A champagne toast is usually the point in the wedding celebration when friends and family wish the newly wedded couple every good thing and show their good will toward them during the reception. The toast is a traditional part of the festivities no matter what the circumstances of the wedding, how formal it is, or where you are in the world.
Depending on the formality of the occasion will decide how and when the champagne toast will be given, and also how many toasts there will be during the merrymaking. In every situation regardless of formality though, usually the father of the bride will start the toasting and wishing the couple every happiness and much good fortune in their new life together. He will then be followed by family and friends who want to stand up and add their wishes as well. The toasting usually is done around the time of the dinner, either before dinner is served or just after the main meal is finished and before the dessert is served.
It is a fact that there are many people in this world that do not like the taste of champagne and will not drink it. That fact needs to be taken into consideration when you are planning a champagne toast for the reception, because a lot of money will be spent needlessly if you do not make allowances for those people. Something else can be substituted for the champagne like sparkling grape juice or sparkling water, and will serve the purpose just as well at a fraction of the cost too. This way the meaning of the toast will not be lost on the fact that many people will not participate simply because they don't want to drink the champagne. Also, there are religious convictions that must be honored as well; if drinking alcohol is prohibited by the religious preferences of the group, then a champagne substitute would definitely be needed.
Another way around the expense of a true champagne toast, or if the couple insists on having real champagne for them for toasting; then this would be a good solution. Just have a set of very fancy or decorated crystal flutes for the bridal couple and they would have their own bottle of champagne; while the guests in attendance would have simpler glasses or plastic flutes with some sort of a generic sparkling juice or a sweet wine. Spending all that money on real champagne for the guests seems a little too extravagant in these economic times when a lot of folks won't even touch the champagne and it goes begging on the tables.
For the champagne toast itself, remember to keep it short and sweet. Don't go yammering on about yourself and happenings that mean little to the gathered folks in front of you. Make it personal for the bridal couple, insert little jokes if you are good at it (if not, forget it), tell a funny story about the couple (keep it clean), tell them how much you appreciate them and being a part of their lives and celebration, and above all-----be brief, down to earth, sober!, and sincere. Make sure you end the champagne toast with a salute to the couple---like Cheers! --or Prosit! --whatever works----so the folks listening to you know that the toast is over; raise your glass to the couple and the guests will follow suit, and then remember to drink from your glass. The guests will follow your lead and do the same.
Most people when planning a wedding celebration, have in mind a budget for the occasion, and try to stick to that budget with everything that they plan. This of course will include the champagne toast and all that goes with it; deciding whether to use champagne or a substitute, crystal or plastic flutes to toast with, and how much champagne to order. A cost comparison is in order if you are to get the best deal for your money and the following figures are just a short overview. There are those who always want the best of everything, and that includes their wedding day plans, so springing for champagne at $40/bottle for the true French stuff is nothing and when the crystal flutes for the guests are included, the cost per person is approximately $7. For those who cannot or will not pay that amount for the champagne, there are other options. A midrange cost would run you $14/bottle and with standard flutes included, the cost would be $3/person; but if you wanted to pare the cost down even further, you could go with champagne costing $5/bottle and the per person cost would be $1.50. If you are using a caterer you must remember to figure in his cost of uncorking every bottle used, which usually runs about $1/bottle used.
Making sure that the wedding will be just as perfect as you imagined it to be when you first started planning it, will take dedication to sticking to the plans and staying within your agreed upon budget. There are many costs to figure upon, and the champagne toast is just one of them, but when all is said and done, it is an important factor to many people and should be planned carefully so the memories it creates will be positive ones.
Depending on the formality of the occasion will decide how and when the champagne toast will be given, and also how many toasts there will be during the merrymaking. In every situation regardless of formality though, usually the father of the bride will start the toasting and wishing the couple every happiness and much good fortune in their new life together. He will then be followed by family and friends who want to stand up and add their wishes as well. The toasting usually is done around the time of the dinner, either before dinner is served or just after the main meal is finished and before the dessert is served.
It is a fact that there are many people in this world that do not like the taste of champagne and will not drink it. That fact needs to be taken into consideration when you are planning a champagne toast for the reception, because a lot of money will be spent needlessly if you do not make allowances for those people. Something else can be substituted for the champagne like sparkling grape juice or sparkling water, and will serve the purpose just as well at a fraction of the cost too. This way the meaning of the toast will not be lost on the fact that many people will not participate simply because they don't want to drink the champagne. Also, there are religious convictions that must be honored as well; if drinking alcohol is prohibited by the religious preferences of the group, then a champagne substitute would definitely be needed.
Another way around the expense of a true champagne toast, or if the couple insists on having real champagne for them for toasting; then this would be a good solution. Just have a set of very fancy or decorated crystal flutes for the bridal couple and they would have their own bottle of champagne; while the guests in attendance would have simpler glasses or plastic flutes with some sort of a generic sparkling juice or a sweet wine. Spending all that money on real champagne for the guests seems a little too extravagant in these economic times when a lot of folks won't even touch the champagne and it goes begging on the tables.
For the champagne toast itself, remember to keep it short and sweet. Don't go yammering on about yourself and happenings that mean little to the gathered folks in front of you. Make it personal for the bridal couple, insert little jokes if you are good at it (if not, forget it), tell a funny story about the couple (keep it clean), tell them how much you appreciate them and being a part of their lives and celebration, and above all-----be brief, down to earth, sober!, and sincere. Make sure you end the champagne toast with a salute to the couple---like Cheers! --or Prosit! --whatever works----so the folks listening to you know that the toast is over; raise your glass to the couple and the guests will follow suit, and then remember to drink from your glass. The guests will follow your lead and do the same.
Most people when planning a wedding celebration, have in mind a budget for the occasion, and try to stick to that budget with everything that they plan. This of course will include the champagne toast and all that goes with it; deciding whether to use champagne or a substitute, crystal or plastic flutes to toast with, and how much champagne to order. A cost comparison is in order if you are to get the best deal for your money and the following figures are just a short overview. There are those who always want the best of everything, and that includes their wedding day plans, so springing for champagne at $40/bottle for the true French stuff is nothing and when the crystal flutes for the guests are included, the cost per person is approximately $7. For those who cannot or will not pay that amount for the champagne, there are other options. A midrange cost would run you $14/bottle and with standard flutes included, the cost would be $3/person; but if you wanted to pare the cost down even further, you could go with champagne costing $5/bottle and the per person cost would be $1.50. If you are using a caterer you must remember to figure in his cost of uncorking every bottle used, which usually runs about $1/bottle used.
Making sure that the wedding will be just as perfect as you imagined it to be when you first started planning it, will take dedication to sticking to the plans and staying within your agreed upon budget. There are many costs to figure upon, and the champagne toast is just one of them, but when all is said and done, it is an important factor to many people and should be planned carefully so the memories it creates will be positive ones.
About the Author:
Amy Bartlett puts forth various information and viewpoints on subjects such as wedding speech. For more information on Wedding Ideas visit our site.
No comments:
Post a Comment