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Long, long ago, however, the wedding toast was 

offered by the father of the bride, who would be the 

first to drink from a communal wine pitcher at the 

wedding banquet. In such ancient days as those, the 

leaders of warring peoples often came to a truce by 

marrying their children to one another, creating an 

alliance through the bonds of matrimony. By taking 

the first sip from the pitcher of wine, the bride’s father 

was, in essence, offering proof that the wine was not 

poisoned—definitely an important detail for honoring 

any truce and creating a peaceful world. 

Calling it a “toast” is an interesting fact in and of 

itself, as the rancid flavor that crude wine once had 

was actually toned down by the addition of a piece of 

burnt toast, which was placed in the pitcher of wine to 

absorb and neutralize some of its acidity. Once the wine 

was served to everyone, the wine-soaked piece of toast 

was eaten by the host as a show of graciousness and 

goodwill. 

In these days of yore, wedding toasts are not strictly 

given by the father of the bride, but by anyone who 

makes the top of the list as the most important people 

in the lives of the happy couple. The maid of honor, 

the best man, the parents of the bride and groom, and 

siblings naturally jump to the head of the line; but so 

do others who have been an important influence—even 

if they don’t have true family blood running through 

their veins or have a titled role in your life.  Whatever 

the case may be, keep the list of toast-givers short and 

sweet so that your guests aren’t having to sit through 

an endless stream of monologues. After all, champagne 

bubbles can only last so long.

Generally, the order of toasts should run a course 

that starts with friends (or MOH/Best Man) and ends 

with the most important people in your lives, like your 

parents. Having a keeper of the mic will help ensure 

that things are running smoothly and in a timely 

manner, so choose someone you trust to be in charge of 

the mic.  

If you want to have people’s attention, make sure the 

toasts are delivered before it’s time to dance, as once 

everyone’s busted a move, it can be hard to rein them in 

again.

Toasts can be funny, anecdotal, sentimental, or even 

inspirational, so have fun with them. Of course, if 

you’re trying to avoid anything off-color, set some 

guidelines for the people you’re entrusting with the 

spotlight. Then get ready to pop the cork and raise a 

glass—here’s to you, and here’s to happiness for the rest 

of your days. 

Toasts can be funny, anecdotal, sentimental, 

or even inspirational, so have fun with them. 

37-38 Swizzle Toast.indd   2

12/26/17   4:28 PM