Giving a wedding speech can be a great honor – and it can be a great source of anxiety too. All those eyes watching and all those ears listening to what you have to say, the nervousness of the moment, the importance of what you say – they can all get the best of you if you don’t prepare yourself.
The good news is that giving a fantastic speech is more than doable – and you can definitely do it too! Before you clink the glasses for the bride and groom, here are some wedding toast “don’ts” you should keep in mind:
· Don’t have one too many. It’s perfectly alright to have a drink before the speech – but being completely plastered as you mumble your words of happiness and good wishes is a complete no-no.
· Don’t be too long. The perfect wedding toast should not last for more than 5 minutes – so try to stick to this time limit if you want to make sure everything is perfect for everyone.
· Don’t simply enumerate qualities. Everyone knows how wonderful the bride and groom are (and nobody really expects anyone to say something bad about them tonight anyway). Instead, back up your speech (and the qualities you emphasize) with cute, funny and romantic stories – guests will love it!
· Don’t be too emotional. Yes, this is a very sentimental moment and it’s OK to shed one tear or two. But try to keep it well-balanced: a bit of sentiment, a bit of humor and a good dose of sharing the big hopes for the couple’s future too.
· Don’t embarrass anyone. Avoid telling awkward jokes, keep it clean (and “grandmother-friendly”), and never say anything embarrassing about anyone at the wedding (not the bride, not the groom and not anyone else). Obviously, stay away from even mentioning any Exes.
· Don’t talk about topics that are always touchy. Politics, religion and race have no place in this speech. These subjects can very easily “turn” people into debaters who will spend the entire night defending their points instead of celebrating with the bride and groom.
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