Biography - Tom Haibeck

It’s the big day. The rings are exchanged. The bride looks radiant; the groom looks dapper; and their parents are bursting with pride. Everything is going according to plan. The reception facility is buzzing with professional caterers, photographers and musicians. Weeks of work have gone into orchestrating an event that will cost in the range of $20,000.

But despite all the effort that’s gone into the wedding, there is trouble on the horizon. The uncle of the bride is already on his fourth trip to the bar. He’s a nervous wreck, turning his tux pockets inside out searching for the “Toast to the Bride” notes he jotted down on a cocktail napkin half an hour ago. With the notes nowhere to be found, he panics even more and orders another double scotch.

By the time he’s called upon to offer a special tribute to his favorite niece, he’s totally swacked. He weaves his way to the podium, stumbles, and then proceeds to deliver an incoherent, inappropriate toast that leaves the bride in tears and her family ready to lynch him.

Unfortunately, that kind of scenario unfolds far too often at otherwise perfect weddings. And that’s precisely why “Wedding Toasts Made Easy!” author Tom Haibeck wrote his bestselling book.

With more than 75,000 copies now sold world-wide, it would appear his advice is being well-received. It’s a quick read – just 96 pages – and offers a concise, to-the-point approach that has proven exceptionally popular. It’s filled with wry humor, practical tips and solid advice on how to research, write, practice and perfect a wedding toast (along with some hilarious cartoons from award-winning cartoonist Grahame Arnould on how not to make a wedding toast).

The book is based on Haibeck’s 25+ years of experience in speaking at weddings and other special events. He also incorporates the knowledge and insights he has gained as a public relations professional and speaker trainer.

He includes sample speeches and easy-to-use templates for the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride and others who may be called upon to honor the new couple. He also offers helpful tips on how to deal with those pre-speech nerves, pointers on how to add fun and flair to a wedding reception plus a compendium of suggested wedding toasts, one liners and famous quotations on the subject of marriage.

Haibeck makes it clear that the day is about the bride and groom – they are the stars of the show, and the main purpose of a wedding toast is to honor and acknowledge them (rather than leaving them offended and embarrassed).

He also cautions against the use of a lot of inside humor that only a few people will appreciate.
“It’s a good idea to keep the after-dinner speeches to around 15 to 20 minutes in total, with individual toasts clocking in at no more than five minutes each,” counsels Haibeck. “To go beyond that time period is to risk losing your audience – they’ll all be at the bar!”

He also suggests people take an anecdotal approach to humor (rather than trying to tell long-winded jokes that become exceedingly difficult to tell before a large audience). “And if you feel compelled to launch a few zingers, be sure to balance them with a few self-effacing remarks about yourself.”