It’s that time of year again, wedding season. With over 30% of all wedding receptions occurring every summer there is a good chance that you may be asked to perform a toast, or even be part of the wedding party.

Here at BarWhiz we love a good party, but being part of the actual wedding party, especially if you are designated the Best Man or Maid of Honor, comes with great responsibility, the least of which is coming up with a wedding toast.

To help make your toast go as smoothly as possible we have put together these tips for the perfect wedding toast:

#1 – Preparation
Not unlike many aspects of life, preparation is key when it comes to giving the perfect wedding toast. Sure, you may think it may come off sounding more sincere if you give a toast from the heart, as opposed to one that is scripted, but even the best of public speakers can quickly turn into a rambling mess. Take the time before the wedding to brainstorm some ideas, jot down some stories and come up with some jokes. A little preparation goes a long way.

#2 – Keep it short and sweet
When preparing what you are going to say make sure you time it as well. No one wants to hear a long, drawn-out toast, especially since you are likely holding up dinner – and won’t be the only person giving a toast that night. No matter who you are to the Bride and Groom, it is recommended to shoot for a toast that is somewhere between 3-5 minutes in length.

#3 – Develop a flow
A perfect wedding toast is like a good book. It has a certain rhythm and flow that keeps the listener wanting to hear more. When preparing your speech you want to think about developing the story. It should have a distinctive beginning, middle, and an ending that really ties everything together.

#4 – Things to avoid
There are a host of things one should avoid when drafting their wedding toast, from inside jokes to controversial topics, and everything in between. Sure, you want to use your wit and inject some humor into your toast, but if it is at the expensive of others it is not worth it. A well-crafted wedding toast will include jokes, stories and references that are both relevant and appropriate for everyone in attendance, not just the inner circle of friends that ‘were there’ at the time of the story.

#5 – Practice makes perfect
Preparation may be the key to a wedding toast, but practice will make it perfect. The idea is to practice your toast until it becomes almost second nature. Sure, you may still want to have some cue cards on hand to help keep you on track, but you most certainly do not want to be reading your toast from a piece of paper. Practice will also help with the timing of your toast, because as mentioned in the point above, you want to keep it short and sweet.

#6 – Stay sober
The most important tip we can share to help you give the perfect wedding toast, above all, is to stay sober. A little liquid courage may help to take the edge off of public speaking, but one drink too many and you can end up sounding like a drunken mess. Remember, this is your friends’ special day so don’t ruin it by getting drunk before you give your toast. Save those celebratory drinks for after the speech.

About the Author
Corey Rozon is a freelance writer from Ottawa, Canada.