Are you going to be making a wedding toast? We’ve rounded up everything you could possibly need to know about making a toast at a wedding, as well as some example toasts to help end your wedding speech on a high!
What is a wedding toast?
A wedding toast is typically how you would end a wedding speech, although some guests may choose to just do a toast, which is when you encourage the wedding party to raise their glasses to the newlyweds and take a drink to their happiness, good health and future wealth.
Read more: Wedding speeches – who traditionally says what?
What do you say in a wedding toast?
If you are saying a wedding toast at the end of a speech, you should encourage the guests to raise their glasses to the happy couple and ask them to drink to something. It could be a funny, witty statement, or something more sentimental.
If you’re doing a standalone wedding toast, then you should introduce yourself, explain your connection to the couple and then make it all about them! Be charming, be positive and keep it short and sweet.
Who toasts at a wedding?
Traditionally, wedding toasts form part of the groom’s speech, where he would toast to his bride, the bridesmaids and to absent friends and family, and as part of the best man’s speech where he would toast to the happy couple. The father of the bride would also lead a toast to the couple.
Read more: The traditional format of the best man’s speech
Obviously not all weddings follow this format though! Whoever wants to give a toast can give a toast, providing it’s okay with the newlyweds. Many brides, bridesmaids and maids of honour give toasts now because…why wouldn’t you?
How do you give a good wedding toast?
There are a few hard and fast rules when it comes to giving a good wedding toast:
- Keep it short and sweet
- Be positive and upbeat
- Speak clearly and confidently
- Be funny, or meaningful, or both
- Make sure you have some drink in your glass!
How do you start a wedding toast?
It depends on if it is part of your speech. If it is, you can draw your speech to a close and say ‘Now ladies and gentlemen, please ensure your glasses are charged. Can I ask you all to raise a toast to the happy couple?’ Then you would follow it with your toast message – see our examples below!
Read more: What order do the wedding speeches go in?
How do you end a wedding toast?
You end your toast by asking everyone to raise their glasses and saying a charming, funny or meaningful sentiment out loud for everyone to echo – you’d usually end it with ‘to the bride and groom/happy couple/newlyweds’ or use their names, and the wedding party would say it back to you.
Example Wedding Toasts
Wedding Toasts from the Father of the Bride
The toast from the father of the bride is the way to round off and finish the speech – you want it to be heart-warming, sentimental, and to make everyone smile. Here are some example father of the bride toasts to inspire you.
Read more: Our guide to the father of the bride speech
May your love be modern enough to survive the times and old-fashioned enough to last forever.
It’s now the time where I’m supposed to officially welcome [NAME] into our family, but the truth is you’ve been a part of this family since the beginning.
Being the father of the bride today has made me feel more pride than I thought a person could feel.
It’s worth bearing in mind that neither of you will ever be perfect, but you are perfect together.
Read more: Quotes for the father of the bride
Life won’t always be easy but know that as long as you have each other, you’ll have all you need.
I wish you both health, wealth and happiness.
A successful marriage is not about finding a person you can live with, but finding the person that you can’t live without.
The last time I saw a bride this beautiful, I was looking at [BRIDE’S NAME]’s mother, X amount of years ago.
Please join me in wishing the happy couple a long, happy, healthy life together! To the newlyweds!
Read more: What does the father of the bride do?
Wedding Toasts from Parents
Sometimes it’s not just the father of the bride doing the toast – it could be the mother of the bride, the mother or father of the groom or both parents together. Here are some examples to help you out.
Please join us in raising a glass to our daughter and the person she has chosen to spend the rest of her life with. We are so happy to welcome them into our family.
I couldn’t be more proud to stand here today and share this moment with you all. Please join me in raising a glass to the happy couple.
Here’s to the past, for all that you have learned. Here’s to the present, for all that you share. Here’s to the future, for all that you look forward to together.
From the moment they were born, they’ve been a ray of sunshine in our life, and now we get to see them be a ray of sunshine to someone else too. To the newlyweds – may it always be sunny for you.
We’ve all gained something from today. [NAME] has gained a [HUSBAND/WIFE], and we’ve gained a stack of bills to pay…so take a drink and enjoy it! To [NAME] and [NAME]
A toast to sweethearts—may all sweethearts become married couples, and may all married couples remain sweethearts.
I am a strong mum, with a strong daughter and after this I’ll be having a strong drink!
One of your greatest joys in life is seeing your child experience true joy and happiness – and we have experienced this in seeing [NAME] with [NAME]. May that joy and happiness last forever.
Wedding Toasts from a Bridesmaid or Maid of Honour
If you’re looking for extra duties for the maid of honour, or you know your bridesmaid has a knack for public speaking, let them give a toast at your wedding! The maid of honour would traditionally lead a toast to the groom.
My best friend just gained a new best friend for life! To the happy couple.
I’ve never been very good at sharing, but I’m going to have to get past that now. Here’s to the newlyweds!
My best friend deserves the world, and in you she has found her world. May you both be happy forever!
I never thought I’d ever think someone was good enough for my best friend, but here you are! Please everyone join me in wishing them a lifetime of happiness together.
Remember, I loved her first! But I know you will love her forever. To [NAME].
The Spice Girls said it best, ‘If you want to be my lover, you got to get with my friends’ and [NAME] has been part of our friendship group since day one. To the Spice Girls…and the newlyweds, of course!
Wedding Toasts from the Bride
If you’re making a bride’s speech (go you!) then it’s nice to end it with a toast. You can toast to your parents, to your partner, to your guests or your bridesmaids. You can make the rules!
I’d like everyone to join me in a toast to my parents – for teaching me what true love and a strong marriage looks like. To [NAME] and [NAME]
To my dad – I may be married now, but please know you were the first man I ever loved.
I want everyone to raise a glass to my bridesmaids – they totally nailed the brief, which was ‘look beautiful…but don’t you dare upstage me!’
To my partner – we’ve been through so much together and now we’re here. I can’t wait to spend my forever with you.
To my [HUSBAND/WIFE] – sh*t just got real!
Thank you for loving me at both my best and my worst. I know together we can do anything. To [NAME].
Wedding Toasts from the Best Man
No pressure, but the best man’s speech is supposed to be the really funny one. End with a funny wedding toast directed at the happy couple to keep everyone laughing. As long as they are left laughing, they won’t remember anything else, after all…
May your love be ‘winning Love Island and landing a sponsorship deal on Instagram’ levels of strong.
Your love is up there with all the greats – Homer…and Marge, Mickey and Minnie, Popeye and Olive Oyl.
I didn’t think anyone would ever upstage our bromance, but it’s been done. Please every join me in raising my glass to a worthy opponent and the winner in the competition for [NAME]’s eternal love.
Let me tell you the secret to a long lasting marriage – a good sense of humour and a short memory! To the happy couple!
[NAME] said she had stolen his heart. I think she’s got even today – she stole his last name! To the newlyweds.
Could the happy couple please stand up? Now turn to face each other. You’re looking into the eyes of the person who is statistically most likely to murder you. To marriage!
Let’s toast to wives and lovers everywhere – may they never ever cross paths!
Read more: Even more best man toast ideas
Wedding Toasts from the Groom
Part of the groom’s speech includes leading a toast to his new spouse – here is a mix of funny and sentimental quotes to round off your speech and result in a round of applause.
Here’s to the woman that’s good and sweet, here’s to the woman that’s true, here’s to the woman that rules my heart, in other words, here’s to you.
May we share everything together – except maybe the housework?
I have known many, liked not a few, loved only one – I toast to you.
When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. Let’s get started, [NAME].
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, so here’s to you, my bride.
To my wife – my bride and joy!
Every day you look lovelier and lovelier, and today you look like tomorrow.
I will never be below you or above you, but always beside you.
I can’t wait to be old and grey and playing with our grandchildren with you.
To the person who knows all about me, and still married me!
To quote F. Scott Fitzgerald, I love her and it is the beginning of everything.
Meaningful Toasts
Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. —Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar but never doubt thy love. – Shakespeare
Read more: The most romantic love quotes
Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you. The right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your ass. That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with. – Juno (film)
It doesn’t matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other. – Good Will Hunting (film)
You need to be kissed. Often. And by someone who knows how. —Gone with the Wind
A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. – Robert Quillen
Being in a long marriage is a little bit like that nice cup of coffee every morning – I might have it every day, but I still enjoy it. – Stephen Gaines
The grass is greener where you water it. – Neil Barringham
A heart that loves is forever young.
A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short. – Andre Maurois
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. – Mignon McLaughlin
Invest more in your marriage than you did in your wedding and you’ll be happy always.
Nautical Toasts
May the warm wind at your back not be your own.
Here’s to tall ships, here’s to small ships, here’s to all the ships at sea. But the best ships are friendships, here’s to you and me.
To the ship that goes, the wind that blows and the lass who loves a sailor!
To fair winds and following seas!
Here’s to being in a boat with a drink on the rocks rather than being in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
Funny Toasts
To keep a marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, when you are wrong, admit it and when you are right, shut up!
Marriage is great. It’s truly special to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.
Read more: The funniest quotes to include in wedding speeches
A wise man (named Will Ferrell!) once said you should never marry someone until you’ve seen them use a computer with a slow internet connection.
Men may be from Mars and women may be from Venus, but you two are so in love it spans the whole universe.
May all your ups and downs only come in the bedroom.
Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.
Irish Wedding Toasts
There is no cure for love other than marriage. —Irish proverb
May you always walk in sunshine.
Read more: 13 wedding traditions explained
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow, may the soft winds freshen your spirit, may the sunshine brighten your heart, may the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you, and may god enfold you in the mantle of his love.
For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day.
May you have love that never ends, lots of money, and lots of friends. Health be yours, whatever you do, and may God send many blessings to you!
May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.
Bless you and yours, as well as the cottage you live in. May the roof overhead be well thatched, and those inside be well matched.
Merry met and merry part, I drink to thee with all my heart.
Still looking for more ideas? Check out these funny quotes that sum up relationships perfectly.