Your wedding is a day to remember and it’s the attention to detail that can make your special day stand out from all others.

No doubt one of your main concerns is to ensure an enjoyable wedding service and reception for all of your family and guests. After the formality of the wedding service, the reception is a fun time where you and your guests can eat, drink and be merry. A big part of this is the speeches and toasts which, when done right, can be both warm and funny.

Unfortunately, many wedding organisers stick with the traditional speech and toasts without considering some of the alternative options now gaining popularity. One of these is Irish toasts which can inject an extra dose of fun and humour to your perfect day.

The good thing about Irish toasts, is that you don’t need to be Irish to appreciate them. Anyone who is not Irish can, and most of the time will, fully appreciate the Irish sense of humor and sentimentality. And let’s not forget the touch of the blarney that can sometimes creeps into Irish toasts as well. In fact it is this which makes some Irish toasts unforgettable.

And when you take Irish toasts for weddings, there is simply nothing more enjoyable. (And don’t forget to keep the champagne flowing!) With so many people wanting to toast the couple (any excuse to chug one down!), you can be sure that the champagne will flow readily and steadily.

For all that however, the Irish are a sentimental people and they know how to make the most of an occasion such as a wedding. You can be sure that along with the hankies, smiles will be breaking out. Not to mention the completely unpronounceable Celtic (Irish), which will bring a smile to your lips even if you don’t understand it!

However, this is what makes Irish toasts something to be treasured, and it just goes to show that the old ways are not dying, just growing stronger, and changing into something else, much in the manner of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

If you have ever listened to Irish toasts you would have found that quite a few of them begin with the completely unpronounceable “Sláinte” (try pronouncing it as: Slaw-in-tche), which means good health. The “good” portion of this is implied, with the actual “Sláinte” meaning health.

Examples of a few good Irish toasts would be something like this: “Sláinte”; “Sláinte agus saol agat” meaning Good health and long life to you; “Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo” meaning, Health to the men, and may the women live forever!

Those were only a taste of some of the more common Irish toasts. There are many other such Irish toasts, and you will find that not all of these begin, (or even end!), with Sláinte. For example you might hear this sometimes, “May your grass always be green, may your skies forever blue, may God bless the Irish, and may God bless you!”

There are other good Irish toasts and if the need arises you should be able to find a book containing these. Otherwise for now, “May the luck of the Irish be with you, may the devil fly off with your worries, and may God bless you forever and ever.”

Learn how to make your perfect day one that all of your guests will remember with funny, moving and entertaining wedding speeches and toasts at http://www.amazingweddingspeeches.com

Best man wedding speeches are known and awaited for their witty and funny one-liners and if you are going to be the best man, you’d better add a couple of these to your speech. The stress of the wedding will melt away and everyone present will relax and enjoy and get into the celebration mood.

Here are some tried and tested one-liners sure to add a spark of mischief to your Best Man Wedding speech:

1. Bigamy is having one wife too many. Some say monogamy is the same.

2. Marriage is a 4 ring circus: Engagement ring, wedding ring, suffer-ring and endue-ring.

3. Do you know the punishment for bigamy? Two mothers-in-law!

4. The most effective way to remember your wife’s birthday is to forget it once.

5. It’s not true that married men live longer than single men. It only seems longer.

6. Marriages are made in heaven. But, again, so are thunder, lightning, tornadoes and hail.

7. If the groom has pierced ears - Men who have pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They’ve experienced pain and bought jewelry.

8. Marriage is not a word. It is a sentence (a life sentence!).

9. Marriage is an institution in which a man loses his Bachelor’s Degree and the woman gets her Masters.

10. It doesn’t matter how often a married man changes his job, he still ends up with the same boss.

11. I married Miss Right. I just didn’t know her first name was Always.

Looking for more help with your Best Man Wedding speech? Get more Sample Best Man Wedding Speeches and Wedding Toast ideas.

The 3 most common wedding speeches fall under the headings of the bride’s father’s speech, the bridegroom’s speech, and, last of all, the best man’s speech.

The toastmaster should call upon the bride’s father to propose a blessing of “health and happiness to the bride and groom.” Try to make it heartfelt and genuine because crudeness is inappropriate. A little humor, however, is fitting. The toastmaster is often the best man but could also be someone that has been especially employed for the position. Professional toastmasters are available for an appropriate fee and can take a lot of the pressure off the occasion. . The bride’s father will have his blessing preceded by welcome messages to the groom’s parents, all relatives, and all the guests. Finally, he’ll utter some words off in appreciation and admiration of his precious daughter and bless her and her new husband their future marriage.

The groom will typically reply with a speech of thanksgiving to his own parents for their contributions to his character, health, and current success. He will gives thanks to the gift-bearers and mention those that couldn’t attend due to illness. In other words, he’ll be conciliatory and considerate to all members of the group. He could even toast the bridesmaids and thank them with a small gift as a token of thanksgiving.

The best man will then arise, usually on behalf of the bridesmaids, to give a heartfelt, funny, and light-hearted speech about the groom. This is a familiar scene in movies whereupon the best jokes, anecdotes, and stories are brought up. This is a critical point in the selection of a best man.

Obviously, giving a speech at a wedding is prefaced with an acknowledgement of your role and the person or people you’ll be giving the speech to … here are some good tips for preparing and delivering an excellent speech to a lot of people for the first time …

• Write down your notes a week and half ahead of time.
• Rehearse for at least a week so that you won’t need to fully rely on your notes.
• Thank the parents for donating time and gifts for the wedding arrangements.
• Relax.
• Leave them wanting a little more.
• Be brief, frank, honest, and nice.
• Compliment the whole group. Compliments always win smiles.
• Keep your toast less than 5 minutes to avoid lots of yawning.
• Leave out racy, inappropriate, crude, vulgar, or embarrassing jokes unless no one would be offended or annoyed.
• Let your guard down and be natural.
• Practice your speech in front of others.
• Let your personality grab the attention of those in the audience. Be yourself and let it just flow out.
• Interject quotes and jokes from books or the internet to complement your speech.
• Sincerity is better than anything. Even if you mess up a line, your sincerity will more than compensate.
• This is a not a test, essay, or exam – enjoy it.
• Focus on friends in the room and deliver your speech to them personally. That will make it easier than reaching out to the whole audience.
• Alcohol will probably make you less capable, off-center, or a little tipsy, and it might disrupt the speech’s content. Stay sober.

Follow the instructions outlined above if you have to learn how to make a speech at a wedding. And try to make sure that someone gets it on video at least.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on marriage and weddings and visit our associated site articles for free.

Whether a wedding ceremony is the simplest or the most extravagant of all, it is not complete without speeches from the newly-wed couple, the parents, principal sponsors, and even relatives and closest friends. It is at this point and time in the wedding celebration where laughter as well as tears of joy and mixed feelings about the affair is displayed.

Many years back, a wedding speech was reserved mostly for the fathers of the bride and groom to give and to the groom himself. A bride delivering a speech on her wedding day was very unusual. Gender sensitivity was not yet as strongly practiced then as it is today.

There are a variety of wedding speeches which have gained prominence. Some of these speeches have even been written in books to serve as references for the present generation. In Egypt, these speeches were attributed to the gods in the form of offerings and blessings. On the other hand, in Europe, it is the fathers who usually do the talking during the wedding reception.

Times are really changing and people are now, little by little, getting away from tradition. Modifications are being made to be in tune with the present times. It is very common now for the maid of honor to deliver her speech. Part of this evolvement also is the content of speeches. It used to be that speeches were once more inclined to giving blessings, wishes for good luck, good health and more kids and so on. Modern speeches inject humor, drama, and many tales which usually exposes the personalities of the bride and groom as well as their respective families.

Generally a wedding speech tells of the feelings of the speaker towards the newly-weds. The speaker himself usually writes it or asks somebody to write down his feelings for him. There are a lot of styles, tips and approaches to wedding speeches and they can be found in reference books on how to effectively deliver this kind of speech. The following guidelines have proven to aid first-timers:

1. Be familiar with the place. This includes checking the area where you will speak. Acknowledge the person who introduces you. Greeting the attendees/audience will
establish rapport with them.

2. Avoid negative thoughts about your capacity to deliver this speech successfully. And always SMILE.

3. Stand with confidence and try to connect with your audience. Look at them one at a time for 5 to 7 seconds. Do not address them as a whole. Establish eye contact. Eye contact in this process helps the audience to feel important, and they realize what you are about to say is important also. This will give you confidence.

4. Speak from your notes or memory, if possible. The main point is, you want to say your message from the heart and do it naturally so that is it heartfelt.

5. Just be yourself. Don’t be afraid to use your sense of humor.

Denise Duncan has been involved in the wedding planning business for a number of years, and is an author and editor for http://www.mywedding-information.com/

I’ve been fortunate just recently in seeing both my daughters get married to good men. The only thing was it raised two issues: does this mean I’ll become a grandfather (heck at 56 I’m too young - grandfathers are old aren’t they?) and I would have to give two wedding speeches!

So here’s my formula for a great wedding speech:

1. You must want to do it;

4. You must make sure you enjoy it.

So it’s quite straightforward really; just 4 easy steps that anyone can follow.

1. I really did want to do it; I relished the challenge of preparing something from the heart that would be memorable for my daughters and entertaining for the gathered family and friends.

2. Preparing the wedding speech well is key to your whole success as a wedding speaker. As I was ‘Father of the Bride’it would fall to me to speak first after which I could relax and see how well the other speakers would get on. There is a formula for a great wedding speech which if followed makes everything so much easier.

* Introduce yourself and the other parents and welcome family and friends of both sides.

* A couple of mild humorous references to your daughter’s childhood and teenage years.

* Say how proud you are of her and her choice of husband.

* Make a joke or two at his expense.

* Offer some worldly advice about marriage, being experienced in these matters.

* Give some serious thoughts or a prayer for their future together.

* Propose the toast to the happy couple then hand on quickly to the next speaker.

3. Prepare yourself well by writing out your speech and practising often. The best way to practise a wedding speech is to read it aloud in front of the mirror until you feel comfortable with the words. When you feel a need to change a word or two - do so! You’ll soon feel it becoming a natural flow and you will be able to memorise it easily. But take a copy with you!

4. Enjoy it - it’s your daughters big day, something to be proud of so savour the day and lock it in your memory.

Follow the 4 easy steps and you have the formula for a great weeding speech. You can see the full text of my wedding speeches, starting with wedding speech one by clicking Wedding Speech One. Good luck! If you need help with other public speaking events visit my website.

Peter Fisher is an expert Author and Publisher. He coaches and writes for people undergoing change. Everything from deciding what you want to do and how to do it, on the website at http://www.public-speaking-courses.com For career change resources visit his consulting site at http://www.your-career-change.com

Adding a bit of humor to a wedding speech is a great thing to do to change things up a little bit while letting the bride and groom know that you are excited for them. Funny wedding speeches are a great way to liven up what can be a very sappy, and overly emotional part of any wedding reception. Wedding toast humor is also for those that feel as though they just can’t get sappy and sentimental in front of a room of other people.

A truly funny wedding speech is a hard art to master but in this article I’m going to give you some tips so you can write a funny wedding speech no one will forget in a hurry, so let’s get started!

This is really important. A joke that is funny to a 20 year old person might not be funny to a 70 year old person. Also, if you know there are people in the audience (and the bride and groom) who don’t like profanity or sexual talk, don’t say anything to offend them! You don’t want to be known as the man who insulted half the wedding party. Know your audience, think about who is coming and what sensitivities they have.

Just because you and the groom think a joke is funny, doesn’t mean every one else will get it. Try and stick with jokes that every one will understand and that they find some what funny. There is nothing worse then half your audience laughing and the other half thinking you’re weird.

Re living a funny moment that you had with either the bride or groom is a good idea as long as it will be funny to every one. Again, no inside jokes like “hey Phil, remember that time when you know what happened to you know who?” That won’t make sense to most people. Re live a funny moment in both of your lives that every one will find amusing.

A funny one liner joke is a good way to start a speech or end it. Again, knowing your audience is important but here are two of my favorite one liner jokes for wedding speeches.

“To our wives and lovers, let’s hope they never meet” and
“It’s not too late to leave now (insert brides name) the gifts are refundable!”

Article by James Nardel, expert author at EasyWeddingToasts.com. For more tips and information on wedding speeches and toasts and free wedding speech examples for entire wedding party visit http://www.easyweddingtoasts.com.

What would a wedding reception be without the traditional wedding toast? It’s like having a wedding cake without the icing. The wedding toast is a profoundly moving gesture, as it conveys to the bride and groom the heartfelt wishes of everyone who attended the wedding.

Sequence of the Toasts

The wedding toast is usually given first by the best man, then the father, the groom and the bride, and then followed by those who would like to give a toast. Versions may vary, however.

Other traditional sequences of wedding toasts also follow the best man as the first one to give the toast, followed by the groom who says a few words to his bride, parents, family, and members of the wedding party. After which, the groom is then followed by other people such as family members or friends who also want to give a toast, and then lastly, the father of the bride who thanks everyone for attending the wedding.

On the other hand, a nontraditional manner of the sequence of wedding toasts starts off with the emcee toasting the bride and groom. This is followed by the groom saying a few words to the guests and his bride, followed by the bride giving a little speech to her parents and in-laws, and finally, the father of the bride thanking everyone who shared this special day with them.

The Actual Toast

Ever since a monk named Dom Perignon invented champagne, it has since become the number one drink during wedding toasts. So before performing the wedding toast, make sure that your own glass as well as the glasses of other people (most especially the bride and groom’s) are also filled with drink.

Stand next to the bride and groom when giving your toast, and using a spoon, tap your own glass in order to get people’s attention. Raise your glass using your right hand held straight from your shoulder, and then you can begin the wedding toast.

Wedding Toast Tips

Preparing the Speech: Practice!Giving a wedding toast, albeit a short one, in front of so many people can be quite a nerve-wracking experience. However, it doesn’t really have to be, not as long as you come prepared. Write your speech down so you would know exactly what to say. Let it come straight from your heart, so that you would be able to convey the sentiments you want to impart to the couple you are toasting. You can also try showing it to someone for comment so that you can get feedback in improving on your speech. Remember to keep on practicing until you feel confident and comfortable enough to deliver it in front of a crowd.

K.I.S.S.

Keep your wedding toast brief and straight to the point, since you wouldn’t want to divert attention away from the happy couple. Nobody wants to listen to an extremely long speech, so remember this word—K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short and Simple). A good measurement of a wedding toast is around 3 minutes.

Giving the Speech

In giving the wedding toast, speak loudly and clearly especially if you don’t have a microphone, so that people would understand what you’re going to say. Talking loudly gives you a certain presence, and now that you have the audience’s undivided attention, it’s important to hold it by not mumbling your words. So remember to talk slowly, because this is not a race to get you to finish your speech as fast as you can. Remember, people actually want to hear what you have to say.

Make Eye Contact & Smile!

Having your speech or cue cards printed out is indeed a great help in giving a wedding toast, but remember not to read it straight out from beginning to end. Make eye contact with the audience, so that they would feel that you really are speaking to them. Oh yeah, and don’t forget the most important detail of all: Smile! This is a joyous event, and your smile should actually say so!

Wedding toasts are a great way to wish the new couple well, but it can be
hard to get it just right if you’ve never done it before. If you feel a lot of emotion about the union, it may be even more difficult to get the toast just right. Keeping it simple really helps, as well as keeping it short. Remember that a toast is simply a way to let the new couple know that you are excited for them, and that you were happy that they made you a part of their day. The more you try to put into a toast the more complicated it can be, so don’t try to pack too much into the toast.

Wedding Speech Samples

Below is a very simple toast that you can use regardless of how well you know
both of the bride and the groom. This is also a great way to make a toast when
you really want to wish the couple well but you aren’t too sure what to say!

“First, I wanted to say congratulations to Bill and Nancy! I am so happy for the both of you and I know that today is the first day of what will be a very long marriage. I also want to thank the two of you for inviting me and making me a part of your big day. I know that there will be many more celebrations of your love and your marriage in the future!”

Below is a more intimate toast that you will find works well for close
friends and family and will help you convey a bit more personal emotion.

“Congratulations, you two! I know that everyone is saying great things to you, but I had to get up and really express how happy I am for you. I know that both of you have been looking forward to this day for quite awhile, and I have to say that it couldn’t have been more beautiful. I know that you have a lot of great plans for the future and I can’t wait to sit back and watch them unfold for you. Congratulations, Bill and Nancy!”

As you can see, you can keep it really simple or you can add a bit more
personalization to a toast. Usually a toast is just a few minutes long, so you
don’t need to get into long stories or convoluted hopes for the new couple.
Instead, keep things short and sweet but be sure to convey your happiness for
the new couple. If you don’t know the personalities of both the bride and the
groom well, keep humor limited and clean, just so that you are sure you don’t
offend anyone.

For more information on free wedding speeches and wedding toasts, free toasting tips with speech samples visit http://www.easyweddingtoasts.com.

Wedding toasts are especially significant to the newly-weds. The more popular guests may deliver a few lines to address the bride and groom but there are expectedly three very significant people tasked to make the traditional toast - the father of the bride, the bridegroom and the best man. For someone traditionally expected to make the toast, you surely would want to make this a very memorable occasion. What to say about a friend’s union or a relative’s most important day may be a stressful endeavour, especially if you are not used to talking in front of a crowd, but it is something that will be remembered and treasured.

So, how does one come up with a witty and poignant wedding toast? Below are some tips:

Father of The Bride Basics

A father-of-the-bride speech usually has the following components:

a welcome to the guests

a thank you for celebrating your daughter’s special day

a few titbits about the daughter

words you would like to impart to your son-in-law

the toast to the newlyweds

Bridegroom Basics

A bridegroom speech is actually a long list of “thank-you’s” to:

the bride’s father for the wedding toast he just made

for the acceptance into the family

for the celebration (if the bride’s family have shared in the expenses)

for his daughter

the guests who came to your wedding

your wife - for choosing to spend the rest of her life with you

the wedding entourage, particularly the bridesmaids

the organizers of the wedding

The groom may share a few titbits on how the couple met and fell in love. As this may become a boring thank-you note, use humor to make the speech more interesting.

Best Man Basics

This comes after all speeches have been made and has the following components:

a recounting of how the couple first met

a thanks to the groom, on behalf of the whole wedding entourage

a special toast, not for the newly-weds, but their parents.

The best man may then proceed to talk about the groom and his special qualities or the experiences they have had together. Anecdotes and amusing stories are most certainly the mood of a best man’s toast.

Giving a Memorable Toast

1.Organize your thoughts by writing them down in paper. This is advisable especially if you are not used to getting up in front of a crowd.

2.Practice. At least allow yourself a week before the wedding to rehearse your toast.

3.Be sober. Don’t get too carried away at the open bar until after you have done your toast.

4.Be sincere. The best speeches are those that come from the heart.

5.Avoid embarrassing topics. Leave the college escapades out, even if it is a funny anecdote. You are not giving the speech to embarrass the bride and groom but to share in their joy.

6.Relax. It may be a stressful task but the more you stress over it, the worse your speech can get.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on marriage and getting married and visit our associated site articles for free.

You have to give a Maid of Honor speech and don’t know where to start? Begin with these 7 tips for writing a Maid of Honor speech.

1. The Maid of Honor, sometimes also called the Bridesmaid or even the Matron of Honor, speaks after the Best Man. Remember, the audience has to listen to a lot of wedding speeches before and after you. So, my tip number one is: keep it brief.

2. For all situations goes the same - in the church or at the reception - your Maid of Honor wedding speech topics should be from your heart! If you are not comic, then don’t try to be comic. Just be yourself. Especially speech topics in a church should be appropriate in relation to the religious ambiance.

3. Write a personal Maid of Honor speech, but not too personal. Ask others if the stories you want to tell will not embarrass the bride and groom or the guests.

4. Make enthusiastic and sincere comments and compliments about the couple, but don’t exaggerate. Look at things from the female point of view. The attendants already have listened to the boy scout opinions of the Best Man. Now it’s your turn to pay back Say something in favor of the bride and the other girls in the room. Indeed, your role is like the Best Man - flatter the bride, congratulate the bridal couple, and tease and roast the bride a little.

5. Never come up with negative or depressing speech topics. Avoid sex, politics or religion.

6. When you have finished a first draft of your Maid of Honor speech, read it out loud in front of someone else and ask for her or his opinion.

7. On the wedding day bring note cards with all important key words of your Maid of Honor speech ideas. If you know what you want to say it will be easier to overcome any fear of public speaking. Another benefit of note cards: they will prevent you from babbling, stumbling or giving a long boring Maid of Honor speech.

If you don’t know what to talk about, or you feel you need more possible speech topics as a reference? Try my 17 Sample Maid of Honor Speech Topics.

Jim Peterson has over 10 year’s experience on speech writing.
He offers how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments and 1,250+ free speech topic ideas at http://www.speech-topics-help.com

Copyright 2006 Jim A. Peterson