To the bride and groom.. Cheers!

  Have you ever been asked to give a speech at a wedding and you were tongue tied? Well, that is the fate that befalls a lot of us at crucial times. The wedding toasts could end up being a disaster if they are not properly taken.

The wedding day is quite likely the most important day in the life of the couple and is a time for family members and well wishers to come together to celebrate the newly wedded. This unique moment is the occasion for them to make a toast to each other.

Sometime last year I went for a wedding in Ikeja, Lagos where the bride’s best friend was called up to give a toast at the wedding. She went on and on about how she and the bride attended the same school, how they go way back and the speech became just about the both of them. This is wrong, wedding toasts should be interesting; once in a while one could say a joke (If you are bad at telling jokes please do not try this) and the speech should be about the couple and wishing them the best in their newly found 'oneness'.

Anybody who is close to the couple could be called upon to give a toast; it could be the father of the bride, the best man, the maid of honour or just any well wisher or friend of the family. The protocol for toasting at weddings is comparatively elaborate and fixed. At a wedding reception, the father of the bride, in his role as host, regularly offers the first toast, thanking the guests for attending, offering tasteful remembrances of the bride's childhood, and wishing the newlyweds a happy life together.

The best man usually proposes a toast in the form of best wishes and congratulations to the newlyweds. A best man's toast takes the form of a short speech (3–5 minutes) that combines a mixture of humour and sincerity. The actual "toast" is delivered at the end of the speech and is a short phrase wishing the newlyweds a happy, healthy, loving life together. The maid of honour may follow suit, appropriately tailoring her comments to the bride. The groom may offer the final toast, thanking the bride's parents for hosting the wedding, the wedding party for their participation, and finally dedicating the toast to the bridesmaids.

The wedding toast is a ritual in expression of honour and goodwill which are meant to add spice to the wedding ceremony and not bore the guests. Let’s have this in mind whenever we are called to give a toast……especially at a wedding ceremony……it’s the most important day of the couple’s lives. Cheers!

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