No wedding day is complete without the wedding reception toasts. It gives your videographer a lot to work with to make the film emotional and memorable. Wedding videography is a great way to look back on your special day, so it’s not surprising that people want their wedding day toasts to make it through to the final cut.
As a wedding videographer, I have covered enough weddings to know which toasts are video worthy and which are certified mood-killers. That being said, here are a few tips that will make your wedding toasts unforgettable!
Keep It Short
Do you know the one thing people hate when it comes to wedding toasts? The drag!
Anything above the five-minute mark will tire your guests out, and they will stop registering the words you are saying. As wedding videographers, we also want to limit each toast to a couple of minutes so the people don’t zone out on the video, which is vital for a cinematic wedding film.
People panic about how they could fit all their emotions into a brief toast, but it’s fairly simple. For starters, you don’t have to necessarily introduce yourself; people will figure out who you are. Start by congratulating the newlyweds, address each partner, be sweet and kind, wish them well, good health, and a long happy marriage and remember to raise your glass to a toast in the end!
Be Genuine
This should go without saying. Your toast shouldn’t feel superficial or copied down from the first Pinterest quote you found; add a bit of your own to it! Be genuine, be honest, and get personal. Talk about your relationship with the newlyweds, talk about how overwhelmed you feel, and speak from the heart.
People are used to how you talk, so stick to the authentic you because most people love unscripted, genuine, and sweet speeches.
Is Comedy Your Thing?
This is not only for the best man (since they are the ones dishing out all the jokes).
If comedy isn’t your thing, don’t force it into your wedding toast. People who are naturally funny will be able to pull it off, but if you are trying too hard to be funny, you may end up with an awkward moment of silence. Funny works, but not always. It’s best to be yourself, and unless you are absolutely sure you will knock out the crowd with your comedy, limit it.
Focus On Your Mic
When talking to the crowd, you don’t want to move around a lot unnecessarily, as you may end up moving out of range of the mic. This will make your voice sway from loud to indecipherable, and the audience will have a hard time making out what you are saying. If it’s a wireless mic you’re holding, make sure to hold it by the bottom or middle and not the top where you may cover up the microphone with your hand. This can muffle your voice for the video.
Don’t Walk Around
When making your toast, try not to move around a lot. Your wedding videographer will try and capture your toast with two cameras, but you moving around will make it a lot more difficult to track you, which includes the lighting as well. You may walk out of the angle of the light and then if the camera can still track you, your face may be dark by this point. It takes time to move lights and multiple cameras to keep the focus on you so moving too much can make that nearly impossible.
