This post is more of a request than a post. I had a dream that I wrote this exact post, so I decided I should do it.
In less than two weeks (ACK) I have to give a toast at my best friend's wedding. A maid of honor toast. Most of the toasts that I can remember from weddings were terrible (which is probably why I remember them). But, here's what I'm asking of you:
- If you can remember a good toast, what was it like and why was it good?
- And more likely, those bad toasts you remember...why were they bad?
I know there are at least 20 of you reading this every weekday. So, I'm hoping to get a response here of about half that...even if you have to post anonymously. Help please!
As the person you are giving this toast to, PLEASE don't freak out. Just tell some fun stories, like when I hit you with a plastic bat, 15 years ago or how you and Liz played tricks on me because I was so naive, or how we seemed to have boyfriends in fifth grade together and again in high school which actually reconnected our friendship, and then college when I had to get a fake ID to be 21 so I could get into the bar at U of I for your 19th birthday, and I was only 18. There's lots of stuff!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wrote a short poem for Liz's toast. I actually even read it off the paper. It included references to fun stories from our past and other subtly funny stuff. Its easier than remembering stories and can be short, yet fun. Just a suggestion. Good luck! - Roomie #1
ReplyDeletePS Lunch on Friday was fun...good to see you!
The best toast at our wedding was from my brother. He is extremely shy and therefore not a confident public speaker, but his timid voice filled with honesty and true emotion hushed the crowd, captured their attention and made it truely memorable.
ReplyDeletethe toasts i have heard that were really good were personal - could only have been given by the person giving them, about the person in question. i think what is needed, generally, is for someone to stand up and say, here's what i know and love about this person through a few anecdotes (humorous but hopefully not humiliating) and (if possible) here's how this person and this other person they just married make sense/came together/rock each other's worlds/etc. sincerity and personalism. and really, you are just talking to your friend, if that helps, with a bunch of eavesdroppers, of course, but this is between you and her and you know she loves you or you wouldn't be her best friend/maid of honor. :)
ReplyDeletebad toasts have been humiliating, too short, toooooo long, or impersonal (like, here's to so and so + [several greeting card phrases] + cheers!)
you are WAY too conscientious to give a bad toast, and have too good a sense of humor. you will be awesome.
Just be honest and be yourself. If you're not comfortable in front of a crowd, DO NOT try to do stand up. It won't work. But if you have a good story that illustrates some aspect of the bride that you want to talk about, by all means, use it. The key is to be genuine.
ReplyDeleteI usually try to start with your relationship to the person you're toasting, a quality you really admire, and a story to illustrate it. Then, heartfelt wishes of good luck/wedded bliss etc, and cheers!
Like, for my sister's wedding, I said that I was her sister, and had recently had the priveledge to live with her and her husband for a while prior to the wedding. While we were growing up, my sister and I really didn't get along (which is putting it mildly) but that living together gave us the chance to gang up on him. So, I thanked him for helping me bond with my sister, everyone laughed, and I wished them the best.
All that matters is that you mean it.