Irish Wedding Toasts
Irish wedding toasts are becoming more and more the norm these days. Not because it is only Irish couples getting married, but because many people have finally seen the timeless elegance and beauty of traditional (and even non traditional) Irish wedding toasts.
It is not unusual to hear a “Sláinte!” (meaning good health and pronounced something like “Slawn-tche”), at a wedding these days. In fact it has become so popular that you will even hear some of the guests replying kind – even if they aren’t Irish.
Some examples of good Irish wedding toasts are, “May the light of friendship guide your paths together, may the laughter of children grace the halls of your home, and may the joy of living for one another trip a smile from your lips, a twinkle from your eye.”
You can also have something along the lines of, “May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, quick to make friends. But rich or poor, slow or quick, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.”
There are other good Irish wedding toasts to be found, such as, “May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more. And may nothing but happiness come through your door.”
This is a twist on one of the more often heard Irish wedding toasts, “In your life I hope you do four things: lie, steal, cheat and drink. When you lie, do it to save a friend, when you steal, steal someone’s heart. When you cheat, cheat death, and when you drink, drink with me.”
The traditional version of this toast goes along the lines of, “There are four things in life that you must never do: lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love, If you must steal, steal away from bad company, If you must cheat, cheat death, And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.”
One of the best Irish wedding toasts though is this very traditional one where the bride and the groom give the toast, and the guests reply to it. “Friends and relatives so fond and dear, ‘tis our greatest pleasure to have you here. When many years this day has passed, fondest memories will always last. So we drink a cup of this Irish mead and ask God’s blessing in your hour of need.”
The response to this very traditional of Irish wedding toasts, goes along the lines of, “On this special day, our wish to you, the goodness of the old, and the best of the new. May God bless you both who drink this mead, may it always fill your every need.”