Formatting a Wedding Toast "The proper way to offer a toast is to stand and raise your glass. No clinking to get attention.
Rise to the occasion
The person delivering the toast stands (the exception: a small, informal occasion). Everyone else—include the person being toasted—remains seated, unless the toaster instructs everyone to do otherwise—“Please stand and raise your glass to the happy couple…”
#2 Don't stand on ceremony
The old fashioned, and more traditional way to introduce a toast is, “Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for a toast to…” This is appropriate for a very formal wedding, but it is completely at odds with the tone of many wedding speeches.
The first toast is customarily made by the best man. It's fine for this to be the only one offered, though other people will probably want to express their happiness for the newlyweds. After the best man, the maid of honor may offer a toast, too.
Raise your glass for a toast.
To wrap up your speech, invite everyone to raise their glass to the couple, or to love, etc., then cheers glasses together and take a sip.
Toast is most commonly eaten with butter or margarine spread over it, and may be served with preserves, spreads, or other toppings in addition to or instead of butter. Toast with jam or marmalade is popular. A few other condiments that can be enjoyed with toast are chocolate spread, cream cheese, and peanut butter.
Don't have more than 5 people give toasts. Typically, it's father of the bride, a parent of the groom, Maid of Honor, and Best Man. Even though you want to hear all of the great things people have to say about you, there is nothing worse than never … ending … toasts!
At the reception, there is often the formal giving of toasts by the best man, maid of honor, bride and groom, and/or parents.
Toasts can be after all two or three courses of the meal, or after one of the courses. Toasts can be before or after the cutting of the cake, depending when you cut the cake.
Whoever is hosting the event should speak first and should take the microphone as soon as guests have found their seats. This first toast is most often made by the parents (or father) of the bride and should combine both a toast to the happy couple and a welcome message to the guests.
Tradition states that the Wedding Speeches should be conducted after the meal and they essentially bring an end to the day's formalities at which point the party side of the day can begin. By serving the meal first it means your guests are finally being properly fed.
Welcome the guests and thank them for coming and sharing in the special day. Welcome the groom into the family which usually leads into the toasts to absent friends and family. Praise the bride which is usually followed by some past recollections and how proud you are. Toasts the bride and groom.
Tips for Standing Weddings
Communicate with your guests and let them know they will be standing so they know what to anticipate and can dress accordingly (stilettos might be ill-advised in this circumstance). Offer foldable shoes or flip flops for anyone who did wear uncomfortable shoes.
The best man usually proposes a toast in the form of best wishes and congratulations to the newlyweds. A best man's toast takes the form of a short speech (3–5 minutes) that combines a mixture of humor and sincerity.
There's a simple formula to a good toast: Introduce yourself, tell a story, connect that story to the event and wrap it up (time to hit the dance floor!) The biggest challenge is choosing the right story for the occasion and audience.
A wedding speech is a story, a personal reflection, or even an anecdote. A wedding toast is the actual blessing where guests are asked to raise their glasses in celebration of the honored couple.
Wedding receptions often have a Master of Ceremonies (MC) to keep the day running smoothly. This role is sometimes handed to the best man, or another close friend of the groom. The role of MC is simple. It requires you to make a few announcements loudly and clearly as the day progresses.
Who Does the Best Man Toast in His Speech? If you're wondering who to toast in a best man's speech the most important people to raise a glass to are the newlyweds. You may also wish to thank the bridesmaids and the happy couple's family.
While many experts will tell you to keep your talk to 3 minutes or less, Chertoff says the best wedding speeches usually last three to five minutes. Gottsman agrees, saying "The perfect speech lasts around 5 minutes, give or take a minute or two."
Keep it Short. The ideal length for a speech is three to five minutes, with five minutes being the absolute maximum you should speak for.
The bride and groom will dance first. This is the usual format. Then the parent dances with the couple - the father with the bride and the mother with the groom. The groom's father will then dance with the bride and the groom with the mother-in-law.