Do you ask people to give toasts or is it spontaneous... do you warn people at all?

Hi, It depends on what part of the day you are refering to. If you are refering to the reception then it is definately betting to let them know beforehand so that they have something prepared. If you are having a relaxed wedding and would like a toast after the signing of the paperwork then I am sure your Celebrant would be only too happy to ask your guest to raise their glasses and congratulate you on the new life ahead of you both but remember if you are having it at the actual ceremony (which is a lovely idea) you will needs to do a bit more organising.

Enjoy your day and make wonderful memories.  xx

Hello Mon,

My thoughts on this after being MC at weddings,  would definately be to ask the people.

There are a few reasons for this.

You want people to be prepared, and not nervous. Always good to ensure they are happy speaking in front of people, you don't want them to be nervous throughtout your Ceremony and Reception until they speak, and miss the moment.

You also want to choose people who perhaps didn't have a role in you Ceremony, yet would be honoured to speak at your Reception.

You want people who will be respectful and understand your wishes, and keep to a time frame.

Hope this has helped. Enjoy every moment.

Jo.

I think it is important to let people know that you would like them to say a few words and propose a toast.  Some people are not very comfortable with being put 'on the spot' and it will give the person time to say exactly the words they want to at your reception.  

Hi there,

I would always suggest that you ask people whom you wish to speak at your reception in advance.

This gives them time to research, think about, prepare, think about it again and practice what they wish to say ( an dthink about it again with some healthy feedback from friends)

I guess the best comparison I could make is by saying there is a big difference between a Karaoke session and a concert performance. With Karaoke, you never really know what you are going to hear. with a concert perforkmance, you have confidence in knowwing you have chosen well. It's the same with unplanned and planned speeches.

You don't want anyone, including the speaker, to be embarassed or embarassing on your special day.

That being said, there is always the chance someone will crack up the party with an off the cuff comment or too....enjoy.

You certainly do need to warn them. Even the most competant speaker will require at least some warning and you need to provide a list of the toasts that want that person to raise.

It's always best to give people time to prepare when you'd like them to do something for you, especially something that could take them out of their comfort zone.  I'd start with asking them first to see if they would like to do it as some people find public speaking way too confronting.  But for those who would like to write a small toast, it's always good to give them some guidelines i.e. no swearing, nothing offensive, how long they have to speak (3-5 mins max) etc.  If you're really concerned (i.e. best man speech) ask them to forward their speech in advance to someone you trust to read it in advance to ensure everything is ok.   Good luck and enjoy. 

It's a good idea to ask people for a couple of reasons:

 They can prepare something (remember the #1 fear people have is public speaking - though a few bevvies often loosens peoples couragae!) or they can decline if they would be too nervous.  

You can ask people you know won't go on forever...

You can ask people who won't do something silly & embarass you (I've seen it happen & it's not great for the rest of your wedding...)

Lastly if you open up the floor for anyone to make a toast at your reception , you could be there for a LONG time.  

Hope this helps!

Rachel

Hello.  If the couple if they would like  to have a toast at the end of their cermony and it can certainly be added either as a forethought or spontanenously.  I usually find couples prefer the toast at the reception but I have had one or two do one at the end before they walk out and its really nice.

You will be surprised to hear the answer to this question is - It depends.  If you want an unstructured reception you could leave the toasts to be spontaneous.  This could work well or could be embarassing.  I recommend the coouple choose what toasts and who they wish to give them.  There are traditional toasts and those who give them but you can have your own ideas.  What ever you choose I also recommend the use of an MC to ensure what ever the couple wants happens.