Maid of Honor Toast

As the Maid of Honor, you are responsible for making sure the bride has the best day of her life. There are traditional duties, such as helping the bride get dressed, and the non-traditional, such as giving a brides-made toast. While many Maids of Honor choose to let the best man and father do the toasting, you may have something inspiring or congratulatory to say as well. And well you should! So grab the microphone from the best man at toasting time!

Here's some tips for the Maid of Honor's toast:

Be Sincere
There is plenty of time to have fun at a wedding, but a toast is your opportunity to share with the couple--and the rest of the guests--your sincere well-wishes. Giving a toast is an honor, take it graciously.

Don't Procrastinate
Write and rehearse your toast at lease three weeks before the big day. Preparation and practice will prevent the jitters and give you time to tune up the toast to be more eloquent.

Include the Usual:
Be personal and innovative with your toast, but be sure to include the standards:
1) A Thank You to the bride and groom (and their parents, if appropriate) for inviting everyone to be a part of their special day.
2) An emotionally significant memory or personal touch.
3) Words of encouragement and/or advice
4) The traditional end: "To Jess and Shane" with a raising of your glass and a sip.

Short and Sweet is Good
Keep your toast simple and short. A couple lines, perhaps as long as two minutes is more than sufficient. No one wants to hear you ramble about everything the couple went through to get to this moment--use the time as a classy celebration of love and a future together.

Toast on Schedule
There is a time for just about everything during a wedding and toasting time usually happens once everyone has been seated and served champagne, (however sometimes the couple prefers it to be between course.) If the couple doesn't have a preference, the timing is up to you and the best man. When you're ready, simply approach the microphone, or ask the DJ to bring it to you at the right moment. Call the crowd to attention by clinking a glass with a utensil or the bandleader or DJ may announce to guests that toasting is about to begin.

Be Cool
(or pretend you are calm and collected!) Relax, have a glass of wine, (but not too much!) and enjoy the moment.