Illinois Maid Of Honor Never Expected Her Epic ‘Speech’ To Go Viral

99% of wedding receptions have toasts (or speeches) and they are usually fundamentally the same. As a part-time wedding DJ/master of ceremonies, I can say this with authority. Typically, the maid of honor's toast evokes emotion and laughter and the best man brings more embarrassing moments that are safe enough to not get anyone in trouble. Only a few times have I full-on cringed to a best man's speech and only once have I cut one off completely like that scene in The Wedding Singer.

What makes a good Maid/Matron of Honor, Best Man speech? Let me break it down for you.

• Practice, practice, practice
• Don't get drunk before the speech
• Acknowledge the couple first and congratulate them
• Quickly introduce yourself and your relationship with the couple
• Have your story leading to this day well prepared
• Leave out inside jokes, most people will likely not get it
• Show appreciation for both people individually
• End by raising your glass and encouraging guests to do the same

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This video was sent to me and after watching it from start to finish I felt like I needed to stand up and applaud. If you want to stand out take a note from a Rockford, Illinois woman whose wedding "speech" has gone viral 9 months after her sister's wedding. I've witnessed a lot of speeches but nothing like what she pulled off. Take notes because this is an idea you can make your own.

Tessa Castaneda told she had watched a video of a bride and groom singing a "thank you" to their guests. Tessa's creative mind kicked into full gear. I should mention she loves karaoke and loves singing, it's been a part of her and her family's life for decades.

10 days before the wedding she put together a list of songs based on her and her sister Cherrie's childhood, how they know the groom (Pierce), and what led them to marriage.

The songs were tailored to my sister. I listed all her favorite artists that came to mind and then to each artist, songs that might fit.

Tessa said she stayed up until 4:30 in the morning the night she "wrote" this speech, a total of 6 hours. If you factor in the time she spent singing in the car or in front of her "assistant maid of honor" (her words), Tessa put a lot into it. You can definitely tell when you're watching the video. After the wedding reception, Tessa's dad put the video on his YouTube account and it was picked up by a Facebook account and has since gone viral. At last check, the video had 41,000 likes/hearts, more than 2,000 comments, and almost 2 million views.

Watch the video: