We’ve all sat through our fair share of wedding toasts, sniffing into tissues at the moving tributes to the bride and groom. But, it's not an easy task to write an emotional, sincere, tear-jerking wedding toast. We understand that writing the perfect wedding toast worth standing out from a myriad of speeches made on the same night can be intimidating even for the most natural of speakers. However, with the proper guidelines, you can easily curate a speech that the couple and wedding guests will remember for years.

Follow our guide to writing a fantastic wedding toast that will leave your audience wanting more!

Wedding Toast Outline

Go through our simple-to-follow wedding toast outline and customize it along the way to write the speech that reflects your relationship with the happy couple in the best way.

Introduce Yourself To The Audience

If you've been asked to make the toast, it naturally means you're close to the bride, groom, or both. But it's important to remember not everyone at the wedding knows you. Thus, it is crucial to introduce yourself and explain how you relate to the couple. Let them know how you met, but don’t make it the focal point of the toast.

It is also a good time to warn the guests if you are a crier or speaking in public for the first time. According to professional wedding speech writer Beth Sherman, your audience will appreciate your honesty and vulnerability.

Congratulate The Newlyweds

As you dive into the speech, start congratulating the happy couple on their splendid wedding. You must also use this opportunity to thank them for being given the honor to speak and tell them how much their union means to you.

Showing gratitude goes a long way and sets the tone for a sweet, genuine speech that will draw everyone in.

Tell A Sweet, Lighthearted Story

Share a fun or sweet story about the bride or the groom, whoever you are addressing. Follow a theme to make the toast sound planned and deliberate, says Speech Tank co-founder Kristine Keller. For example, keep it humourous or focus on the couple's best traits. However, should you go the funny route, reel it in and do not embarrass the couple in front of the guests. Keep it fun but respectful.

However, keep away from inside jokes that do not relate to the rest of the room. Deliver your speech to a few neutrals before the big day to see if they find your toast as funny or sincere as you do. Perspective is good; it helps you recalibrate and write something everyone will enjoy.

Include Both Partners In The Speech

There is a chance you may only know the bride or the groom on a personal level, but that does not mean you should leave their spouse out of the toast.

Find a way to add a moment you shared with both partners. If that’s not an option, pick an anecdote that focuses on what great companions they are for each other. You can look for inspiration in our list of amazing wedding quotes.

Keep It Short

Keep the toast concise and ideally under three minutes. Timing your speech will ensure you only keep essential parts and remove the fluff. As a result, you can deliver a toast that is long enough to capture the essence of your relationship with the couple but short enough to catch everyone's undivided attention.

Raise Your Glass

Gush about the happy couple, explain how they are a perfect fit for each other, and raise your glass to wish them well for the future.

The Do’s and Don'ts For a Killer Wedding Toast

Once you know the general outline for a great wedding toast, remembering the crucial dos and don’ts of preparing and delivering such a speech can further help polish your tribute to the married couple.

Do: Be Specific

Whatever you say, back it with examples. For instance, if you talk about the bride's caring nature, follow it up with a story of how they've showcased that in relationships.

Don’t: Mention Exes

Never bring up past relationships or any unsavory incident that steals the limelight from the couple.

Do: Introduce Yourself

Make sure your audience knows who you are, but keep it concise. Remember you want to meet your three-minute speech mark, so you should use most of your time talking about the newlyweds.

Don’t: Make The Toast About You

As in the introduction, the stories you include in your toast should be about the couple, even if they feature you. Make them the focal point of your speech and talk about their relationship rather than what role you played in it.

Do: Practice

Write the speech down (use notes or a paper rather than your phone, which can switch off) and deliver it aloud to different audiences as practice. There is no harm in keeping the notes with you as prompts. No one is expecting you to know the words by heart.

Don’t: Wing It

No matter how well you speak in public, NEVER wing the wedding toast. You could end up embarrassing not only yourself but the bride and groom who put their trust in you. If you go on unprepared, it will show.

Do: Keep The Language Clean

Your audience will feature senior citizens, children, or other attendees that might find crass language offensive. No matter how funny the story, keep the language clean. Also, make sure the anecdotes you include are appropriate for all ages.

Don’t: Find Courage In Alcohol

Alcohol mixed with a wedding toast is a BAD idea. It’s okay to be nervous rather than being drunk and making the whole speech about you.

Writing The Wedding Toast: Questions To Ask Yourself

The best way to start preparing a wedding toast is to write whatever stories and ideas come to your mind. So here are some quick questions that can help you kickstart the process.