Tips for the Perfect Wedding Toast

A toast from your mom, brother, or best friend at the rehearsal dinner or on the wedding day is something a bride/groom will never forget! Your words mean everything to them, and it is something not to be taken lightly. We are bringing you the best tips to help you write a wedding toast that will blow them away! 

Fortunately, a dinner toast doesn’t have to be long, complex, or difficult. All you have to do is prepare a little speech ahead of time and bring index cards or notes on your smartphone, and you’ll be good to go! Or, if you’re really nervous, feel free to write down your rehearsal dinner toast verbatim on a sheet of paper. It won’t be the end of the world! Here are some tips to make sure that your wedding toast or speech is a hit:

Wedding Toast Tip #1: Basic Introduction

Our first wedding toast tip is small but mighty! There will probably be at least a few people at the wedding who have never met you, so start by (1) saying hello, (2)  introducing yourself, (3) welcoming everyone, and (4) expressing your enthusiasm for the wedding. Keep it brief. Here are some sample dinner toasts starters: 

 “Good evening everyone and thank you very much for being here to celebrate Kathryn and Fraser’s wedding. My name is Chuck.  I am the groom’s father and I am so excited to be a part of such an important occasion in my son’s life.” 

 “Hi, everyone, and thanks so much for being here tonight. I’m the groom’s dad, Chuck, and I hope you all are having as great of a time as I am.” 

NOTE: This tip is sure to make your wedding toast meaningful as the guests connect who you are to the lovely guests of honor!

Wedding Toast Tip #2: Tell a story

The idea here is to tell a cute, funny, interesting, or romantic anecdote that has something to do with the wedding. This is the part of the speech that people tend to sweat about because they worry that people won’t think they’re funny enough or witty enough. Our best wedding toast tip…DO NOT worry about it. Your story can be a funny one, but it doesn’t have to be. By all means, if you know the hilarious tale of how the happy couple met, feel free to share it, but if you don’t know a funny story, try something sweet or sentimental – like an anecdote from the bride or groom’s childhood and how it applies to who they are today. 

Here are some sample wedding toast story ideas: 

A funny story about a parent or sibling’s first impression of the bride/groom 

The couple’s engagement story 

The story of how the couple met 

The story of how you met your own partner (then segue into something like “I hope the two of you are as blessed in marriage as I have been”) 

A sweet memory from the bride or groom’s childhood (for example: “Kathryn used to run around with skinned knees in her brother’s hand-me-down clothes… I can hardly believe she’ll be in a white gown tomorrow, all grown up”)

A tale from your college days together or your first apartment together

Wedding Toast Tip #3: Finish with something sentimental

The best wedding toast will tug at the heartstrings, just a little bit. To conclude your speech, say something heartfelt about the wedding and bride and groom. Or, if you’re not the “touchy-feely” type, go with a nice quote about marriage – Google “Marriage Quotes.” Then you don’t have the stress of having to come up with something yourself. Just say the quote, then cap it off with well wishes to the bride and groom on their big day. Last but not least, ask everyone to raise their glasses to the happy couple. That’s all there is to it! 

Wedding Toast Examples:

Here are a few sample speeches you can use as inspiration to create your own!

[ Dad Toast ]  

“Welcome, everyone, and thank you so much for making the time to share in the wedding of Kathryn and my son,  Fraser. My name is Chuck and I get the honor of ‘Father of the Groom’ this weekend, so I’m going to start off here with  the rehearsal dinner toast. My wife and I got to meet Kathryn after she and Fraser had been dating for a few months.  They’d met on a cruise ship of all places! Right away, we knew that Kathryn was different from all of Fraser’s other  girlfriends… she was less, well… let’s not go there. Let’s just say that I could tell that Fraser was in love and this girl was  special. I do have to confess we were a little disappointed that Kathryn wasn’t in the trades. After all, we already have an  electrician and framer in the family… we were looking for a plumber! But despite that major shortcoming, Kathryn is  just awesome and we’re so happy she married our son. I know they will have a very happy life together, so let’s all raise  our glasses to Kathryn and Fraser!”  

[ Mom Toast ]  

“Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming this evening. My name is Stacy and I am the groom’s mother. I have the  honor of giving a toast tonight, so I thought I would tell you a little about how I met my own husband. We were just kids,  younger than these two. Sam, my husband, sat behind me in geography class and – maybe this sounds cliche – but he  was always bugging me! Pulling my hair, stealing my pencil, throwing paper airplanes at me, typical stuff. Then, all of a  sudden, we hit high school and it was just like love. We’ve been together ever since – and we’ve learned a thing or two  about marriage in these last 20 years. So, Amanda and Jeremy, pay attention! First: don’t stop dating. Just because  you’re married doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy romantic evenings out. Second: don’t go to sleep angry. Trust me, you  guys are going to fight, that’s normal, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love each other. Third: cherish your moments  together. You two have such a beautiful relationship and really an amazing foundation for a marriage. I know you’re off  to a great start and I wish you every good thing in the world. To Amanda and Jeremy!”

Crafting a heartfelt wedding toast can leave a lasting impact, and if you need help planning your special day, our Kansas City wedding planners and teams in other locations are here for you—contact us today!

Cheers my friends! xo