Begin by introducing yourself using your full name and your relationship to the bride or groom. If you’re going the light and humorous route, adding something like, “my sun sign is aries and I love long walks on the beach” will get a quick laugh and boost your confidence. Include a few sentences about how you became friends with the bride/groom or how long you’ve been friends.
Share a memory about the moment your friend knew he/she was going to spend forever with the bride/groom, or a funny story about the couple that others wouldn’t know about. Keep the speech about the couple. If you’re the maid of honor, share memories that include the groom and vice versa if you are the best man. Keep it simple. A toast longer than five minutes, can lose momentum. Your story should have a point that shows why this couple is perfect for eachother.
Close with inspiring wishes for the happy couple. Recite a line from their favorite movie, song or book and then add your personal spin on it. For example, Robin Williams said “It doesn’t matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other” in Good Will Hunting. Well let’s toast to the very definition of perfection, the happy couple. If you start strong and end strong, no one will remember if you slipped up in the middle.
Wedding Speech No-No’s
- Avoid sharing potentially embarrassing stories that older relatives may smirk at.
- If this is not the first wedding for either party, don’t bring it up.
- Don’t share Spring break, wild weekend or any other tales that might make the couple look bad in the eyes of their family and new in-laws
- No cursing