ore sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how l

A Wedding Toast is a universal staple for any wedding reception. Anyone who has been to a wedding knows that a wedding toast can be executed in a multitude of ways. The different methods of giving a wedding toast are what separate the speech giver between appearing to be a generously admired hero from an ill-considered fool with their foot in their mouth. With proper preparation and guidance, the later can be avoided with no problem at all.

I've been to many weddings. With that, I've also given many wedding speeches. By no means am I a confident public speaker. I dread public speaking occasions as most people do. Yet I've give successful, witty, crowd pleasing wedding speeches time and again through the use of a very simple system of rules. These rules are conveniently outlined below and are sure to turn your Wedding Speech into a crowd pleaser. Before you read The Toast Guidelines I would like to outline some important Prerequisites to think about.

Prerequisites:

1. If you're like the majority of people out there, you're probably terrified at the thought of giving a wedding speech. RELAX. Everyone at the wedding is there to have a good time. No one is out to get you. The most important part of any wedding speech is speaking from the heart. Don't be too concerned with entertaining a bunch of people you may never see after the affair. Enjoy yourself and most importantly, let the Bride and Groom enjoy themselves while you're giving the toast. Afterall, the toast is not about you. It's about the lovely couple on their most special day.

2. Be sure to check yourself in the restroom mirror prior to making your toast. All eyes will be on you for your five minutes of fame. Once you confirm that your fly is not unzipped or your dress isn't slipping down too far, you'll have one less thing to worry about - your appearance.

3. Prior to giving the speech, don't get drunk. If you'd prefer to have a drink or two to calm your nerves, by all means go for it. But there is a fine line between a buzzed confidence and drunken foolishness. Pace yourself. You'll want your words to carry across the room as eloquently as possible. That will be much easier to do without slurring or dry heaving.

The Toast Guidelines:

1. Just like any kind of essay or speech, your toast should be composed of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In other words, it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Write down your toast on paper plenty of days (or weeks) before the affair and edit the toast to your liking. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion from a spouse, friend or family member. Some good ways to start off a toast are by commenting on what a beautiful affair it has been so far.

2. If you do not know most of the audience, it is always a good idea to identify yourself. "Hi, my name is Lisa and I've known Jen ever since we were kids..." Introducing yourself will make the speech much more enjoyable for strangers at the Wedding. They'll be able to see the moment through your eyes.

3. Feel free to insert fond memories of the bride and groom from your past. If you'd like to make the speech funny, by all means do so. However, if your jokes are facetious or shed a jokingly negative light on the bride or groom, make sure you start the middle of the speech with these jokes so you can conclude with more sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how lu

pleaser. Before you read The Toast Guidelines I would like to outline some important Prerequisites to think about.

Prerequisites:

1. If you're like the majority of people out there, you're probably terrified at the thought of giving a wedding speech. RELAX. Everyone at the wedding is there to have a good time. No one is out to get you. The most important part of any wedding speech is speaking from the heart. Don't be too concerned with entertaining a bunch of people you may never see after the affair. Enjoy yourself and most importantly, let the Bride and Groom enjoy themselves while you're giving the toast. Afterall, the toast is not about you. It's about the lovely couple on their most special day.

2. Be sure to check yourself in the restroom mirror prior to making your toast. All eyes will be on you for your five minutes of fame. Once you confirm that your fly is not unzipped or your dress isn't slipping down too far, you'll have one less thing to worry about - your appearance.

3. Prior to giving the speech, don't get drunk. If you'd prefer to have a drink or two to calm your nerves, by all means go for it. But there is a fine line between a buzzed confidence and drunken foolishness. Pace yourself. You'll want your words to carry across the room as eloquently as possible. That will be much easier to do without slurring or dry heaving.

The Toast Guidelines:

1. Just like any kind of essay or speech, your toast should be composed of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In other words, it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Write down your toast on paper plenty of days (or weeks) before the affair and edit the toast to your liking. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion from a spouse, friend or family member. Some good ways to start off a toast are by commenting on what a beautiful affair it has been so far.

2. If you do not know most of the audience, it is always a good idea to identify yourself. "Hi, my name is Lisa and I've known Jen ever since we were kids..." Introducing yourself will make the speech much more enjoyable for strangers at the Wedding. They'll be able to see the moment through your eyes.

3. Feel free to insert fond memories of the bride and groom from your past. If you'd like to make the speech funny, by all means do so. However, if your jokes are facetious or shed a jokingly negative light on the bride or groom, make sure you start the middle of the speech with these jokes so you can conclude with more sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how l

ive minutes of fame. Once you confirm that your fly is not unzipped or your dress isn't slipping down too far, you'll have one less thing to worry about - your appearance.

3. Prior to giving the speech, don't get drunk. If you'd prefer to have a drink or two to calm your nerves, by all means go for it. But there is a fine line between a buzzed confidence and drunken foolishness. Pace yourself. You'll want your words to carry across the room as eloquently as possible. That will be much easier to do without slurring or dry heaving.

The Toast Guidelines:

1. Just like any kind of essay or speech, your toast should be composed of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In other words, it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Write down your toast on paper plenty of days (or weeks) before the affair and edit the toast to your liking. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion from a spouse, friend or family member. Some good ways to start off a toast are by commenting on what a beautiful affair it has been so far.

2. If you do not know most of the audience, it is always a good idea to identify yourself. "Hi, my name is Lisa and I've known Jen ever since we were kids..." Introducing yourself will make the speech much more enjoyable for strangers at the Wedding. They'll be able to see the moment through your eyes.

3. Feel free to insert fond memories of the bride and groom from your past. If you'd like to make the speech funny, by all means do so. However, if your jokes are facetious or shed a jokingly negative light on the bride or groom, make sure you start the middle of the speech with these jokes so you can conclude with more sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how l

the toast to your liking. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion from a spouse, friend or family member. Some good ways to start off a toast are by commenting on what a beautiful affair it has been so far.

2. If you do not know most of the audience, it is always a good idea to identify yourself. "Hi, my name is Lisa and I've known Jen ever since we were kids..." Introducing yourself will make the speech much more enjoyable for strangers at the Wedding. They'll be able to see the moment through your eyes.

3. Feel free to insert fond memories of the bride and groom from your past. If you'd like to make the speech funny, by all means do so. However, if your jokes are facetious or shed a jokingly negative light on the bride or groom, make sure you start the middle of the speech with these jokes so you can conclude with more sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how l

ore sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how lucky everyone is to have shared in the moment. If you speak sincerely from the heart, you'll never sound contrived or corny. This is the part of the speech where you get to see how many tears you can jerk from the crowd. It's always my favorite.

Tips:

1. Keep the toast approximately 5 minutes.
2. Always rehearse the toast. Try to rehearse in front of people.
3. Always be aware of the crowd. The age of the attendants may range from 5 year olds to 90 year olds.
4. Feel free to read from Notes if you are very nervous. So long as you make eye contact with the Bride and Groom, you'll be a hit.
5. Don't forget to say at the end "Cheers, L'chaim, Congratulations or some kind of toast expression. You'll let the crowd know that the toast has ended with this gesture.
6. If you're nervous, practice. Don't worry, it'll all be over before you know it and if you follow my advice, you may even enjoy yourself along the way.
7. Have fun with it!