Giving a Wedding Toast

Wedding speeches are basically a long toast to honour the bride and groom and wish them health, happiness and success as they begin a new chapter in their lives. If you have been asked by the couple to give a speech at their reception, it is just as important to know how to make an appropriate toast as it is to craft wedding speeches.

A toast generally concludes wedding speeches and should sum up your speech by offering a fitting quote, words of wisdom or a touching poem. Your glass should be raised in your hand to about the height of your shoulders. Make sure to wait to give your toast until all the glasses have been filled. This is traditionally performed by the bride’s glass being filled first, then the grooms, maid of honour, the rest of the wedding party, the parents of the bride and groom and finally the best man.

Once everyone’s glass has been filled, this is when the toast is to be given in wedding speeches. Keep it short and sweet, as the wedding speeches themselves should only be approximately 3 to 5 minutes long. At the end of the toast, make an indication for the guests to raise their glasses and to repeat your well wishes for the newlyweds or another individual for whom you are giving a toast. An example would be “Please join me as I send out a heartfelt thank you to those in the wedding party who helped to make Hannah and Todd’s wedding a day to remember; to the wedding party” at this point the guests will respond in kind, “To the wedding party.” Clink your glass with those in attendance around you and take a drink from your glass.

When giving a toast in wedding speeches it is customary for those receiving the toast to not drink from their glass, stand up or raise their glass. Traditionally they will smile or in someway acknowledge the individual giving a toast on their behalf. Wedding toasts can be given with a variety of beverages such as wine, champagne, or a mixed drink. However, coffee, tea and water are never used.

Wedding toasts are generally given during wedding speeches, but they can be performed separately as well. If wedding toasts will be given apart from the wedding speeches, they follow a traditional order. First there is a toast to the bride and groom by a relative or close friend, a toast to the bridal party by the bride and groom, a toast to the bridal party by the best man, a toast offered to the bride’s parents, a response and a toast from the bride’s parents, a toast made to the groom’s parents and finally a response to the previous toast from the groom’s parents. If another toast were to be given by others in the wedding party, family member or invited guest, it would follow the toast by the groom’s parents.

Wedding toasts are usually given during wedding speeches. However, the bride and groom may request that they be given separately. These toasts are an integral part of a wedding reception and have a prescribed format. Becoming knowledgeable about wedding toasts and how and when they are to be given will help you give the best toast possible if asked to give a wedding speech.

Keywords: Wedding Speeches, Weddingblog, Wedding

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