Be honest: When you were asked to give a wedding toast at your dear friend or family member’s upcoming reception, your gut instinct was to say no?especially if speaking in public has never been your strong suit. If you’re shy and you have to give a wedding toast, here’s how to handle it like an absolute pro.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Wing It
While it seems like the life-of-the-party best man never has any trouble making the crowd laugh or coming up with something on the fly, the rest of us are struggling to put two sentences together when all eyes are on us. Whatever you do, don’t wing your toast. In fact, you should be writing down a rough draft at least a month before the wedding date so that you can have plenty of time to prepare exactly what you’re going to say. You don’t need to have every word written down (if it helps you get through it, however, just go for it), but at the very least you should have bulleted lists of every point you want to make throughout the speech so you don’t forget anything when the nerves start to strike. Keep it Short
There’s no need to write an epic poem for your toast?and in fact, it’s best to keep it well under five minutes if you can help it. People have short attention spans, and giving a long speech may cause your audience’s eyes to glaze over, which is something that is surely going to make your nerves worse.
Go for the Laugh?but Don’t Go too Far

In many wedding toa...