Wedding Traditions: Everything You Need to Know About Toasts

Are you planning a wedding? Have you thought about the traditional wedding toast?

The wedding toast has taken an entirely different meaning today than in the past. Today, during a wedding reception, someone offers up a congratulatory “toast” to the bride and groom.

Did you know?

The name “toast,” actually came from one of our favorite breakfast meals! In the past, the French put toast in their wine to catch the sediment from their wine, or they used spice toast in their drink to make it taste better.

The “Clink”

Another tradition included clinking the glasses together. This would show all that the drinks were not poisoned. The host, usually the bride’s father, would raise his glass and drink first, showing that the drink was good and not poisoned.

During the Middle Ages, many of the nobility were wanted dead.  What better way than to poison them then at a wedding celebration? People during this time did not always marry out of love, but out of duty and to bring clans together to fight other clans.

Throughout the ages, superstitious people would raise up a glass and clink them together during weddings to ward off evil spirits.  It was thought that the bell sound that glasses make when clinked would ward off any evil spirit that might stop the couple from having a great wedding night.

Wedding Toasts Today

In modern times, a toast isn’t a cooked piece of bread, but rather about honoring someone.  Today, the father of  the bride is usually the first to offer a toast.  However, the best man and maid of honor often will toast the couple as well.  A new tradition that should become standard is for the bride and groom to offer a toast to their guests.  This is a way for the bride and groom to say thank you for participating in their special day.