We have heard these before many times. We may have helped others prepare a wedding speech. Trust, this is very different from giving that speech yourself. The world changes totally when you are on the other side of the table. What you had been hearing till now, has to be delivered by you. You need all of confidence on that day, even a thought may cross your mind - I wish I weren't here or that why somebody just didn't invent a time machine? Giving wedding speech is not all that difficult as it is made out to be. We have lot of questions before preparing the wedding speech. If you follow a particular plan to achieve this, you will not only be able to deliver a perfect speech, you will enjoy it.

First thing to be kept in mind about wedding speeches - prepare yourself thoroughly, not just before wedding, but right from the time you have been selected the Best Man or Maid of Honor. Same applies to parents. Give as much time as possible to preplan on this aspect.

Pen down all the thoughts you may have about the subject. Even if some wild idea pops up, don't reject it. You can always filter it out later. Decide on the likely time you will be spending on speech delivery. Remember, even if you plan a short speech, it is going to require equal amount of time to prepare. However, if you really don't like yourself to imagine you giving speech for a long time, keep the speech for a small time period. Once you have decided on the points to be covered in the speech, jot them down in the same sequence. Convert these ideas or trigger points into sentences.

Once you have prepared the speech, practice it as many times as possible before the D-day.

Mirror is an excellent companion for such situations. Rehearsing it in front of the mirror can help build your confidence. Keep on looking at yourself while delivering the speech. While you are actually delivering the speech, it is never a good idea to read it totally from a piece of paper. Better strategy will be to prepare an index of ideas on a small piece of paper and then chant out the speech prepared by you. Your speech should be harmonized with the trigger points on the index paper being carried by you. You are guaranteed to be through with it with no increase in blood pressure.

Wedding toasts are a great way to wish the new couple well, but it can be hard to get it just right if you've never done it before. If you feel a lot of emotion about the union, it may be even more difficult to get the toast just right. Keeping it simple really helps, as well as keeping it short. Remember that a toast is simply a way to let the new couple know that you are excited for them, and that you were happy that they made you a part of their day. The more you try to put into a toast the more complicated it can be, so don't try to pack too much into the toast.

Samples

Below is a very simple toast that you can use regardless of how well you know both of the bride and the groom. This is also a great way to make a toast when you really want to wish the couple well but you aren't too sure what to say!

"First, I wanted to say congratulations to Bill and Nancy! I am so happy for the both of you and I know that today is the first day of what will be a very long marriage. I also want to thank the two of you for inviting me and making me a part of your big day. I know that there will be many more celebrations of your love and your marriage in the future!"

Below is a more intimate toast that you will find works well for close friends and family and will help you convey a bit more personal emotion.

"Congratulations, you two! I know that everyone is saying great things to you, but I had to get up and really express how happy I am for you. I know that both of you have been looking forward to this day for quite awhile, and I have to say that it couldn't have been more beautiful. I know that you have a lot of great plans for the future and I can't wait to sit back and watch them unfold for you. Congratulations, Bill and Nancy!"

As you can see, you can keep it really simple or you can add a bit more personalization to a toast. Usually a toast is just a few minutes long, so you don't need to get into long stories or convoluted hopes for the new couple. Instead, keep things short and sweet but be sure to convey your happiness for the new couple. If you don't know the personalities of both the bride and the groom well, keep humor limited and clean, just so that you are sure you don't offend anyone.

What would a wedding reception be without the traditional wedding toast? It's like having a wedding cake without the icing. The wedding toast is a profoundly moving gesture, as it conveys to the bride and groom the heartfelt wishes of everyone who attended the wedding.

Sequence of the Toasts

The wedding toast is usually given first by the best man, then the father, the groom and the bride, and then followed by those who would like to give a toast. Versions may vary, however.

Other traditional sequences of wedding toasts also follow the best man as the first one to give the toast, followed by the groom who says a few words to his bride, parents, family, and members of the wedding party. After which, the groom is then followed by other people such as family members or friends who also want to give a toast, and then lastly, the father of the bride who thanks everyone for attending the wedding.

On the other hand, a nontraditional manner of the sequence of wedding toasts starts off with the emcee toasting the bride and groom. This is followed by the groom saying a few words to the guests and his bride, followed by the bride giving a little speech to her parents and in-laws, and finally, the father of the bride thanking everyone who shared this special day with them.

The Actual Toast

Ever since a monk named Dom Perignon invented champagne, it has since become the number one drink during wedding toasts. So before performing the wedding toast, make sure that your own glass as well as the glasses of other people (most especially the bride and groom's) are also filled with drink.

Stand next to the bride and groom when giving your toast, and using a spoon, tap your own glass in order to get people's attention. Raise your glass using your right hand held straight from your shoulder, and then you can begin the wedding toast.

Wedding Toast Tips

Preparing the Speech: Practice!

Giving a wedding toast, albeit a short one, in front of so many people can be quite a nerve-wracking experience. However, it doesn't really have to be, not as long as you come prepared. Write your speech down so you would know exactly what to say. Let it come straight from your heart, so that you would be able to convey the sentiments you want to impart to the couple you are toasting. You can also try showing it to someone for comment so that you can get feedback in improving on your speech. Remember to keep on practicing until you feel confident and comfortable enough to deliver it in front of a crowd.

K.I.S.S.
Keep your wedding toast brief and straight to the point, since you wouldn't want to divert attention away from the happy couple. Nobody wants to listen to an extremely long speech, so remember this word—K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short and Simple). A good measurement of a wedding toast is around 3 minutes.

Giving the Speech

In giving the wedding toast, speak loudly and clearly especially if you don't have a microphone, so that people would understand what you're going to say. Talking loudly gives you a certain presence, and now that you have the audience's undivided attention, it's important to hold it by not mumbling your words. So remember to talk slowly, because this is not a race to get you to finish your speech as fast as you can. Remember, people actually want to hear what you have to say.

Make Eye Contact and Smile!

Having your speech or cue cards printed out is indeed a great help in giving a wedding toast, but remember not to read it straight out from beginning to end. Make eye contact with the audience, so that they would feel that you really are speaking to them. Oh yeah, and don't forget the most important detail of all: Smile! This is a joyous event, and your smile should actually say so!

One of the, if not the most important duties of the maid of honor is to give the maid of honor speech. This speech is a big part of the wedding ceremony and usually happens within the first half of the wedding reception before people leave, so you will no doubt have a full crowd when giving your speech.

While the best man’s speech is equally important, he will focus more on the groom then on the bride, so it’s your job to keep the bride happy and entertain her with your speech. There are a few tips when it comes to giving a maid of honor speech that will almost guarantee it to be a big success and that’s what I’m going to show you in this article today.

The best speeches are usually the funny one’s where every one in the crowd is laughing not just the bride. Telling stories about growing up together and funny things that happened to you is a great way to get your speech going. A lot of maid of honors when giving a speech like to wing it and not write anything down on paper and just hope for the best. I think on such a big day, the least you can do is make an effort and write down a few prepared remarks.

We all know that the majority of people don’t like to speak in front of other people, we tend to get very nervous when we know we have to make a speech and having prepared notes makes life a lot easier on that front as well.

Here are some of the things you can talk about in your speech. If you and the bride grew up together, you could talk about all the silly things you did as kids. You should talk about how you and the bride met each other and how you became friends. This is quite a popular way to start a speech, by letting the audience know who you are and how you know the bride. I feel it sets the right tone for the rest of the speech. You can talk about what the bride use to tell you about the groom when they first started dating and make a funny story out of that.

Then if you want to get into a more substantial part of your speech, start talking about how great the bride and groom look together, make a spiritual comment or something meaningful from you to the bride and groom and of course you cannot forget to give them some marital advice then wish them luck on their journey.

Hopefully these tips will give you some idea on what to say when giving a maid of honor speech.