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Are you a maid of honor or best man for an upcoming wedding? Are you on the hook to give a wedding toast or speech at the wedding or the rehearsal dinner? Are you a family member or close friend of the engaged couple and have been asked to make a toast or give a speech at the wedding?
Whoever you are, and whatever your relationship to the couple getting married is, it's time to plan your maid of honor or best man speech and get ready for your wedding or rehearsal dinner toast and we have you covered! Don't fret, you're in the right place if you want the best advice for writing, preparing for and giving the best wedding toast or speech.
We have tips for what to say in your maid of honor or best man toast or speech...plus, what not to say! Giving a wedding toast or a speech is an honor, and you'll be ready to get everyone smiling, laughing or crying with your speech or toast.
In today's wedding planning advice post, we're passing along our top expert tips for writing a maid of honor or best man wedding speech and giving a toast at the wedding or rehearsal dinner.
Simple and fun should be the key for any wedding toast or speech...but don't worry, we'll walk you through some helpful tips.
Saying yes to being a maid of honor or the best man means plenty of wedding responsibilities. Traditionally, the maid of honor and/or the best man both give a speech during the wedding reception. Other family members might give a toast or a speech at the wedding too.
With so many other wedding festivities, there may also be other opportunities like rehearsal dinners or post-wedding brunches where you may also need to give a speech or a toast as the maid of honor, best man or family member.
Follow these tips to make sure you stay on track when planning your wedding speech or giving a toast at the wedding or rehearsal dinner. Keep it simple. Don't overthink it. And be sure to follow our no-no's below - you might want to double check your toast or speech after you write it to make sure it falls in line with our tips, too!
Even if you know that everyone in attendance at the wedding or rehearsal dinner knows who you are, you still need to introduce yourself. Period. No exceptions here. You must introduce yourself.
Make your introduction short and simple. Remember, this speech is not about you, it's about the couple getting married. Introduce yourself by name and explain your relationship to the couple. Simple as that!
Yes, really...keep your wedding speech or toast under 3 minutes. No excuses or long drawn out stories.
Trust us, any wedding speech or toast that is longer than three minutes and you will lose the attention of the wedding guests. Guests will be picking up their phones, heading for the bar or, worse, start talking among themselves if your wedding speech or toast is too long.
Pro Tip: Don't know how long your wedding speech or toast is? Practice it. To keep it short and under 3 minutes, it's important to practice your speech ahead of time and be sure to time yourself when you do so. You'll be surprised how easy it might be to keep talking past 3 minutes!
The wedding guests are there to enjoy an evening of celebration so be sure to keep your wedding speech or toast light hearted and fun loving.
Bringing up serious or overly sad subjects can sometime put a damper on the celebration, even if you feel they are key to the couple's story or your speech or toast
Consider saving anything more serious for your personal card congratulating the bride and her partner so you can keep your maid of honor speech all smiles!
You might know one of the couple getting married better than the other and that's OK. It is important to address the one that you know the most, but also address both of them together as a couple.
Be sure not to fill a wedding speech or toast about one of the couple over the other - and certainly do not fill a speech all about the one partner and you.
Your wedding toast or speech should be about the couple, so be sure to mention both partners individually and then them together as a couple.
Pro Tip: Things like when the couple met or when you knew they were "mean to be" are a cute topic to choose to talk about in a wedding toast or speech.
Ok, here's the advice you've been waiting for...what not to say in your maid of honor or best man speech or toast: Absolutely, no swearing. Even if it is your personality, it's just poor taste and can put a damper on your otherwise stellar speech or toast.
Also a big no-no for wedding toast and speeches is talking about ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends or previous relationships. Even if it might seem funny or a good joke that everyone will enjoy, just say "no" and avoid it in your speech or toast.
Again, this wedding day/celebration/weekend is all about the couple getting married, no one else!
When it comes to the best, most memorable wedding speeches and toasts, you should say "yes" to compliments and say "no" to insults and funny jokes.
Often, friends and family try to make their wedding speech or toast funny and somehow 'funny' comes out as jokes that laugh at the bride or the groom or their partner.
A good joke and some laughter from the crowd is never a bad thing, just be sure it's not at the expense of the wedding couple or one of the individuals.
Remember, this is a wedding speech or toast, not a roast. There is a time and place for roasting their wedding is not one of them.
Be sure to say "thank you" to the wedding or event hosts in your wedding speech or toast! Another simple thing to insert into your wedding toast or speech is thanking the couple's parents or anyone who paid for the wedding celebration or any part of the weekend's festivities.
You don't have to come out and overtly say "thank you for paying for all of this," but is good manors to thank or acknowledge the wedding or rehearsal dinner host.
It's a nice gesture to thank those who paid for the celebration or helped in planning the day and bringing everyone together to celebrate!
Are you ready to write your maid of honor or best man speech now? We're right here with you as you write your wedding speech. Follow our simple tips and be sure to avoid our list of 'what not to say' in your speech...and you'll be golden!
Looking for more inspiration for your wedding planning process? Check out the Garter Girl Loves series of blog posts or find all of my wedding planning advice here on my blog.
With love, The Garter Girl
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