Wedding Toast Games

Giving a toast is a responsibility that puts fear in the speaking hearts of most members of a wedding party. While it's not usually something that is particularly long or involved, it's public speaking (which doesn't sit well with many people) and really puts people on the spot.

If you are planning a wedding and know that most members of this wedding party are hams who won't mind the whole "public speaking" thing, then by all means keep the toasts traditional with dad, the best man and others taking their expected turns at the microphone.

But if you're looking for something different, either because you want to save putting people on the spot, or you simply want to do something different and fun, read on.

First, you can certainly take the whole toast thing off the agenda if you wish. There are no rules requiring a toast at any wedding. Weddings should be unique events and reflect the personalities of the bride and groom.

But if you want to do something a little different, there are options. You can go the video route, which asks people to essentially make a toast on camera and then the video is given to the bride and groom later. This isn't a particularly unique idea, but it does solve the issue of not wanting to put people on the spot and still gives everyone a chance to say something special to the bride and groom.

If your guest list includes many outgoing people then consider "pass the microphone". This can work in several ways. You can either be silly with it, or deadly serious. Most people like silly. Say dad takes the microphone first. His last name ends with T (so, let's say dad's last name is Smith). He must find someone whose first name begins with a T (Tom? Tony? Tina? Theresa?) and pass the microphone to that person, who then gives a toast.

This method of giving toasts does put people on the spot (certainly before the fun begins you can warn them so if they are really uncomfortable, they can escape to the restroom or bar) but it can also be a lot of fun. Getting people when they least expect it and then asking them to remember something funny or meaningful about the bride and groom can result in interesting, funny and truthful results.

You might also decide that one person at each table be required to give a toast. Number the tables and at various intervals, have the MC or DJ call a number, which will require guests at that table to decide amongst themselves who will give the toast at that table. Certainly, more than one person can if they like, but there will likely be at least one ham at each table who will enjoy standing up and toasting the newlyweds.

Say you have plenty of public speakers in the group, and finding willing toast participants won't be a problem. But you think the subject matter might be. There's an easy solution to this problem. You can provide open-ended topics for the toast speakers. Say you are providing an "open mike" toast arrangement, where anyone can request the microphone and offer a toast. The DJ, MC or someone else in the wedding party (perhaps the maid of honor or best man) can offer the speaker a surprise topic, which might be pulled from a champagne flute or drawn out of the floral arrangement on the head table. There might be slips of paper to choose, or just one sheet of paper with several ideas.

The speaker might choose to finish this sentence, "I remember when (groom's name here) was a little boy, he always ..." or answer this question, "When was (insert bride's name here) at her silliest? Tell us the story". You might have to give each speaker a minute or two to collect their thoughts, but you're sure to have some interesting stories, some unique anecdotes and some different perspectives on the bride and groom.

Engagement Party Games

The engagement party is a time when the families of the couple will get to know one another. In some cases, this might be the first meeting between the two families or groups of friends and any icebreaker activity will be a welcome event.

In that light, whoever plans the engagement party (likely the bride's family, but it can be the engaged couple or anyone else who wants to plan the party) should plan a few games and activities designed to help everyone get to know everyone else.

First up is a trivia game. Create a "Trivial Pursuit" type game with questions about the bride and groom's lives. You might contain the questions to just facts and events relating to both the bride and groom (such as how long did it take her to say "yes" when he asked, where did he propose, where did they meet, etc), or you can include questions pertaining to their lives outside of each other and before they met each other. Not only can this be fun, but also it's an entertaining way for people to get to know each other and the engaged couple better.

One popular icebreaker that's used at corporate functions and company parties can also work really well at engagement parties. Tape a card to each person's back and encourage him or her to work the room, mingle with everyone and particularly try to get to know someone they have never met before. Before moving on to someone else, be sure to make a comment about the person on the card on his or her back. Partiers write an impression of that person, such as "she seems sweet" or "he knows a lot about the weather".

This icebreaker ends when the mingling session is over. The cards are then read one by one and people not only get to know each other better, but enjoy hearing all the comments people made about them. Try to ensure that comments are complimentary or somehow presented in a positive light. Hurtful comments, obviously, are not appropriate.

If this is truly the first time many of the guests have met, then another fun game involving the wearing of cards might be in order. In this game, each guest wears a card on their front that has their name on the front and a number on the back. They don't share with anyone what their number is. Guests mingle and chat and get to know each other over the course of the evening.

Toward the end of the evening, the cards are flipped over and the number side is shown. Everyone gets a piece of paper and writes the numbers on the paper, then tries to correspond the name of someone with their number. This fun game can be hard for people who are bad with names, but it's fun nonetheless.

For an activity that doesn't put people on the spot quite so much, consider letting the already marrieds help out the to-be marrieds. Place two pieces of posterboard on the wall and mark them "advice from women" and "advice from men". Now is the time to offer advice about wedding planning, not about being married. That advice can come later. Encourage guests to offer their own wedding planning advice. The advice from older people at the party could be decidedly different from the younger couples in the group, making for an enlightening group of comments.

Four weeks to go - need to lose weight fast!

I have been writing about weddings for quite some years - now I´m getting married myself! I´ve got pretty much all covered - with one exception. Some of the friends who are coming to the wedding haven´t seen me for almost fifteen years, and while I can´t (and don´t want to) do much about the wrinkles, I do would like to shed some weight. I put on a whopping 33 pounds (some 15 kilos) after the birth of our twins - I am a stress eater. Well, the last three years haven´t been exactly easy - job, three kids (two of them extremely active toddlers) and a big house - so I have never been able to get them off again - an believe me, I have tried!

So yesterday I bought one of these weight loss books that promise to show you how to lose weight fast - I usually don´t believe in this kind of crash diets, but I´m really desperate! I didn´t really found the time to read the book, i´ll have to do that today. I guess I might have to head over to the health food store as well - we´ll see.

This is the program I am talking about: The Wedding Day Diet

I´ll keep you updated if it works - it´d better!

Download your free DIY-Wedding-Planning Guide here!

DIY Weddings

With the economy getting tighter every day, more and more couples have to look for creative solutions when it comes to planning their wedding. The Bridal Association in America found out the the average cost of a wedding 2007 was around 27.000 dollars. More and more often the parents of the bride, who traditionally have to pay for the wedding, are just not able to spend this kind of money on their daughters wedding. If you can believe a recent poll, around 30 out of every 100 couples contribute to their own wedding, and the parents of the groom chip in as well.

But being able to spend less at your wedding doesn't mean that you have to have a barbecue in your backyard as a reception. You might just have to be more creative and to set priorities. If you want to have a great wedding on a shoestring budget, consider these general rules:

Set up your budget: ask both of your parents how much they will be able to contribute. Estimate how much you and your future husband can save up until the day of the wedding. If you plan a longer engagement you still have time to stash away a certain amount of your paycheck every month. Go to your bank and open up a wedding account. You will be surprised how much you will be able to save up this way!

Set priorities: make a list of the three most important factors of your dream wedding. If you want the perfect dress, a life band for the party after the reception and professional wedding pictures, splurge out on these three factors and try to cut back on other factors like food and decoration.
Be willing to compromise. You would just love to have these gorgeous white orchids for your table decoration? Go for the equally beautiful white roses that will cost you only a fraction and create a similar impression.

Go for quality not quantity: sometimes less is more. Rather than going overboard with quantity go for higher quality. That applies to flowers and decoration, but also to the food. Choose a higher quality three course meal over a lower quality five courses. Get a good photographer for a limited time, instead of a bad one all day.

Ask for discounts: most businesses won't offer you a discount, but if you ask they will happily oblige. Always be respectful. Know the average prices for the service you are looking for and don't go too low, you will insult people.

Go with the season: keep in mind the season at all stages of the planning process. Choose flowers that are in season (and therefore cheaper) and try to set the date out of season (that way you will be able to get discounts more easily).

Ask for help: most people will feel honoured if you ask them if they can help you with a special talent and do your hair for example instead of bringing a wedding gift. The help of friends and family can make the difference between just another wedding or the wedding of your dreams. If you don't have to shell out money for a professional photographer, you will be able to get the wedding cake of your dreams - and so on!

Be yourself: don't plan the wedding everybody else think you should have - plan YOUR wedding. Don't compare your reception to the ones you attended as a guest. If you like the local park better then the Hyatt Regency - all the better for you!