Can't wait to get involved in your best friend's or family member's wedding and start your sweet and unforgettable toast? If you don't know anything about toasts, are scratching the surface, or have a bunch of ideas but don't know where to start, SHE·SAID·YES is here with the ultimate guide to toasts that will help you as much as possible!
1. What Is A Wedding Toast
A toast is a ritual during which a drink is taken as an expression to convey honor or goodwill. It’s necessary for many important occasions and times of celebration or commemoration, such as weddings, New Year’s Eve, holidays, or birthdays.
Like many modern wedding traditions, the marriage toast has its origins in the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. The ancient people believed this behavior was a rule to pay homage to the gods. And to show faith in the gods, the host needs to pour a bit of each guest’s drink into his glass. However, nowadays, it has become a tradition worldwide for friends and families to gather around to show their love and friendships in a cozy ambiance.
2. The Basic Composition Of A Toast
- Congratulations to the newlyweds.
Stand to make your sincere wishes to the couple and tell your guests what this wedding means to you today.
- Introduction of yourself.
Try to introduce yourself concisely and interestingly, without being too detailed, tell every stage of your life, after all, the main character of the wedding is not you. The main thing is to let your guests know about your relationship with the couple so that you can set the stage before your in-depth speech.
- Tell a story about the couple.
When you’re writing your speech, “choose all the anecdotes that fit the topic and support your argument. It can be a whole story or several short stories strung together. But it’s essential that the vignettes share the same theme. That will help you tie them together and make your toast feel intentional rather than random.
- Deal with both sides of the relationship.
You may not know the couple as entirely as you should, or maybe you are just a close friend of one of the couple. But even then, you can’t focus all your attention on your friend and ignore their new spouse.” Even if you’ve only met your friend’s partner once or twice before, find a way to include them in your toast. For example, you can do your best to tell the story of their engagement or share what your friend has told you about them, proving what a great partner they are.
- Go for the crowd-pleasers.
A good joke for an important occasion will cause a burst of cheerfulness and make everyone feel light-hearted and funny. But some inside and ill-timed jokes can leave nothing but embarrassment and disbelief. So pay attention to the joke part of your presentation. Remember, a little humor is fine, but this is a toast, not a roast!
- Raise your glass for a toast.
To wrap up your speech, invite everyone to raise their glass to the couple, or to love, etc., then cheers glasses together and take a sip.
