Hi. I’m Aaron Wheeler. I work for a large fortune 500 corparation. Because of the type of work I do , I have to give speeches almost every day . Over the last three years or so , I’ve been invited to come to several black tie events for my job, as well as to speek about 6 times at my friend’s and collegues weddings. People question me almost every day it seems if I can relate to them how to give a knock-out wedding speech. Eventually, after friends of mine kept saying “you need to write a book on this topic or something”, they convinced me to put together a web site. I called their bluff, and here you are. I hope to give you the best of the tips and tricks I’ve learned from years of giving speeches. Hopefully they’ll help you in getting ready for any major days like these in the future.
The Wedding Toast
You might end up feeling surprised when you think of how simple a toast seems to give when you are thinkning about it, but how tough it really is when it’s time to go to it. That’s what we’ll try to avoid, so you can have the best chance for a great toast possible. Whenever this sort of thing comes up when I’m chatting with people, most of them remark “it’s nothing. I can give toast like nobody’s business,” which most people can, whether they know it or not, but you DO need to practice first. You actually can do a good toast off the top of your head, and I advise that you do if you think you can, but even those of us who are more experienced in front of a crowd need to know that we have to at least practice by running the minimum outline of our toast through in our heads before the event . I know a lot of people who admit that they put off practicing until the night of the toast, likely in the car on their way to the event. What makes people procrastinate like this? Fear.
A toast is like a hello and farewell wrapped into the same little mini-speech. It’s usually given at the best of times, and it lets everyone there know that there’s something in the person you’re toasting that you appreciate. Many are a kind of well-wishing for the future, after whatever special event of today is done , and send off the person with the best of luck .
Q: What if they don’t laugh?
A: You don’t need them to. Some people make their toast a funny thing, but get nervous that the crowd won’t see it as such. If you’re not the most experienced public speaker in the world, my advice is not to try to shoot for the stars when it comes to being funny. A toast that comes from the heart will be much more appreciated and memorable . Only try to get really funny if you’re comfortable with the idea from previous experience, or it’s your natural personality.
Here’s my formula for a great toast: It’s all of these 3 things wrapped together in this order: a look back at good times together, a look to the future that is bright, and a tribute to good luck. To see a detailed breakdown of the above, come see my site on Wedding Speeches and Toasts.
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