Your wedding reception will probably be loads of fun...but it could be pretty emotional as well thanks to all the wedding toasts you can expect. We have included a bit of information on the order and etiquette of wedding toasts.
As a general rule, the father of the bride will make the first toast. Usually the DJ or wedding MC will introduce the father at a pre-determined time in the reception. The father of the bride will usually welcome his new son in law into the family and talk about his lovely daughter. He also welcomes and thanks the guests for attending. The groom will generally respond with a thank you to his new father in law as well as thanking his own parents for all their help throughout his life. He should also thank his new bride for marrying him and toast the bridesmaids.
Next up is usually the best man. As a general rule, best man speeches are funny and emotional at the same time. They are generally supposed to entertain the guest and may include little anecdotes about the groom or the couple in general.
At this point, it is appropriate for the maid of honor to give a toast. She should toast the couple and the guests. If the maid of honor is the bride's sister, she may expand her toast to include a short speech about how happy she is for her sister and welcoming her new brother in-law.
Unless there are other special people that will be chosen to speak, generally the bride and groom, as a couple, rise and thank their parents for their help with the wedding along with thanking other family and friends for helping them to celebrate their special day.
Toasting Etiquette
When it comes to giving wedding toasts, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind. First and foremost, keep the speech short and sweet. As a general rule a wedding toast should be quick and to the point. As long as it is heartfelt, short is better.
Memorize your speech. Unless you are making a super long toast, be sure to memorize what you will be saying and practice it several times before the actual reception.
Another great tip is to be sure and look people in the eye. If you are talking about the groom, look at him. This obviously includes the bride or anyone else you might be including in your speech. Not only is this polite, it also reinforces what you are saying making your toast more sincere.
In the end, the best advice to remember is to always speak from the heart. You can almost never go wrong if you keep this in mind.
Tags:
wedding toasts, father of the bride, best man, groomsmen, maid of honor
