How to Give the Perfect Wedding Toast

The inevitable has happened. Your best friend has succumbed to the guiles of a woman, will be getting married, and has asked you to be the best man. Your first thought is one of pride. You are the special one, the chosen one, and let's face it, the best one. And then reality begins to sink in. You have to give a speech in front of hundreds of people. What's worse, it's got to be funny, touching, endearing, and you can't be overly drunk. You shirk in horror.

Well, not to worry. Giving a speech is easy. Just follow these steps, and you will be the star of the show. Mothers will be trying to set you up with their single daughters left and right.

Step 1: Brainstorm.
Sit down at the computer, or with a pen and paper, and just write out everything you can think of to describe your best friend, his new wife-to-be, and the two of them as a couple. If you do not like her very much, but you have given your friend your blessing to marry her, you will have to bite your tongue from here on out. Now is the time to pretend you are talking about someone you just adore. So while you're brainstorming ideas, pretend in your little fantasy that your friend is marrying Drew Barrymore. Now, write out all the ideas you can think of for your speech, even if you think they are ridiculous and you'll never use them. The whole point of brainstorming is to get your ideas flowing.

Once you have compiled a list of words and memories that you associate with your friend and his fiancé, go through and circle the ones you will definitely want to put in your speech. This would be a good time to cross off the list your memory of the time the two of you went to Vegas with the Wilson twins. After you have chosen a two or three memories that you think would be appropriate for the speech, you are ready for the next step.

The Best Man's Toast

Credit: Lila

Copyright: Emily Kiser