How to write a wedding toast or speech with AI (that still sounds like you)

Let the AI interview you first

The most common mistake is asking for "a best man speech for my brother Tom". You'll get a generic template. Start by giving it raw material instead.

I'm giving a wedding toast as the [maid of honor / best man / parent of the bride / friend].
The couple: [names], together [how long]. My relationship: [e.g. college roommate of Priya for 12 years].
Interview me to collect material for a toast. Ask one question at a time, wait for my answer, and ask follow-ups when an answer has a good story in it.
Cover: how I met them, a story that shows who they are, when I knew they were right for each other, what I admire about them as a couple, and what I wish for them.
Stop after 8 questions and list the 3 strongest stories you heard.

Answer by typing or by voice, the way you'd tell a friend. Messy is fine. Specific details (a place, a quote, a dumb car) are what make a toast land.

Pick a structure and a length

Most toasts work best short: around 3 to 5 minutes, unless the couple asked for more. People speak roughly 120 to 150 words a minute at a relaxed pace, so 3 minutes is about 400 words. Ask the couple or the planner how long you have and who speaks before you.

Using my answers, outline a toast with this structure:
1) Who I am and how I know the couple (2 sentences)
2) One story about [person I know best]
3) How [partner] fits into the picture, ideally a story with both of them
4) What makes them work as a couple
5) A short wish for the future and the raise-your-glasses line
Target length: [3] minutes, about [400] words. Show the outline only, with one line per section saying which of my stories it uses.

Approve or change the outline before asking for a draft. Fixing structure is fast; fixing a finished draft is not.

Draft it in your own voice

Give the AI a sample of how you actually talk. A voice memo transcript or a long text message you sent works better than anything you'd write formally.

Write the toast from the approved outline.
Match my voice from this sample of how I talk: [paste a voice-memo transcript or a long message you wrote].
Rules: use only the stories and facts I gave you, don't invent any details, quotes or events. Short sentences that are easy to say out loud. One or two light jokes at most, none at anyone's expense. No clichés like "without further ado", "soulmate" or dictionary definitions of love.

Run the wedding-safe check

Ask the AI to review the draft as the toughest guest in the room. This catches the lines that are funny with friends and awkward in front of grandparents.

Review this toast as if you were a guest who doesn't know me. Flag:
1) inside jokes that need one line of context or should be cut
2) anything that mentions exes, drinking stories, money, or could embarrass the couple or their families
3) whether both partners get roughly equal warmth
4) any sentence that sounds generic or AI-written
Then suggest specific fixes. Don't rewrite the whole thing.

Then check the facts yourself: names spelled and pronounced correctly, how long they've been together, who proposed where. If you're unsure, quietly ask someone close to the couple.

Make it easy to say out loud

Rewrite this toast for speaking, not reading: break it into short lines, mark where to pause with //, and bold the one line in each section I must not forget.
Then give me a cue-card version: 5-7 bullet prompts of 3-6 words each that I could glance at instead of reading.

Plenty of good speakers use cue cards or a printed page; it's fine to read, as long as you look up for the important lines.

Rehearse and time it

Read it aloud with a timer at least three times. If you go over, cut a story rather than speaking faster.

I timed my toast at [X] minutes and need it under [Y]. Suggest which lines to cut, starting with the ones that matter least to the couple. Keep the opening, the main story and the final toast line.

Giving a speech at work instead? Our presentation guide covers outlines and a tough-audience rehearsal prompt.