Best Man Toast, by: Kit Avery

Giving the Best Man Toast at my brother's wedding was one
of the scariest things that I have ever had to do. I really had
not prepared at all for the moment. I loved my brother dearly
and I really wanted this special moment for him and his bride to
be perfect. But when I was called to give the speech what I
really wanted to do was to crawl into a hole and disappear.

My difficulty that day was compounded by the fact that my wife
was not seated with me. I was seated at the head table with the
wedding party because I was the Best Man. The wedding party was
seated at the front of the room on a platform that overlooked
the reception area. I could see my wife doing battle with our
kids. The kids where 13 months, 25 months, and 3 years old at
the time. I could see the stress building up in her as she tried
in vain to maintain control of 3 toddlers.

When it was finally my time to give the toast my lack of
preparation, nervousness, and watching my wife do battle with
the kids left me unfocused. The speech in my opinion was awful.
If not for self-development books I would still be deeply
embarrassed by my performance that day.

To help you avoid the same fate I would like to give you some
tips that will help you prepare for giving a memorable Best
Man Toast.

Tip #1

Remember that everyone gets nervous when giving a public speech.
It's perfectly natural. You will be speaking to a supportive
audience that wants to hear what you have to say. Everyone will
be proud of you no matter what because you gave your best effort.

Tip #2

Take the time to actually thing about and write your speech
before the wedding. Try to start off with a good hook that will
get everyone's attention. A couple of good hooks are personal
stories or an anecdote about the couple. Tell them something
that shows why you care about the couple. Make it so that people
want to listen to you.

Tip #3

Make sure that your toast offers some humor and sentiment. A
little laughter will help ease the tension in any situation.
This will allow you to relax and be yourself.

I've been given the privilege of giving the Best
Man Toast a couple of times since my brother's wedding
and I've gotten much better.

About the author:
WeddingSpeech4u.com has been a tremendous aid
in helping me come up with better speeches. It may be a resource
that you can use to help you make a memorable toast on a very
special day.