This blog has written on the subject of the wedding toast on more than one occasion. The subject is important, because a memorable wedding toast is pure magic. At the same time, a toast by your best man or maid of honor can go astray with all sorts of negative consequences.

There is never an excuse for a poor toast as long as your toasters are armed with some basic information, which I am about to reveal.

There is an almost magical secret to giving a memorable wedding toast, and that is the “turning point.” The turning point is the secret sauce, that moment when the toaster reveals what makes the bride or groom so special, and what makes the bride and groom such a great couple.

It is the pay dirt for which everyone awaits.

The video above provides helpful tips on how to write an effective toast. It breaks down the toast into five steps:

1. Introduction. Who is the toaster, and what is his/her connection to the bride and groom?
2. Great story. Everyone loves stories. Everyone! What are movies and television shows, except stories? Stories are so powerful that Jesus used them as the basis for His teachings. What is your story that involves either the bride or groom, or both?
3. Turning point. Here you reveal the secret, that very essence of what makes the toastee tick, and why that bodes well for their marriage. This is that “feel good moment” that makes a good toast soar.
4. Conclusion.
5. Toast.

Let’s look at an actual toast I found on YouTube. This is a warm toast by a younger brother who clearly looks up to his big brother, who is the groom. He tells some nice stories which lead to the ‘turning point’ in the last minute where he reveals the “secret sauce” that will see this marriage through. At five minutes, the speech could be tightened up a bit, but all in all, he does an excellent job.

The toast below is also heartfelt. The toaster provides a wonderful story beginning around the 1:40 mark. But he skips the conclusion and the toast itself. And the ‘turning point’ precedes the story:

No criticism intended towards either toaster, each of whom had some good elements in their toast. We can all learn from them in order to write and deliver a memorable wedding toast when our time comes.

Check out an earlier blogpost that offers a memorable wedding toast script. Do you see the ‘turning point’? It is the paragraph immediately following the line, “bring bride into the toast.”

Writing and delivering a memorable wedding toast isn’t rocket science. It takes more heart than science, along with the tips above. Good luck!

[When should toasts be made? Scott Stevens Entertainment is also a professional MC. We know when to cue up toasts and control the entire tempo of your celebration.]