By: Throughout the years, we’ve had a few best men, maids of honor or matrons of honor call us to ask advice on how to give a good toast or speech. The advice is always, “make it personal”. This is a terrific example:
This speech has it all. Interesting story, little tidbtis about the bride and groom, dancers, and a really kickin’ 1990’s vibe. Well, the 90’s vibe and dancers may not be for everyone, it the obvious thought that went into this that counts. The maid of honor even brought out props (in a clean way) and everyone learned something. It also share information about some of the other attendees.
The advice we give to those looking to give a good speech,
- Keep it from the heart
- Include something cute, funny and/or a little embarrassing about the person you’re giving the speech about.
- Keep it between 3-5 minutes, though if it goes longer, that’s ok, as long as it is informative.
- Make sure it’s informative, people should learn something, or those who already know the story should feel comfortable the share the details
- Don’t talk about exes, except in extreme situations where an ex is responsible for the two meeting and the ex is liked by both parties, don’t talk about the exes.
- If you think you don’t have a sense of humor, that’s ok. Ask for help. The bride, groom and guests who know you will appreciate you going outside of your comfort zone.
- HOLD THE MIC CLOSE TO YOUR MOUTH. The microphone isn’t magic, it doesn’t amplify your voice just because you’re holding it, it needs to be kept close to your mouth.
- If you think someone in the audience might be offended, ask if you should tell the story. If you KNOW a lot will be offended, DON’T! With larger gatherings, there will be some who might blush at a sexual innuendo. They will be in shock if you demonstrate, so don’t do that.
- Have it written down, whether it’s notes, or the whole speech, have it written down on a piece of paper. In instances in which we’re DJing, we even recommend sending a copy to your DJ who will have a copy with him/her when you arrive. You can never have too many bases covered.
- Do not have it on your iPhone, iPad, or Droid device without a hard copy. We’ve seen the battery literally die on the speech giver in the middle of the speech.
Good luck on your speech, have fun, don’t over think it, and know that the people you’re dedicating it to will love it because you gave it as long as it comes from the heart.
