Tips on Toasts
   for a Bar/Batmitzvah

A frequently-asked question is how to make the toast at a landmark occasion such as a barmitzvah. Public speaking is typically the number one fear in life. However, with a little preparation and an understanding of how a good toast is ultimately a gift to the guest of honor, giving a good toast can become more comfortable.

A toast is the main tribute to the guest of honor and sets the tone for the entire celebration event. Therefore it should come from the heart, be unique and above all, concise.

Today, toasting is a symbolic gesture to honor the guest of honor with affection and a personal tribute. In spite of its long history, the toast should be kept simple and short, but warm and heart-felt.

The following are some tips to help you prepare for your toast:

• Coordinate with Banquet Captain/ Event Coordinator

  Ensure banquet staff knows when to start pouring for the toast. Most of the time, the "toasting time" will have been pre-determined on a banquet contract. Check and see when your time is. Otherwise, the timing is up to you. You can make an announcement with a microphone or simply (gently) clink your champagne glass with a spoon. Once the room gets quiet, introduce yourself and your relation to the guests of honor. Then you can simply say, "Please join me in a toast to_______." You can leave it like that or elaborate with a story, poem or thought you have well-prepared in advance.

• Hold the Glass Straight from your Shoulder
• Make sure that all Glasses are filled

  (including your own) before you propose a toast

• Clink the Glasses after the Toast has been Proposed

  But before it is drunk

• Stand to Give a Toast

  Remain seated to receive one.

• Speak Slowly and Loudly Enough for all Guests to Hear
• Keep it Short

  Lengthy prose does not automatically mean respect and love for the guest of honor.

• Do your Homework

  You probably already know the guest of honor whom you are toasting, but talk with them. When you are celebrating a youth's landmark event like a bar/batmitzvah, find out what hobbies they have and what their dreams are or how special they are. Just talking with them can provide insight into another side of them you never knew existed and provide a heart-warming story to share in a toast.

• Consider your Audience

  Is there an age mix? Are they primarily elderly guests in which case you may need to speak more loudly and slowly? Remember humor that is cross-generational and appropriate if your audience includes a wide age range or religious range. A joke that may go over well with your closest friends may not be well - suited for a group of older or religious individuals.

• Call the one you are Toasting by Name
• Share a cute (but appropriate) Anecdote about the Guest of Honor

  Then tie it into what a great young person they make and how special it is they are celebrating their bar/batmitzvah. Always keep everything positive. Talk from the heart. If you're feeling happy about the guest of honor and celebration, say so and tell why.

• Don't Forget to End your Toast with a Resounding “CHEERS!”

If it is difficult to come up with your own words, the following favorite poems and quotes have been used and are excellent thoughts for toasts:

Several toasting suggestions below are provided by Freixenet Champagne

General Toasts

“May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back,
The sun shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.”
-Irish toast



May you live as long as you want, may you never want as long as you live.



Absent friends— though out of sight, we recognize them with our glasses.



Friendship: may differences of opinion cement it.



Here's to a friend. He knows you well and likes you just the same.



Here's to Eternity— may we spend it in as good company as this night finds us.



“Be glad of life!
Beacause it gives you the chance to love and work,
To play and to look up at the stars.”
-Henry Van Dyke



“Good company, good wine, good welcome make good people.”
-Shakespeare



“Here's to becoming top banana without losing touch with the bunch.”
-Bill Copeland in the Sarasota Journal



“Here's to us that are here, to you that are there, and the rest everywhere.”
-Rudyard Kipling



Love to one, friendship to many, and good will to all.



Make every day a masterpiece.



Here's to the blessings of the year,
Here's to the friends we hold so dear,
To peace on earth, both far and near.