Bryan Hufford asked:


If you play an important role in an upcoming wedding, you know the inevitable is on it’s way - the traditional speech or “toast” as it is widely known. If you are unfamiliar with this traditional, usually people in the wedding, such as the best man, maid of honor, the bride, groom, and bride’s parents make a toast to the couple who wed, kicking off the celebration of the couple’s new life together. Since many will remember this moment forever, you will want to make sure you deliver the best speech possible.

The wedding rehearsal dinner is the perfect place to somewhat “practice” your speech, as you will most likely be making a similar speech at the actual wedding reception dinner. The wedding rehearsal dinner speech is your time to shine. You will want to deliver a speech that is humorous, yet heartwarming and sincere. Take your time in crafting your speech and really put some thought into it. Think about the couple who is being wed and their personalities. If they are more of a humorous couple, put more humor into your speech. If they are more conservative, consider toning your speech down a bit. Think about the guests at the wedding and the rehearsal dinner as well. I always say, if something sounds too risky to use in a speech, then you probably shouldn’t use it.

Another big rule in your speech is don’t make it too long, as well as too short. You want people to remember how great of a speech you gave, not how long and boring or short and cut-off it was. A great speech needs only to be around two minutes in length. You should be able to tell plenty of a story in this time frame. If it helps, write an outline of what you want to say. This way, you can find what points to elaborate on and what points to keep brief. Either way, if you follow some of these tips and get in some practice, your speech will be a knock-out, at the wedding rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself!



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