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Speech examples

Wedding toast: what to say and how long it takes

Aim for 30 to 60 seconds, about 55 to 100 words. A three-part formula, a 50-word fill-in and six wedding toast examples. Free to copy and print.

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How long will it take to say?

Type the word count of your draft. We use 130 words per minute as our assumption for speaking pace.

Each example below has its own Copy button.

Aim for 30 to 60 seconds. A wedding toast has three parts: one thing you noticed, one wish and a raised glass. Here is a version you can fill in right now.

The 50-word fill-in (50 words as written, about 27 seconds at 111 words per minute)

I’m [your name], and I know [Partner one] from [place]. I noticed [one thing you saw them do with Partner two]. It told me what I needed to know. I hope [one wish for them]. Everyone, please raise a glass. To [Partner one] and [Partner two], [a few more words].

Copy it or use Print or save as PDF for a card, swap in your names and read it aloud once. The rest of this page explains why it is built this way and gives six full toasts for different guests.

This page is for the guest who has been asked to say a few words at the reception. If you are hosting the rehearsal dinner, the toast list for the rehearsal dinner sets the lengths and order for a whole evening of toasts, which is a different job.

The three-part formula

  1. Notice. Name one specific thing you have seen. A habit, a phone call, a way the two of them are together. Skip the list of adjectives.
  2. Wish. Say one thing you hope for them. If your wish has an “and” in it, keep the better half.
  3. Glass up. Ask the room to raise a glass, then say the couple’s names. Then stop, because the toast has done its job.

Your name and how you know the couple go first, in one sentence.

Reception table with a champagne flute, candles and a calligraphy place card reading Bride, set for the toasts
Photo: rawpixel.com, originally Unsplash FGESRgJ-Aog, CC0

Word budget: how many words each part gets

Our rule of thumb is 55 to 100 words. Here is why the top is 100 and not 130. The one speaking-pace figure we cite is a median of 111 words per minute from a vendor sample of practice presentations (see sources). At 111 words per minute, 100 words take 54 seconds, so 100 words fits under a minute. At 130 words per minute, 100 words take 46 seconds, and 130 words would run 70 seconds at the 111 pace. Nervous speakers are usually slower than a rehearsal, so leave room.

PartWord budgetSeconds at 111 wpmSeconds at 130 wpm
Who you are10 to 155 to 85 to 7
Notice25 to 4514 to 2412 to 21
Wish10 to 205 to 115 to 9
Glass up10 to 205 to 115 to 9
Total55 to 10030 to 5425 to 46

Seconds are our own arithmetic from the word budget, and they leave out laughter. The word-count calculator on this page uses 130 words per minute, so it shows the faster time. Add a margin if you are nervous; we have no figure for how much.

Worked build: three inputs, one toast

Take three inputs and the fill-in above.

  • Who you are: Dana, a college friend of Sam
  • Notice: Sam now checks the weather in Leeds before his own
  • Wish: you always keep a coat by the door

That produces this toast, which is 54 words and about 29 seconds at 111 words per minute (25 at 130):

I’m Dana, and I know Sam from college. I noticed Sam now checks the weather in Leeds before his own. It told me what I needed to know. I hope you always keep a coat by the door. Everyone, please raise a glass. To Sam and Jo, and to the coat by the door.

The names and the coat are invented for this example. Swap in your own detail and count again with the calculator.

The notice, the one thing you saw about the couple, gets the most room at 25 to 45 words.

Word and time budget of a four-part wedding toast: 1 who you are 5 to 7 s, 10 to 15 words; 2 notice 12 to 21 s, 25 to 45 words; 3 wish 5 to 9 s, 10 to 20 words; 4 glass up 5 to 9 s, 10 to 20 words. Total 55 to 100 words, 25 to 46 seconds at 130 words per minute.
Where the words go in a toast

Six toasts for different guests

Each toast has a real wish and ends on a toast sentence. Word counts include everything. Seconds are our estimate at 111 words per minute and leave out laughter. Tap Copy under any card to put it on your clipboard.

1. A friend of the couple (57 words, about 31 seconds)

Hi, I’m [Your name]. A year after I met [Partner one], they started answering my calls on the first ring. I found out why when I met [Partner two]. I hope you two always pick up for each other. Everyone, please raise a glass. To [Partner one] and [Partner two], and to answering on the first ring.

2. A sibling (64 words, about 35 seconds)

I’m [Your name], [Partner one]‘s sister. In [number] years I have never seen them wait for anyone. Then [Partner two] showed up, and now they wait at the door with their coat on. I hope that coat stays by the door for fifty years. Everyone, please stand and raise a glass. To [Partner two], welcome to the family. To [Partner one], you waited well.

3. A parent of the couple, built on one object (62 words, about 34 seconds)

Good evening. I’m [Your name], [Partner one]‘s mother. Our kitchen table has [number] chairs, and for years one of them held a person who talked about nothing but work. Now it holds [Partner two], who makes everyone laugh. I hope that table never has an empty seat. Please raise your glasses. To [Partner one] and [Partner two], and to the full table.

4. A coworker, a quick one-liner (51 words, about 28 seconds)

I’m [Your name], and I work with [Partner one]. On our busiest days they are the calmest person in the room. Now I know where it comes from. [Partner two], keep it up. Please raise a glass. To [Partner one] and [Partner two], to a calm house and a long life.

5. A funny one that opens with a question (63 words, about 34 seconds)

Who here has argued with [Partner one] about the thermostat? Hands up. I’m [Your name], and I have lost that argument twice. [Partner two], you found the one person who will set it to 68 and call it a compromise. I hope you never find a better deal. Everyone, please raise a glass. To [Partner one] and [Partner two], and to 68 degrees.

6. Later in life (67 words, about 36 seconds)

Good evening, I’m [Your name], a friend of [Partner one] for [number] years. Some people find love early. Others wait until they know exactly what they want. [Partner one] waited and chose well. [Partner two], thank you for being worth it. I hope every year from here feels like today. Please raise a glass. To [Partner one] and [Partner two], and to good things worth waiting for.

The longest of the six fits in 36 seconds at 111 words per minute, which leaves room inside a minute for laughter, a breath and the glass.

Make a toast yours in five minutes

Do these in order and stop when it sounds like you.

  1. Pick one scene you actually witnessed, such as a text, a dinner or a drive, and write it in one sentence with a place or a time in it.
  2. Cut the adjectives you do not need. “Amazing” and “wonderful” tell the room nothing, and a detail does the work.
  3. Write the wish in one line.
  4. Write the toast sentence last, with both names, and say it out loud twice.
  5. Read it aloud once, standing, with a timer. If it runs over a minute, cut the first sentence that does not mention the couple.

Is it a toast or a speech?

A toast is the short version that ends the moment glasses go up. A speech holds a full story and runs longer. One guide says two to five minutes for a best man speech, which is where a speech starts and a short toast ends, and the best man speech outline and the maid of honor outline cover those longer roles. If you are unsure which you were asked for, ask the couple, and if they do not answer, give the toast.

What goes wrong in a toast

  • Running into a speech. If the story needs a setup, it is a speech. Pick a smaller moment, such as one phone call.
  • No clear last line. If the final words are not the toast sentence, people wait and do not know when to lift their glasses.
  • Ten toasts in a row. When many guests are speaking, the room tires fast. Keep yours under 60 seconds, and if you are one of several, go for the lower end of the budget.
  • Saying both names only at the start. People lift their glasses at the end, so say both names in the last sentence.
  • Opening with “I am not good at this.” It makes the room brace. Start with your name and the thing you noticed.

For what to leave out when the toast turns into a story, such as exes, inside jokes and teasing, see the lists on the best man speech and funny best man speech pages.

When toasts happen

The couple and the planner decide who speaks and when, so ask where you fall in the order of speakers before the day. WeddingWire’s page on who gives a speech describes the usual US order. To see how a total speech block adds up, how long a wedding speech should be shows a worked example.

Send this to someone who has to speak

Copy this note and send it to a friend who was just asked to say a few words.

You only need three things. One true thing you noticed about them, one wish, and a last sentence that ends with “raise a glass.” Fifty to eighty words is under a minute. Here is the fill-in: “I’m [name], and I know [person] from [place]. I noticed [one thing]. I hope [one wish]. Everyone, please raise a glass to [names].” That is about 30 words before you fill in the blanks, so add a detail of your own.

Write your vows
Wedding toast card on paper showing three numbered parts and a word count for a toast under one minute

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Questions people ask

What to say on a toast at a wedding

Say who you are, name one specific thing you have seen in the couple, wish them one thing and ask the room to raise a glass. Keep the memory small and true, and finish on the toast sentence so people know when to lift their glasses.

How long should a wedding toast be?

Aim for 30 to 60 seconds, which is about 55 to 100 words at the 111 words per minute vendor median we cite. That median comes from practice presentations, not toasts. One published guide says a reception toast should run a minute or two at most, so under a minute is a safe target.

What is the difference between a toast and a speech?

A toast is a few lines that end with everyone raising a glass. A speech is longer, holds a full story, and still ends with a toast. If nobody told you to prepare a speech, bring a toast.

How many words is a 30 second wedding toast?

About 55 words at 111 words per minute, or 65 at 130. Both are our assumptions. Add a few seconds for laughter and for the pause before the glass. If you speak slowly when nervous, plan on 50.

Do I have to be funny in a wedding toast?

No. A sincere sentence about something you saw lands better than a joke that needs a second try. If you do use humor, keep it to one line and tease only the person you know well.

What if I am asked to give a toast with no warning?

Use the 50-word fill-in near the top of this page. Fill in the blanks, read it aloud once and stop. It runs about 26 seconds at 111 words per minute.

Sources

Updated by bigdaydesk editorial

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