Wedding Dinner Toasts
Whether you are giving a toast at a wedding dinner or organizing the toasts to be given, it is important to know the basic etiquette involved. Knowing how and when to give toasts is key to ensuring that these traditional speeches go over well. Etiquette has much to do with making sure wedding toasts are meaningful, well-timed and well-written.
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Who Gives a Toast
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Traditionally, the people who make toasts at weddings are the parents of the bride and groom, the bride and groom themselves, the best man and the maid of honor. Some couples may want to include more people, but if there are time constraints, the toasts should be limited to just a few people in the wedding party. No one is strictly required to give a toast, so if someone is very nervous about public speaking he should not be forced to toast the couple.
Timing
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Toasts can be given at any time during the wedding, but there are some traditional moments that many couples choose. These include before the meal, in between courses and before or after the cake cutting. Toasts should not be overly long, especially if many people are giving them. People giving toasts should be told in advance how long they will have to aid them in writing a speech of the proper length. Most toasts should last three minutes at the longest.
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Writing a Wedding Toast
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If you are giving a toast at a wedding, give yourself some time to prepare. Brainstorm ideas of what you'd like to say, outline those ideas and then flesh them out into a speech. Practice the speech ahead of time to avoid becoming tongue-tied. Ask the bride and groom how long the toast should be ahead of time.
What Should a Wedding Toast Contain?
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Wedding toasts should be personal and include references to the connections between the couple and the person giving the toast. Stories about how the couple met or memories you have with one or both of them usually go over well. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, try looking through old photographs of you and one or both members of the couple to bring back memories of time spent together. Embarrassing or negative stories about the couple should be avoided, as they might make people feel uncomfortable. Toasts can be sentimental, humorous or both. It is traditional to end the toast with advice and wishes for the couple's future. You may choose to use your own words for this, or you may find inspiration in quotes from others, poems or song lyrics. Brides and grooms giving toasts should thank their parents and guests for celebrating their marriage with them.
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References
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