Thursday, August 04, 2005

Toasting the bride and groom - what's a best man to do?

Alright, I'm looking for some advice here folks. My brother is getting married in a few weeks and has asked me to be his best man. He's an organized kind of guy and has been sending me updated lists of "things for my best man to do" and has placed special attention on my giving the first toast at the wedding reception.

I have no problem with public speaking (I do it often enough) and figured I could probably just wing it - no need to really prepare for a simple toast, right? Now, that is not to say that I haven't thought about it at all. I have, and I have a few ideas about things to say, but I haven't gone so far as to make any notes.

However, a couple nights ago I was at a party and the guest of honor gave a little speech and commented on how his wife had made sure he had notes for this speech. He was recently the best man at his brother's wedding and apparently he kind of flubbed the toast. So, now he makes notes before he speaks. This is a guy I really respect (I should point out that he is no stranger to public speaking either), so I've decided I better put pen to paper and flesh something out before the big day. It also has me wondering exactly what makes for a good wedding toast.

So, my dear readers, any advice on what to do (or not do) for the best man's toast at a wedding?

Bookmark and Share AddThis Feed Button