Although being chosen as a best man can feel like a privilege and honor, many guys tend to turn down the offer. This is because part of the wedding reception includes the best man having to get up in front of a large crowd and create a toast for the bride and groom. The pressure bears on him on doing it right and not mess up the couple’s big day.

If you are tasked to become a best man, you need to prepare for your wedding toast and it’s not as hard as it looks. It only requires a little creativity, a little patience, hard work, and some ingenuity. Here is a step-by-step guide to create a best man toast.

Write freely – Before making your speech, write down everything about the bride and groom as well as your relationship to them. You need to assert how well you know them, why they chose you as their best man, how has the groom changed after knowing his bride, among others. You could also write down some amusing anecdotes that illustrate who the bride and or groom is, but not to the point of embarrassing or shaming them. If you are married, you may want to put some marriage advice that you have learned.

Begin your speech – Once you have created your notes about the couple, it is time to craft your wedding toast. Start off by introducing yourself, as not everyone in the room will know who you are. You might even need to insert a joke about marriage in order to catch the people’s attention. Then, proceed to thanking the hosting the celebration (usually the parents of the bride).

Write the integral parts – This is where your notes will come in handy. Construct your speech based on the notes that you have written previously. You can start off by narrating how they met and how the bride or groom (depending on who you know personally) has changed since falling in love with their other half. Speak good things about the other half as well. Remember not to ramble about random stuff, avoid talking about ex-lovers, and keep the speech PG. Finally, show sincerity to your speech.

Close the speech – Wrap up your toast with a wish, a blessing for the bride and groom, or a traditional toast. Raise your glass with a resounding congratulations, and don’t forget to drink your own toast.

Other things to remember during the wedding toast are to avoid getting yourself drunk before your speech and try to memorize it, as reading a speech straight out from a card is not a pretty sight. Good luck and cheers to you!