Your best friend is getting married and throughout the midst
of all the preparation and To-Do lists you’ve been recruited to help with, you
realize one scary thought: YOU’RE EXPECTED TO GIVE A SPEECH AT THE RECEPTION.
Cancel that order for the oxygen tank and bring your breathing back down to a
normal level; you CAN get through this. You don’t have to be a professional
public speaker to give a great speech that your buddy will love.
Some people can pull off “winging it” during their toasts
but let’s face it, that group doesn’t include the majority of us in their
ranks. Preparation is a requirement that the rest of us can take advantage of
to come off as effortlessly brilliant speech-givers that love our best friends.
Preparing for your speech even if it’s only for a day can help calm your nerves
to make it through those 3-5 minutes of the wedding when all eyes are on you.
1) Decide on the
feeling you hope to get across. Who says your toast has to be formal and
proper? If you and your toastee constantly joke with one another, feel free to
make your special time one that draws laughs from the crowd, just avoid making
fun of the newlyweds if you hope to stay friends with them in the future. Don’t be scared of going to the opposite side
of the spectrum either! Weddings are events when tears of joy are bound to show
up at so if you want to pour your heart out, go for it. You’re best friends for
a reason so being emotional on such a special day is expected and you have
nothing to be scared of if your stories make people in the crowd dab at their
eyes with their napkins.
2) Write out what
you’d like to say. By getting your jumbled thoughts onto paper, you can
sort through stories you want to include, memories you probably shouldn’t, and
special dedications you’ve been storing up since you deemed the bride or groom
your best friend. If you write out what you want to say, you can read it over
multiple times and start to remember what you wanted to say. No one is going to
think any less of you if you’re reading your speech off of a paper or your
iPad. If anything it would show how much you care by being so prepared so grab
a pen and get reminiscing.
3) Practice your
speech out loud to someone you trust. Don’t make the mistake many bridal
party members have made in the past by having the first time you say your
speech is when the microphone is in your hand. You may find yourself taking
twice as long to get your words out because you’re crying between each line (no
really, it happens)! If a wedding planner (such as Celebrations by Amy Bacon)
is coordinating the wedding, it couldn’t hurt to ask them to give you some
suggestions on your speech. After all, wedding planners have heard dozens of
successful (and not so successful) toasts and have been getting to know the
newlyweds for months so they are the perfect people to give feedback on your
speech. Get used to how your speech sounds, get those emotions out, and get
ready for your special moment.
In the end, who’s going to know if you do a Google search
for “best friend wedding speech” and just throw in personal touches? They
worked in the past so they’re nearly guaranteed to work again. Just remember
how much you love your best friend and how you love to see them happy, and your
toast will be perfect. Cheers!
Thank you to all the professionals listed below that worked to make the day so special ...
Wedding Coordinating - Amy Bacon www.celebrationsbyamybacon.com
Video - Serendipity - www.serendipitycinema.com
Catering - LeFox www.lefoxcatering.com
Bartender - Arizona Bartenders http://www.arizonabartenders.com/
Live Music - Sarah Vanell http://www.sarahsmuse.com/events/
DJ - SKM http://www.skmentertainment.com/
Linens - PROEM http://www.proem.org/
Hair - Lily Delgado
Makeup - Jessica Adarme
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