Here's to the happy couple! Part 1

Ah, the wedding toast. One of the key pieces of any reception, and one of the biggest sources of anxiety for those asked to deliver them. Fear not! In the coming weeks I will share some tips to help you with your wedding toast, and for the bride & groom, a couple of pieces of advice as you choose who you may want to deliver a toast or speak on your behalf at your reception

To get us started, let's look at the WHO.

Who usually gives a toast at the wedding? Traditionally speaking, here are the basics:

• The Best Man- typically goes first
• The Maid/Matron of Honor- typically follows the Best Man
• The Couple- if the couple chooses to offer a few words at their reception, they will usually follow the Maid/Matron of Honor
• The Parents- Traditionally the Father of the Bride will offer a toast to the couple and a thank-you to guests and the Groom's family. The Father of the Bride would then be followed by the Father of the Groom if the couple elects for him to speak as well.

As with other traditions in the wedding world these days, the rules are that there aren't really that many rules any more, so if you want to skip having anyone do a toast, you can certainly do that, or if you want to have someone else do the toast, that's okay, too. The only thing I warn against is "open-mic" toasting, but we can get into that in another post...