Toasting
20 minute wedding speeches are a no-no
One of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address (re-enacted in the video above), took but two minutes to deliver. And yet a recent bride writing to an advice columnist mentioned that her future in-laws gave a 20 minute wedding ‘speech,’ a real no-no. Even Martin Luther King’s iconic “I Have a Dream”…
Read MoreA wedding toast for an older couple
Discussions on how to give a wedding toast typically focus on younger couples in their twenties or early thirties. Young love is especially passionate, often reflected in the toasts themselves. But what about a wedding toast for an older couple? Is there anything different about them? To be clear, passion isn’t strictly the domain of…
Read MoreHow to toast someone you don’t like
Most wedding toasts are fairly easy, because you’re toasting someone you like. What happens if you’re put in the position of leading a toast for someone you don’t like? It happens. A dad wrote in to advice columnist, Carolyn Hax, presenting his dilemma: “My son is getting married, and I’m expected to give a toast.…
Read MoreA master class in giving a wedding toast
Rarely, VERY rarely, do we run across an impeccable best man toast. But we stumbled across this one on YouTube (above), and it’s worth a closer look, as this gentlemen delivers a wedding toast master class. As we’ve written before, the best wedding toast should make your guests laugh and cry. Humor and sentiment are…
Read MoreWhat you can learn from a celebrity wedding toast
The movies provide a font of material for future wedding toasters. Movie toasts are often cheesy, but occasionally brilliant. When you watch a celebrity wedding toast on the silver screen, pay attention to how the toast is delivered. A great delivery helps overcome cheesy content. But when you couple great content with a polished delivery,…
Read MoreWedding toast experts reveal wedding toast secrets
Is there a single secret to giving a memorable wedding toast? Not really. In fact, wedding toast experts Marissa Polansky and Kristine Keller lay out six steps to knocking it out of the park when your opportunity to make a wedding toast comes along. They are founders of Speech Tank, specializing in writing one-of-a-kind speeches…
Read MoreHow to give a ‘weird’ wedding toast in two minutes
So we were guests at a recent out-of-state wedding. When it came time for the wedding toasts, we held our breath, hoping for the best. Sadly, our hopes weren’t realized as the toasts went off the rails, as they so often do. It’s so much easier to simply give a weird wedding toast. We’ll explain…
Read MoreDazzle with a Shakespeare wedding toast
Most wedding toasts meander endlessly, boring your wedding guests. Many lack structure and a sufficient dose of sentiment. That’s why we blog regularly on ways for you to give a great wedding toast. Here’s another way: turn to the bard with a Shakespeare wedding toast. Is there anyone who ever had a better way with…
Read MoreHow to give a long-winded wedding toast
Have you ever attended a wedding where the toast went on and on and on? Most of us have. It is painful to watch. So how do you give a long-winded wedding toast? You don’t. They’re hard to pull off. Believe me, you never want to flub a toast, because as Paul Dickson said in…
Read MoreHow to give a wedding toast if you’re shy
Public speaking is America’s biggest phobia, according to a survey on American Fears conducted by Chapman University. So how do you give a wedding toast if you’re shy? After all, one out of four of your neighbors are terrified of getting up before a crowd and talking. It’s not as hard as you think. Here…
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