Giving A Thank You Toast at Your Wedding Reception

A simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way. Think about how you feel when someone thanks you for a gift, your time, hard work, etc. It shows appreciation and conveys gratitude, but more than that it is a sign of respect and an acknowledgement to that person (or persons) that they matter. These are just some of the reasons why I love when couples say a thank you toast during their wedding reception. It doesn’t have to be much, one sentence or ten sentences, written out or impromptu, but all of these wonderful friends and family came out to celebrate your great new adventure with you so I believe it is important to thank them for that.

Often, as hard as you try to make it to every table and personally thank each guest it doesn’t quite happen, especially if you have a bit of a larger reception. There is only so much time and too many great dance songs, making a very thoughtful ‘thank you’ toast a great alternative! During the reception, there are a couple of ideal times to do this… right before dinner starts (as a welcome) or as a wrap up to the rest of the bridal party speeches. Either way, during these times your guests are typically seated, able to pay attention and hear what you are saying.

As I mentioned, this doesn’t have to be something super complicated and meant to stress you out. I mean, there is a high likelihood that you know every single person sitting in front of you, so they aren’t looking for a grand, 10-minute-long speech. However, I guarantee they will feel very loved and touched if you stand up and tell them how much you appreciate them taking the time (and sometimes spending the money for travel) to be there with you and your new spouse. There are 4 simple steps to follow in order to effectively and sincerely say ‘thank you’:

1. Make eye contact. Remember in high school speech class when your teacher would tell you to look up and make eye contact with your classmates, rather than look down at your note cards the whole time? The same principal applies.

2. Smile. It’s amazing how much a smile can portray and how infectious it can be.

3. Speak in a clear, friendly voice. Again, bringing it back to that speech class training, try not to mutter or mumble. Typically, but not always, there is one person that is part of a couple who feels more comfortable speaking in front of people, so don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask them to be the one to say thank you to your guests.

4. Be specific. What are you thanking your guests for? For simply for being there? For the gifts? For traveling – if it is a destination wedding? For partying the night away?

Every couple’s wedding day celebrations, no matter how big or small, simple or elaborate, should reflect you both as individuals and as a new unit. Everybody loves seeing those little individualized touches, so if you decide to do a thank you toast whether you are writing it out or making it up as you go just make sure it is personal and sounds like you!

If you found this article helpful and want to learn about what I can do to make help create your dream wedding without all the stress, head on over to the services page for my packages and pricing information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or leave a comment below!

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