Listen up Best Man and Brides Maid

We thought we would offer you some solid advice so your toasts are relevant and entertaining. We also wanted to address some real concerns that... Read More

We thought we would offer you some solid advice so your toasts are relevant and entertaining. We also wanted to address some real concerns that grooms have about their wedding day. We usually cover the bride in our post so we only thought it fair to address the rest of the wedding party. Thanks to The Knot and Glamour Magazine their contribution to this post. Let us know you opinion on both these topics I am sure we have not covered it all here in this post!


Don’t be afraid to roast the bride or groom but know when enough is enough

The perfect wedding toast is a work of oratory art. It can’t be too short (cheers!) and it can’t drone on and on. It has to be funny but it also has to be sentimental. So if you’ve been tasked with toasting the newlyweds, prepare to prep — and whatever you do, avoid these toasting faux pas!
There’s a fine line between poking fun and being vulgar. So, don’t talk about how drunk they got at college and what trouble they used to get into. For starters it’s unoriginal, but mainly because grandma and the in-laws are in the audience too.


Don’t tell private jokes

It doesn’t matter how funny you and five other of your friends think something is, if half the audience doesn’t know it, you’re excluding them and they’ll stop listening.

Don’t dwell on touchy subjects
Avoid talking about differences in religion, race and especially exes. These topics are totally irrelevant to this day and it will make everyone feel super uncomfortable.

Don’t tell us how your friend is like your sister (Maids of Honor, this one’s for you)
We know you adore each other, that’s why she gave you the job. Tell us why you love her, why she’s so amazing and why she makes you laugh.

Don’t just use adjectives to describe the person you are talking about
You need to backup your descriptions with stories. The more specific you are the better the speech.

Don’t be overly sentimental
Try for at least 70% humor and storytelling. When was the last time you left a wedding talking about an amazing speech that was all tears and ‘I love yous’? If you think back over all the time you’ve spent together you’ll find the juicy details about your friend and the humor.

Don’t speak for longer than 5 minutes
It’s always better to leave the guests panting for more than wishing you’d stop.

Don’t get hammered at the open bar
If a glass of wine or a shot of tequila gives you a bit of confidence then go for it. But no more than one until you’re done!

Don’t talk about yourself
Yes you’ve shared hundreds of adventures with your best friend or sibling, but you are best man or maid because all those stories make you an expert on them. Look through your speech and count the ‘I’s.

Don’t let nerves get the better of you!
You’re about to deliver the best gift to your friend you’ve ever given them – it’s exciting and you should be looking forward to it. If you spend the whole speech freaking out, you’ll regret it afterwards and you only get one chance so enjoy every moment of it.

Special thanks to Victoria Wellman, co-founder of The Oratory Laboratory.
9 things grooms worry about before their wedding day


Groom Worry: He can’t get dressed without help.

Brides aren’t the only ones with wedding-day worries. We asked groomsmen to dish on what the groom freaks out about when the bride isn’t looking.
“He realized that the bowtie he’d received was a real bowtie, not a clip-on or anything pre-tied. We were lucky, though, because I’ve been tying bowties for years. So there were many shots in his formal photography album of me having to tie his bowtie and put on his boutonniere.” —Rob, 29

Groom Worry: He has to stick to the budget—while pleasing the bride.
“The biggest challenge was keeping the wedding in budget while maintaining the small stuff like wedding colors and whether or not things match perfectly, and if the heights of groomsmen and bridesmaids match up.” —Ryan, 27

Groom Worry: He doesn’t know what to write in his vows.
“The day of the wedding he woke up and was trying to come up with the vows. He said that he did them off the top of his head. During his vows, he was like, ‘A couple months ago I was preparing my vows…’ and we all knew he was lying.” —Curtis, 20

Groom Worry: He doesn’t know the dress code.
“He was nervous and overwhelmed when people asked him what to wear for the rehearsal dinner. He was getting all kinds of text messages, and he didn’t really know. He called his mom to ask her what people should wear.” —Derek, 32

Groom Worry: He’s uncomfortable with all the attention.
“He was kind of anxious. I think it was…having the whole day be about him and his soon-to-be wife.” —Danny, 20

Groom Worry: He’s nervous about everything going according to plan.
“All the groomsmen were from Virginia, so he was worried about getting them to the right place at the right time in St. Louis, where they had no idea where they were going.” —Jay, 21

Groom Worry: He freaks out about everyone else having a blast.
“Most of the time, he was worrying about everyone else, hoping that the family was having a good time, hoping that everyone was OK in spite of the heat.” —Paul, 25

Groom Worry: He’s obsessed with the details (as much as the bride is).
“He became quite meticulous: ties just right, cuffs on correctly, no gum, no scuffs on the shoes, the whole nine yards. We all knew he was just wanting the best for his bride-to-be.” —Collin, 26

Groom Worry: What if it rains?
“There were a lot of rehearsals. It was an outdoor wedding on a beach in New Zealand, so he was really worried about the weather.” —Shane, 36

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