Hot Tips For Making A Wedding Toast
by Sam Smith
Public speaking is rated very high on many people list of
fears. In fact it is one of the most common phobias that
people have. Therefore being asked to give the best man
speech or other toast at a wedding can be a mixed blessing.
On the one hand it is a honor to be able to get up and speak
about your friends on this special occasion. Yet on the
other hand it is a pretty big undertaking. However if you
plan ahead and follow some of the tips and advice in this
article you will have nothing to fear.
Before the Wedding
Before the actual wedding day you will want to spend a
little time thinking about your speech. This is a very
individual sport so to speak and what you do with your time
is really up to you. You are the only one that knows how you
work and so take that into consideration. For some people
writing the speech out is helpful. For others it might just
be rehearsing in front of the mirror or in the car on your
way to work. Wherever you learn best and are the most
creative. So find your optimal state and time for learning
an creative thoughts and dedicated a little bit of time over
the span of a few days to plan out your speech in whatever
form work for you.
Things To Think About
You will want to think about what you want to say. Some
thing that you might want to include in your speech could
be:
Briefly introduce yourself A quote about marriage or
appropriate joke Make sure to thank the host of the wedding
Talk about how you know them How they met If you are married
a bit of marriage advice
This not an exhaustive list but just some suggestions to
get your creative ideas flowing.
At The Wedding

Don't Drink - It is fine to drink after your speech and
have a great time and enjoy yourself. However no one wants
to hear a big long winded drunk guy spot off about marriage
in a drunken slur. So save your drinking until after the
speech is made.
Get Their Attention - When the time come to make you
speech stand up and gently tap on your glass with a fork.
You might want to practice this before hand because you want
to hit the glass hard enough for everyone to hear but it
would be really embarrassing to break the glass. After you
do this be patient and wait. One of the worst things you can
do is get upset and try to yell over everyone to get their
attention. Just stand patiently and people will quite down
Keep It Short- Again this was stated above to some degree
but keep your speech short, to the point and sweet. Leave
the audience wanting more. There is nothing worse then a
rambling speech that goes nowhere.
Focus On The Couple - The wedding day is a the special
day for the bride and groom and not for you. Therefore keep
your speech short and focus on the couple and not on
yourself. Don't take the moment in the spotlight as a time
to show off everything you know and how smart you are etc.
Instead really focus on the couple.
Finish Strong - Give a nice ending and then raise your
glass for the toast to drink.
Even though it might be nerve racking and seem scary and
uncomfortable to get up and speak in front of a large group
you can do it. Just remember that really everyone attention
is on the bride and groom and not on you. Even if you feel
uncomfortable on the inside no one knows this and at the
same time everyone else will feel sympathetic and know how
hard public speaking is. So just slow your speech down and
even if you feel nervous give off the impression that you
are in control. If you take the time to do all of the things
mentioned above you are all set up for a great and memorable
wedding speech so just go for it.