Cheers! Need help creating a memorable wedding toast? Check out this guide of dos and don'ts and find all the wedding toast inspiration you need.

Crafting a memorable wedding toast can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking. You want to create something humorous and heartfelt, but it’s just as easy to end up with something embarrassing and boring.

Newlyweds hope the wedding speeches will be well-received and enjoyed by all, so we created this guide of wedding toast ideas to help you exceed their expectations.

Don’t Wing It, Even If You Can

Practice makes perfect. And while wedding speeches don’t have to be perfect, we do recommend practicing them—at least until you’re comfortable with the words. Practice your memorable wedding toast a few times after it is written. Say your toast in front of a mirror or have someone record you to get a feel for your expressions and mannerisms. Practicing will also calm your nerves so you’ll look your best on the big day.

Try to be short and concise, but don’t skimp on being genuine and sincere. Two or three minutes tends to be a good length. Other people will want to give wedding speeches too, so be a gracious speaker and be mindful of your time and delivery.

Don’t limit your inspiration. Think of quotes, short phrases, or ideas to build your toast around. This will help it resonate with the wedding guests, and it can make your speech easier to remember so you deliver it more naturally.

When writing your memorable wedding toast, remember one thing—write how you speak. Don’t let the special occasion pressure you into writing with perfect grammar and eloquence; it’s more important to sound like yourself. The toast should reflect your true heartfelt sentiments in your own style.

Finally, think about who will be in the audience and address them. This doesn’t need to be an explicit list, but tying in people you've interacted with can keep people’s attention. It’s likely been a long day. Engage the audience and make them smile.

Afarose Insider Tips: Worried about the speeches being too boring or outdated? Add a fresh twist to traditional wedding speeches by sprinkling them throughout the reception as entertainment, instead of one lengthy segment. Consider a joint toast if one person is less comfortable speaking publicly. If some of your guests can’t make it to the celebration, share the warm thoughts on social media by going live or posting a recording of the wedding speeches.

Introduce Yourself First

It’s tempting to think everyone knows you, but that’s not always the case. People of all ages and different stages of the newlyweds’ life are at a wedding.

Before diving into your speech, take a moment to let everyone know who you are and what your relationship to the couple is. Consider something like this:

“Good evening everyone! I’m [Name], the [relation to the newlywed couple]. Thank you for being here to celebrate the marriage of [newlywed couple]. Congratulations, [newlywed couple]!”

People should applaud at this point, so take a second to get a sip of water. This will calm your nerves and quench your palette—you don’t want to get halfway through the toast and start coughing or get a dry mouth.

Then, the focus is back on you and your speech. You can reiterate your relationship to the couple, then go into your remarks. You’ll want to start strong to capture the audience’s attention right away, so decide whether you’ll kick things off with a sentimental story or with a joke.

If you have trouble keeping your thoughts together, write some brief notes to reference. This doesn’t have to be the whole speech; rather, jot down a few points to help jog your memory.

Avoid Talking About Embarrassing Moments in the Wedding Toast

A memorable wedding toast is one that captivates your guests with loving sentiments and memories. Adding humor to wedding speeches is an excellent idea, but avoid the embarrassment pitfall.

Efforts to be funny can easily turn into roasting the couple, which can lead to hurt feelings. This might make your speech memorable, but it will be for all the wrong reasons. It’s best to leave out stories about crappy exes or avoid blatantly embarrassing situations that aren’t public knowledge.

Don’t embarrass yourself, either. Leaving out curse words is standard practice for special occasions, even if the family is accustomed to them. Don’t steal the spotlight from the newlyweds by having a potty mouth.

Want to be sure nothing distasteful slips into your speech? Pace yourself on the pre-wedding or cocktail hour drinks. Having one too many can slur your speech and make you more likely to say something you’ll regret later.

Focus on Memories and Milestones

A wedding brings together good memories from the past and establishes a new milestone in the couple’s life. Your memorable wedding toast will be part of this milestone forever, so treat your speech with honor. Think about the significant role you’ve played in the couple’s lives, including the memories you’ve already made and will continue to make.

Add a heart-warming touch to your wedding speech by weaving in these precious memories with your well wishes. Smile as you reminisce and give a comfortable amount of eye contact. Look at the happy couple of course, but pan the crowd on occasion to interact with them and draw them into your memorable wedding toast story. Highlight moments that display and celebrate the love between the newlyweds, even if you weren't directly involved.

Use discretion when choosing special moments to share. Don’t include memories or milestones like family secrets or any other sensitive topics that would cause embarrassment.

Wedding Toast Cheers From Afarose!

Giving a memorable wedding toast is a special honor. Enjoy the moment! Smile and make eye contact as you captivate the audience with your succinct and genuine well wishes. Practice beforehand so you feel comfortable and speak naturally. And most importantly, lift your glass to toast the special couple.

A memorable wedding toast goes well with a memorable wedding outfit.

Afarose can help! For wedding and bridal party dress ideas, wedding inspiration, and relationship advice, visit Afarose.

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