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Making the most of your wedding toast...
By Michael Sudhalter
Sunday, June 28, 2009 was one of the best days of my life.
I had the opportunity to travel to the Kansas City area and attend the wedding of my younger sister, Erika and her husband, Cody.
The only thing that gave me butterflies in the stomach was the fact that she and I discussed giving a speech.
‘Not too long’, Erika said.
After all, this was her special day, and I didn’t want to hog the microphone or take away the spotlight. And she, more than just about anyone in this world, knows about my knack for being long-winded.
Customarily, speeches are reserved for the best man and the maid of honor; I proudly served as an usher.
Who wants to hear anything from an usher, besides ‘here’s your seat, sir’?
Well, this brother/usher wanted to make sure that his two minute or less speech counted.
I stay up into the wee hours of Sunday morning trying to decide the general themes I would stick with during the speech.
I had expressed to my sister many times how much I cared about her and gave her all my best wishes as she reached this milestone event in her life.
But this was an opportunity to tell all of the guests – friends, family, family friends, co-workers and others just how much this day to meant to me.
Based on my experience, I have some advice for anyone who is faced with giving a speech at a wedding.
Start off with a joke, but not a corny one.
If the audience lightens up, the rest of the speech will flow. Fail to connect, and two minutes could seem like two hours.
Erika and Cody met during the summer of 2002: they were in the same calculus class together.
I originally thought of a corny math-love pun; I’m usually the king of corny puns, but I knew it wouldn’t be appropriate for a grand event like this one.
So, I went with this: “Most people either pass Calculus or find true love; few do both.”
From there, share your sincere feelings about the newlyweds. Tell them what they mean to you. If that means, sharing a brief story, go that route. But make sure it’s one that will be appropriate for all of the guests present – friends and relatives alike.
Another tip would be to step back and take in the grandness of the event. Our relatively small family is spread out across the United States, and we rarely get the opportunity to congregate.
Finally, make sure you close the speech as impressively as you opened it. This is a good time to wish the newlyweds a happy, healthy and long life together, and thank all of the guests for traveling from near and far for to the event.
If the bride or groom pulls the microphone out of your hands, you know that you probably rambled on a tad too long.
Luckily, that didn’t happen in my case.
I had the opportunity to travel to the Kansas City area and attend the wedding of my younger sister, Erika and her husband, Cody.
The only thing that gave me butterflies in the stomach was the fact that she and I discussed giving a speech.
‘Not too long’, Erika said.
After all, this was her special day, and I didn’t want to hog the microphone or take away the spotlight. And she, more than just about anyone in this world, knows about my knack for being long-winded.
Customarily, speeches are reserved for the best man and the maid of honor; I proudly served as an usher.
Who wants to hear anything from an usher, besides ‘here’s your seat, sir’?
Well, this brother/usher wanted to make sure that his two minute or less speech counted.
I stay up into the wee hours of Sunday morning trying to decide the general themes I would stick with during the speech.
I had expressed to my sister many times how much I cared about her and gave her all my best wishes as she reached this milestone event in her life.
But this was an opportunity to tell all of the guests – friends, family, family friends, co-workers and others just how much this day to meant to me.
Based on my experience, I have some advice for anyone who is faced with giving a speech at a wedding.
Start off with a joke, but not a corny one.
If the audience lightens up, the rest of the speech will flow. Fail to connect, and two minutes could seem like two hours.
Erika and Cody met during the summer of 2002: they were in the same calculus class together.
I originally thought of a corny math-love pun; I’m usually the king of corny puns, but I knew it wouldn’t be appropriate for a grand event like this one.
So, I went with this: “Most people either pass Calculus or find true love; few do both.”
From there, share your sincere feelings about the newlyweds. Tell them what they mean to you. If that means, sharing a brief story, go that route. But make sure it’s one that will be appropriate for all of the guests present – friends and relatives alike.
Another tip would be to step back and take in the grandness of the event. Our relatively small family is spread out across the United States, and we rarely get the opportunity to congregate.
Finally, make sure you close the speech as impressively as you opened it. This is a good time to wish the newlyweds a happy, healthy and long life together, and thank all of the guests for traveling from near and far for to the event.
If the bride or groom pulls the microphone out of your hands, you know that you probably rambled on a tad too long.
Luckily, that didn’t happen in my case.
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