Wedding Reception Toasts

Probably most of you have seen that ridiculous scene in The Wedding Planner where Jennifer Lopez’s character feeds the best man a toast line-by-line through an earpiece. Ridiculous because, well honestly, that’s not really something wedding planners do. The best man and maid of honor’s toasts to the bride and groom should be personal, customized and prepared ahead of time. Can it be intimidating? Sure. But as wedding planners, something that we DO do is help steer you in the right direction. Here are a few easy suggestions to help make sure your toast to the happy couple is something special.

Plan ahead and practice. Write out your speech and practice, practice, practice, not only in front of a mirror but also in front of someone you trust to give you objective, honest feedback. Make notes of key thoughts on a cheat sheet to use during the toast if you feel you might need it. Oh, and practice some more.

Keep it positive and clean. This is a toast, not a roast. Save the hilarious, possibly embarrassing strolls down memory lane for the bachelor/bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinner.

Make it personal. Acknowledge how you know the bride and/or groom and briefly express what they mean to you. Maybe also include some of the reasons why they go together like biscuits and butter.

Stay sober. All the practice in the world will do you no good if you have had too much to drink by the time you give your toast. Enough said.

Keep it short and sweet. Try to keep to one to three minutes, and take your time, speaking clearly and slowly. Remember to breathe.

At the end, be sure and remember to actually toast the couple. Ask the guests to join you in raising your glass to the newlyweds, saying “to Suzy and John…”

If you need some inspiration, check out this video highlight we shared with you in the past of one of our beautiful weddings that has a couple of really sweet toasts from the matron of honor and the bride’s father. Love these!

Happy toasting!