Page 42 - Indulge February/March 2016
P. 42
CHEERS: KEEP IT BRIEF. While there might be many things you want
What to say in the toast to say, try to express yourself as concisely as possible.
Convey your relationship with the bride and/or groom, but
Wedding toasts are a tradition that many guests avoid lengthy histories that might come off as rambling.
and wedding participants look forward to. An While personal anecdotes that shed some humorous light
opportunity for maids of honor and best men to express on your relationship are great additions to wedding toasts,
their feelings about the bride and groom, wedding toasts avoid going into too much detail when telling such stories,
often touch on the heartfelt and the humorous while focusing instead on the parts of the stories that illustrate
shedding light on the relationship between the happy your feelings and generate a few laughs.
couple and the men and women they have chosen to
play such significant roles at their wedding. While guests AVOID BEING TOO FORMAL. Even the most formal wedding
might enjoy wedding toasts, best men and maids of honor
may be nervous about honoring the brides and grooms can benefit from a toast that veers more toward the
in such public settings. That anxiety is perfectly normal, spontaneous. While you want to thank the parents of the
especially for those who have never before been asked bride and groom for hosting the wedding and the guests
to serve as maid of honor or best man. Those tasked for being on hand to celebrate, don’t feel as though you
with toasting the newly anointed husband and wife can need to be especially formal. Giving a less formal speech
consider the following tips to make the task a little easier. also may help calm your nerves.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Practice your speech
ahead of time so you are not reading from cards or
notepads during the toast. Reading from a piece of
paper is less likely to engage the audience than if you
are speaking to them directly and sharing some heartfelt
thoughts about the bride and groom. It’s all right to hold
onto some cue cards to keep you on track as you deliver
your toast, but practicing your toast as the wedding
draws near will boost your confidence and make you more
comfortable once you have the microphone in hand.
STAY APPROPRIATE. Humor adds a lot to wedding toasts,
but make sure to clean up any humorous anecdotes so
they can be shared with all wedding guests, including
kids. In addition, avoid stories that, while humorous, may
end up embarrassing the bride and groom.
SHARE WELL WISHES. Before you raise your glass and
ask guests to do the same, express some heartfelt well
wishes for the bride and groom. Doing so is a fitting
end to a tradition that’s meant to highlight the special
relationship brides and grooms have with their maids of
honor and best men.
42 | INDULGE • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016
What to say in the toast to say, try to express yourself as concisely as possible.
Convey your relationship with the bride and/or groom, but
Wedding toasts are a tradition that many guests avoid lengthy histories that might come off as rambling.
and wedding participants look forward to. An While personal anecdotes that shed some humorous light
opportunity for maids of honor and best men to express on your relationship are great additions to wedding toasts,
their feelings about the bride and groom, wedding toasts avoid going into too much detail when telling such stories,
often touch on the heartfelt and the humorous while focusing instead on the parts of the stories that illustrate
shedding light on the relationship between the happy your feelings and generate a few laughs.
couple and the men and women they have chosen to
play such significant roles at their wedding. While guests AVOID BEING TOO FORMAL. Even the most formal wedding
might enjoy wedding toasts, best men and maids of honor
may be nervous about honoring the brides and grooms can benefit from a toast that veers more toward the
in such public settings. That anxiety is perfectly normal, spontaneous. While you want to thank the parents of the
especially for those who have never before been asked bride and groom for hosting the wedding and the guests
to serve as maid of honor or best man. Those tasked for being on hand to celebrate, don’t feel as though you
with toasting the newly anointed husband and wife can need to be especially formal. Giving a less formal speech
consider the following tips to make the task a little easier. also may help calm your nerves.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Practice your speech
ahead of time so you are not reading from cards or
notepads during the toast. Reading from a piece of
paper is less likely to engage the audience than if you
are speaking to them directly and sharing some heartfelt
thoughts about the bride and groom. It’s all right to hold
onto some cue cards to keep you on track as you deliver
your toast, but practicing your toast as the wedding
draws near will boost your confidence and make you more
comfortable once you have the microphone in hand.
STAY APPROPRIATE. Humor adds a lot to wedding toasts,
but make sure to clean up any humorous anecdotes so
they can be shared with all wedding guests, including
kids. In addition, avoid stories that, while humorous, may
end up embarrassing the bride and groom.
SHARE WELL WISHES. Before you raise your glass and
ask guests to do the same, express some heartfelt well
wishes for the bride and groom. Doing so is a fitting
end to a tradition that’s meant to highlight the special
relationship brides and grooms have with their maids of
honor and best men.
42 | INDULGE • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016
