Role of a Toastmaster
Toastmasters act as the master of ceremonies at weddings. The role of the toastmaster is to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the reception and, wearing his wearing his traditional ceremonial clothes a professional toastmaster adds to the pomp and splendour of the occasion. They discreetly go about their duties coordinating, directing and announcing the ceremonial proceedings, whilst providing confidence and a calming influence on the bridal party. A professional toastmaster will organise and run your day exactly how you wish it to be so that the you and your families can really relax and enjoy the day with full confidence in its success. Your toastmaster will also help the bride’s father, the best man and the groom when it is time for them to make their wedding speeches, introducing them, telling them when to stand up, and even giving them the correct wording for the toasts they should be proposing.
Role of a Celebrant
A Celebrant is different to a Vicar, Priest, Registrar or Humanist officient, offering a very personal service with no two ceremonies the same.
A Celebrant can offer a service that is unique and personal to you, after you have been legally married. Your ceremony can be held in a variety of locations and venues, and can include the use of or reference to any religion (including poems, hymns and music).
Speeches
Wedding speeches are a key aspect to your wedding reception. They are highly personal and much treasured for the rest of the marriage. However if you are making a speech it can be very intimidating and seem more like a burden than an honour. There is immense pressure to make people laugh as well as bringing a tear to the eye from the start of the speech all the way through to proposing the toasts. Toastmasters can reduce these nerves immensely by assisting beforehand with speech writing tips and advice, showing you how to stand with confidence and deliver a relaxed speech, and how to build up to the traditional wedding toasts at the end of the speech.
The correct order for speeches is first the bride’s father (or an old family friend), then the groom and finally the best man.
Each speech traditionally ends with a toast, when guests are expected to stand, raise their glasses, repeat the wording of the toast, drink and sit back down. The wording of the toasts should be brief to allow guests to repeat it, and there is an etiquette as to who proposes each toast. The bride’s father and the best man should both end their speeches by toasting the married couple either as “the happy couple”, “Mr and Mrs Smith” or “John and Sarah”. The groom toasts “The bridesmaids” or occasionally “The bridesmaids: Ella and Jane”.
The loyal toast is used at more formal weddings and is directed at the monarchy quite simply as “The Queen” or “The King”. It is the signal to guests that their jackets can be removed and, before the smoking ban, that they can smoke.
