedding cake.
Key Takeaways
- There is nothing sweet or more memorable than the wedding toast, where you drink to the couple’s long life and happiness.
- The best toasts are based on a spirit of love, warmth, and sincerity and filled with heartfelt anecdotes and tear-jerking moments.
- Whether your speech is lighthearted, entertaining, or emotional, the most memorable speeches come from the heart.
Illustration: Wedding Toast: Tips Speech Ideas How To Write & How To End
Image: Stable Diffusion/The Bridal Box Design Team
Get tips for giving the perfect wedding toast! Learn how to make your toast memorable and heartfelt in this video. Get ready to make the bride and groom smile!
Personal Experience: Source
thebridalbox's articles are interwoven with authentic personal narratives that provide depth and resonance to our content. Below are the sources of the personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. Wedding Speeches 101: A guide to writing and delivering a wedding speechhttps://al-dea.medium.com/heres-how-i-wrote-and-delivered-a-wedding-toast-230ee3038863
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