Posts Tagged ‘maid of honor’

How to Deliver a Wedding Toast

After weeks, months and sometimes years of preparation, your friend or loved one’s wedding day is here. And a wedding just wouldn’t be a wedding without a toast! If you’ve been asked to give a toast it’s quite an honor (not just anyone gets to hold that microphone), but it can be a little nerve-wracking too. Whether you’re the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, or other honored wedding guest, here are a few tips on how to write and deliver the perfect wedding toast.

Procrastination is the First Step to Failure

The bride or groom holds you in high enough esteem to ask you to make a toast, and you need to approach this task with the same amount of seriousness. The last thing you want is to be writing your speech on a cocktail napkin five minutes before you’re supposed to speak. Write your toast at least three weeks before the wedding to give yourself time to edit your work, have others give you their suggestions, and most importantly, memorize what you’re going to say.

What Not to Say

First things first, what should you avoid saying in your toast? When writing your wedding toast it can be really tempting to bring up exes, embarrassing dating stories, or mention the fact that you never thought the bride or groom would settle down – but save that for the bachelor or bachelorette party. You may have been friends with the bride or groom since you were toddlers, but not everyone may appreciate the sense of humor the two of you share. Worse yet, the audience may laugh, but you could leave the happy couple feeling embarrassed, uncomfortable or even angry – big no-no!

Guests should never wonder if you are giving a toast or a roast. Don’t tell inside jokes in order to make just a few wedding guests laugh, and don’t say anything you wouldn’t repeat to your mother-in-law or grandmother if she were the only one in the room. If you know something is a touchy subject between the bride or groom (or possibly the bride and groom’s families) avoid these at all cost.

What to Say

Even if you think you’ve met every single person at the reception, start off by introducing yourself with a brief description of how long and in what capacity you’ve known the bride and groom. You want everyone to know why you were chosen for your role in the wedding and what gives you the authority to be toasting the couple. If you’ve been friends since grade school you might briefly explain how you met on monkey bars at the playground, but if you met in an unpleasant place or situation try to focus on your present friendship.

Next, you can share a funny story about the couple (remember to stick to humor that everyone will appreciate), what you thought when you found out they were engaged, or simply express how happy you are that they’ve tied the knot. Make sure you are toasting both the bride and groom. If you don’t know one of them very well (which is often the case), mention how much you are looking forward to the second act of your friendship with the bride or groom, complete with their new spouse. If you know both of them well enough, throw in a few words about the perfect nature of their union. ("Their mutual love for Adam Sandler movies and Marcel Proust’s late-19th century literature make them the perfect couple.")

Your speech doesn’t need to be long or overly complicated (avoid using words you wouldn’t use in your everyday life); whatever you say, say it simply and say it quickly. Two or three minutes are sufficient for a wedding toast, especially if a large number of people are planning to speak.

End on a High Note

Last but not least, use the authority that you established in the beginning of your speech to assure the new bride or groom that they have made the right choice in partnering with your friend, son or daughter. ("As Mike’s mother I can say with certainty that Angela has chosen the handsomest, funniest, and kindest man to spend the rest of her life with.") You’re basically giving their relationship two thumbs up.

Offer any advice you may have for a long, happy marriage and wish the couple a joyful future. Close your toast by thanking the couple for including you in one of the happiest days of their lives, congratulating them, and introducing the next person to speak (if you’re the last person to give your wedding toast, hand off the microphone to the DJ).

What’s My Line?

Practice, practice and more practice is the key to pulling off the perfect toast without sounding too rehearsed or letting your nerves get the best of you. Your wedding toast to the bride and groom should be sincere yet spontaneous at the same time, so leave the index cards at home. If you absolutely know you are going to forget your speech, write down the main points of your toast on a 3×5 card so you can look down every once in a while for a reminder. As long as you remember the gist of what you wanted to say, no one will know if you flub up a line or two.

Remember, your friend, family member or loved one picked you to speak at their wedding for a good reason – because they love and trust you! They don’t expect your toast to be absolutely perfect. Just speak from your heart, and let the spirit of the occasion carry the rest of the wedding toast. Avoid drinking too much alcohol prior to speaking, follow these tips and be sincere, and you will be sure to deliver a fantastic wedding toast!

http://www.PerfectWeddingGuide.com/ helps Brides and Grooms through the sometimes challenging, but always exciting process of planning a wedding and honeymoon. Any wedding planner or bride can benefit from the unique wedding guide tips, trends, and helpful wedding planning tools at PerfectWeddingGuide.com.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Wedding Toast – Deliver It the Way People Will Remember It For Long!

Wedding is no doubt a changeover in a man’s / woman’s life. But it can be a memorable one for the couple if they get everything going as per their plans on their Big Day. What if they get to listen to the most interesting wedding toast? They can cherish their wedding day in their memories for long.

What’s a Wedding Toast? It’s a speech delivered at wedding and it can be delivered by the Best Man at wedding, a groomsman, groom’s friends, bridesmaid, Maid of Honor or parents of either bride or groom and anyone who wants to wish the couple. It should be remembered that delivering a wedding toast is an honor in itself and a great privilege.

However, it is not all that easy and simple to stand up in front of 100+ people. You will feel that your tongue is locked! It can be a jittery feeling especially for first-time speakers. But they can still deliver a memorable wedding toast if they do some prior research, write down the speech and practice and rehearse well before the actual date.

The first thing you need to mentally tune yourself is to stand at ease. This will enable you to be your normal self. Once you are your normal being, you can deliver an interesting and mesmerizing wedding toast.

After that you need to jot down the speech and just remember to keep it short and sweet (put yourself in listener’s position). Let the speech start with a small intro as how you are related to the newly wed groom or bride. If you happen to be the Best Man or Maid of Honor, extend thanks to the bride, groom and their respective parents.

If you have been associated with bride or groom or both, narrate a funny anecdote involving them. However, keep a watch on obscenity. Humor stands apart from obscenity; never tell anything that might put the bride/groom. No rivalries at this point. Jot down some good hit jokes with relevance to marriage and neatly space these jokes in between your wedding toast to make the audience spellbound. As a thumb rule never pour boring suggestions on to the bride or the groom.

Try to relive funny incidents that involve the newlyweds and it is going to bring tons of blushes on the bride’s cheeks and it will surely be a treat for everyone to watch her blushes blossoming deep.

It is not a bad idea to read some great one liner or quotes of great people. You can do that to just add an extra element of humor and fun and they will be remembered for quite long. To read a wedding toast humorously, one need to have perfect timing and you will get it with more of practice. Read it in front of a mirror before the wedding day.

At the end of the speech, lift the glass and propose the toast. Convey cheers to the newlywed and the crowd. You may even tune the party mood by saying a funny punch line.

A wedding toast delivered in an informal humor tone will be remembered for a very long time, it is though difficult to deliver such a speech but certainly it is not an impossible one.

Jerry Leung designs Modern Chinese Wedding Invitation with Dragon and Phoenix Art. He runs a website on Wedding Ring Bearer Pillow. Be sure to check Ideas on Chocolate Seashell Wedding Favors.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

The Wedding Toast From the Father of the Bride – Easy Tips on Being Funny While Still Being Classy

Both the best man and maid of honor speeches are certainly important, but in the end, no moment at the reception or words of advice are more revered than the comments made in the wedding toast from the father of the bride. It is the definitive moment where – as many people believe – the father truly gives away his daughter.

But to make a grandiose moment less pressure-filled for the speaker, it’s always good advice to offer a few jokes to lighten the collective mood. Although that sounds easy, it’s not terribly simple. It is here where one needs to have a firm grasp of what proper toast etiquette is.

When delivering a wedding toast from the father of the bride, it is vitally important not to offend or overly embarrass anyone. The best man’s speech is usually meant to be the most "rowdy" of the bunch, while the wedding toast from the father of the bride is more formal in nature.

With that said, what is appropriate for the father to joke about? According to toast etiquette, a wedding toast from the father of the bride can poke fun at the following:

* his family in general; such as lighthearted comments about how dysfunctional the family may be or "weird", funny things you’ve done together. Do not poke fun at the groom’s family.
* the bride; especially stories from her upbringing or how she acted after meeting her future husband (if it makes for a nice story). Do not, however, under any circumstances embarrass her. Never mention ex-boyfriends or "flings".
* the groom; these can make for the best jokes of all, but remember to keep the mood light. Stories of when you first met the groom often times make for an excellent chance to be comical in the wedding toast from the father of the bride!

But now that you know what not to say and do, where do you turn for ideas and concepts you can use in constructing your speech? What are other nuggets of information regarding toast etiquette that you need to know? Where can you find definitive lists of what you need to say, whom you need to thank, and helpful tips in how to deliver your speech?

The answers to these questions can be found by visiting the link in the author area today. At this fantastic site — which is fully devoted to the wedding toast – you will be able to read reviews and see what the internet’s best sites have to offer so you can make an informed decision on which one best suits your needs. Get on your way to having that jaw-dropping wedding toast from the father of the bride in no time!

Gus Miller is an expert on the art of public speaking and specifically, the wedding toast. Gus has had the pleasure of giving many toasts throughout his life in every setting imaginable. Find how you can deliver a fantastic wedding toast by clicking herenow.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Speeches

Wedding rehearsal dinners are very cherished and personal events and are usually held just prior to the wedding night. Out of the entire wedding celebrations and festivities, the wedding rehearsal dinner is the one special event which bride and groom are likely to enjoy and remember than any other wedding event. But wedding preparations tend to be so hectic that the composition of a well versed speech may prove to be a very stressful situation for many.

A wedding rehearsal dinner is considered to be a rewarding experience for the new couple and their families as it is conducted on a smaller base and is more intimate. Only the close relatives of both the bride and groom are in attendance whereas, a wedding reception hosts hundreds of guests whom the bride and groom barely know. The bride and groom have a golden chance in the rehearsal dinner to acknowledge all the people who have helped in the wedding arrangements. The dinner can be held in any place, whether a backyard, a rented room or can be in form of a barbecue.

Arrangement of a wedding rehearsal dinner comprises of getting the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, and other family members to practice their speeches. The best man and maid of honor will practice giving a short speech before dinner and the father of the bride will also give a welcome speech for all the guests. The bride and the groom may also put some sincere thankful thoughts into words and give a short speech to honor all their guests.

It is advisable to write your speech well in advance say about two weeks before the wedding. Keeping the speech short and sweet is the key to catching your audience’s ears. The speech should be simple and usage of difficult words and literature style should be avoided as that tends to get boring. An easy, heartfelt speech is sure to gladden the new couple and the guests more than a one with heavy handed words. An ideal wedding speech would be about 4 to 5 minutes, composed of words dedicated to the bride or the groom’s positive qualities and memorable moments of life. It is also important to adopt a light, frank tone rather than droning on in a matter of fact way, preaching way as this may cast a dull tone over the festive atmosphere.

The most embarrassing situation would be to blow up your chance at delivering the speech. Practice well in front of a small audience to boost your confidence before the rehearsal dinner. A wedding speech is considered as a gift for the bride and groom if composed and delivered well, as a speech on their special occasion is something that will last forever in their memories.

All in all, a wedding rehearsal dinner will be gracefully ended by giving a toast to the happy couple. A round of drinks will be passed and final bows made. Champagne is considered most appropriate for such an occasion.

Need help FAST with wedding rehearsal dinner speeches? Learn how to write and deliver a speech that will leave them all speechless! Get help writing your wedding rehearsal dinner speeches here!

Article Source: ArticleSpan

How To Deliver Great Wedding Speeches

So you have been asked to give a speech at a wedding? It does not matter if you are the bride, the groom, the best man, the father of the bride or the maid of honor; it is still a scary ordeal for anyone. With the ideas below, I hope that you will become more comfortable with writing them and also with delivering great wedding speeches.

The best way to get a wedding speech started is to thank everyone present who is of importance to the bride and groom as well as everyone who helped set up the wedding. Depending on your role, the amount of time spent on thank you varies.

Telling a funny story about either the bride or groom is also a good way to start great speeches. Make sure the funny story you tell is not vulgar or terribly rude that might hurt the marriage before it even has a chance to get started.

It is also beneficial to impart your wisdom and experience to the bride and groom your personal lessons learnt over the years about relationships and marriage, and anything else you feel will benefit the newlyweds.

Relax when you are up there delivering your wedding speech. When doing so, talk about the groom, the bride, the family and friends. The speech should not forget the guests who have taken time off their busy schedules to be present for the wedding. It is a great family occasion, and the speech must capture this spirit. Here is a quick outline for great wedding speeches.

* Opening – You may want to start by making comments about the lovely affair and how it began.

* Illustration – Tell stories that show your relationship with the bride and groom including your comments about the couple based on the illustration.

* Humor – Pick something humorous that applies to the couple and is appropriate to the audience. Find something funny and have the whole reception hall laughing. Keep it clean, and you will be fine.

* Closing – End with something emotional that will move everyone’s heart. A lot of times, it is not the words that are moving, but the emotion that drives the speech. Poems are always good emotional material to use. Try to find one that speaks of married love, rather than the newness of love. This will demonstrate your faith in their new marriage, rather than concentrating on the courtship. Be yourself and be true to the couple for you will be appreciated.

* Toast – Remember to Keep It Short and Sweet or use the KISS principle. Make sure that you acknowledge the bride and groom by looking at them while you offer up your wedding toast at the end of your speech. After all, it is their day. Make them the center of all the attention. Be of good cheer and have fun.

Delivering great wedding speeches will make a strong impact on everyone present. If you are not feeling creative, there are a lot of ways such as using wedding speech samples to come up with great speeches so you will not feel like you are under too much pressure.

Miriam Boh offers great tips on speech writing and public speaking at WeddingCeremonySpeech.com. Learn how to give great wedding speeches that impress the bride, groom, and everyone else in the wedding reception with heartfelt and meaningful messages that they will fondly remember. Check out http://www.weddingceremonyspeech.com for more tips.

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Tips About Wedding Speeches

If you ask a couple what the most memorable part of their wedding was, often they will answer that it was a heartfelt wedding speech. Even though that is often the case, not much effort is put into wedding speeches, at least in comparison to the planning that goes into the rest of the event.

A well-written wedding speech will often be remembered and cherished for many years to come. It may even be referenced during anniversaries and other important moments in the lives of the couple.

Most of the time, the wedding speeches are offered by one or more of the people who are the closest and most important to the bride or the groom, or both. This is often undertaken by the best man, the maid of honor, the parents of the couple or a brother or sister of the bride or the groom.

The average length of a marriage speech, depending on how many people have been asked to speak, is usually from three to ten minutes long. What happens many times is that people will become nervous when giving wedding speeches and will have a tendency to speak very fast, making it hard to be understood or they may speak too slow, causing people to become bored.

To avoid this problem, anyone giving a marriage speech should take the time to rehearse it in private to become comfortable with what they are planning to say. Having a written outline to refer to during the speech will also help to eliminate the embarrassment of forgetting what one intended to say.

wedding speeches should focus on talking about things that are important to the bride and groom, particularly things that relate to their relationship. Little-known stories about how the couple met, where they met, or what the spark was that started the whole thing, can be integrated into the speech to make it more interesting. Also, observations about positive or romantic ways in which their relationship blossomed, given from the perspective of the speaker, can add personal insights about the newlyweds.

However, it should always be remembered that the purpose of such speeches and toasts is to honor and recognize the couple and should focus on them in an upbeat and respectful way. Humor can often be a very effective tool when giving such a speech, but courtesy should be taken into consideration to avoid mean-spirited comments and cutting humor. Such negative attempts and interjecting humor has ruined many best man speeches and other marriage toasts.

Overall, it should be remembered that the most important element of wedding speeches is for the speaker to offer words of congratulations and support that are sincere and which come from the heart. A good, heartfelt marriage speech will also help to set the tone for each wedding toast that is sure to follow.

Generally, the first marriage toast is performed as part of the final speech to honor the bride and groom. The toast should sum up all the speeches and end on a high note. Traditionally, as the toast is being made, the bride’s glass is then filled first, followed by the groom’s. The maid of honor and the balance of the marriage party then have their glasses filled, followed by the parents of the couple, with the best man being served last.

wedding speeches can be a wonderful way to take part in such a special and momentous day in the life of the new couple. Spending time to prepare a few significant and thoughtful words and polishing the speech in advance is a terrific way to honor the couple and to make your wedding speech more meaningful.

Mike Selvon’s portal at http://weddingspeeches.niche-education.com/ will expand your horizon on preparing wedding speeches. Visit us and leave a comment at our blog at http://www.mynicheportal.com/relationships/wedding/ where a free gift awaits you.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Free Wedding Speeches Can Help Novice Speakers

While these free speech resources might not turn you into a polished public speaker, they can give you some pointers and tips to on how to make your words more refined.

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How to Excel at Wedding Speeches

Being prepared will ease your nerves and give you more confidence so that you can give a wedding speech that everyone will enjoy.

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Wow Your Bride on Your Wedding Day with an Impressive Groom Speech

Are you worried about what you are going to say for your wedding speech?

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