Make Sure It's A Toast and Not A Roast

Have you ever been to a wedding where the Maid of Honor's toast goes on and on or even worse the Best Man's toast is so personal and embarrassing you wish you had a rug you could hide under.  Here are 5 tips for toasting you can give to them that may help alleviate these problems, written by Julie Subotky, the author of "Consider It Done: Accomplish 228 of Life’s Trickiest Tasks":

• Focus on the Couple: The number one key to a successful toast it to make it about the couple you are toasting. Don’t talk about yourself. It’s fine to let people in on some little secret, but if you’re going to include yourself in the story, you’d better make it something really funny or interesting.

• Keep it Classy: Since the wedding reception room will be filled with family, older relatives, and close childhood friends, your toast should be PG to PG-13 rated. A bit of joking is fine but don’t go overboard, and steer clear of humor involving sex, looks/attractiveness, or any other topics that might offend.

• Short and Sweet: This is perhaps the most important rule of toast writing. At the wedding reception, people will put their expensive meals and conversations on hold while they listen to your toast. So once you cross the five-minute line, you’re in dangerous territory. Rehearse beforehand to get the timing down.

• Get Personal: Jot down a few key notes about the couple you are planning to toast. These should be personal, but not too personal (no embarrassing childhood anecdotes), and specific. The more you celebrate what makes the couple truly unique, the better.

• Follow the Winning Formula: A good plan for success is this: intro (who you are and your relationship to the couple), joke, joke, a few heartfelt words, then raise a glass. And before you sit back down, don’t forget to acknowledge and thank the audience.



Hopefully this will help you breath a little easier when the time for the toast rolls around.  Cheers!!



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