Cheers! a few toast tips for all events
For most events, a toast is always given to the couple or guest of honor. Sometimes it’s tricky for the person giving the toast to come up with the right thing to say. Martha Stewart Weddings came up with some great advice for all sorts of events below!
We here at lemon & lime love original toasts sharing stories from the past or the excitement for the future ahead. Try to avoid lines/analogies that are overdone. The first time I heard the line, “your marriage will be a roller coaster speech” I loved it.. but by the 15th time I heard it, I realized how overdone it was (scenes from Wedding Crashers are in my head now). Tell a funny story or a sentimental story.. you’re toasting one/some of the most important people in your lives, so honor them with a personal touch and not a google search!
Cheers!
Engagement Party:
Toasts to the newly betrothed are meant to be short and sweet. Memorize a favorite quote and have it ready. Wait until the host gives a welcome toast, then offer yours. One woman swears by this fail-safe standby: “Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, ‘Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.’ To Tom and Mary. You can’t take your eyes off each other tonight, but we all know you’re just as focused on the road ahead!” Speak clearly and deliberately, look the couple straight in the eyes, and, above all, smile. Remember to keep the tone light and upbeat. Anything more weighty than general good wishes and humorous advice should be saved for the rehearsal dinner or the wedding reception.
Rehersal dinner:
Since the groom’s family typically hosts this event, the father of the groom should speak first, followed by the best man. After that, the floor is open, though toasts should be kept to less than three minutes.
Wedding reception:
As opposed to the open-mike informality of the rehearsal dinner, wedding etiquette calls for toasts to be made in a specific order: The best man speaks first, followed by the groom, then the bride, the father of the bride, the groom’s father, the mother of the bride, and finally the groom’s mother. When this procession is finished, anyone may raise a glass and toast the newlyweds. Just remember not to dawdle, since many others are probably lining up to speak. The couple and the crowd are likely to grow restless if remarks tend toward the generic, so be creative.
A maid of honor in Texas created a time capsule during her toast, asking guests to contribute something to a box that would be opened on the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary. A bridesmaid in Minnesota made up a song and played the harmonica to give the bride something borrowed, something “blues.”
Birthday:
If it’s a major birthday―say, one ending in a zero or a five―you should devote some time to reflecting on the person’s life and accomplishments. Use your judgment when it comes to joking about someone’s age―the woman who just got a face-lift and Botox injections may not be amused. The toast will feel more personal if you add a few favorite anecdotes. A New Jersey woman recently toasted her husband’s 45th by recalling the time he’d made her a “get-out-of-June-free card,” absolving her of car-pool duty for 30 days.
Anniversary:
One of the biggest challenges of speaking at a party for a milestone anniversary is that the audience may span as many as four generations. A clever way to please elders and jaded teens alike is to make the toast interactive. At their golden wedding anniversary celebration, one woman had her parents sit back-to-back onstage and answer Newlywed Game-style questions (“Who’s more likely to lose their luggage on vacation?”) that were read aloud by guests. Everyone talked about the toast for years afterward.
Retirement:
Celebrating the final chapter of someone’s career usually takes one of two forms: nostalgic tribute or good old-fashioned roast. Consider the person you’re toasting and the intended audience before you decide which way to go. Since toasts to retirees tend to be on the long side (they can, after all, span decades of work and last up to 5 or 10 minutes), make sure you’re prepared. Rehearse and carry note cards, just in case.