Irish Wedding Toasts

Ethnic weddings carry a heavy stigma of tradition with them. Whether we’re looking at a Greek wedding, an Irish wedding, a German wedding, or an Italian wedding, every one has its own nuances, words, and in general, traditions, that sets it apart from the others. Irish weddings have special traditions, specifically the Irish wedding toasts, that make it unique among the others. Irish wedding toasts are similar to other wedding toasts in that they wish the bride and groom a long, prosperous marriage. However, the traditional toasts vary. They’re not just about a speech from the best man to the groom or the maid of honor to the bride, but they’re about old sayings that the toast bearer shares with others. Irish wedding toasts twist humor with well wishes for prosperity and a successful marriage. For example, one particular toast says “Health and a long life to you. Land without rent to you. A child every year to you. And if you can’t go to heaven, May you at least die in Ireland.” Thus we also see a strong sense of nationalism in the toasts. Nothing is better than children and Ireland in an Irish wedding toast. Others have a sort of sideglance at the crude such as “May you live and may you wear it out.” Along with the humorous Irish wedding toasts, the traditional wedding toasts for these weddings can bring a sense of “awww” from the crowd. For example, one toast states, “There are four things 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.” Wedding toasts like these do not need to be specific to the Irish wedding. The average mutt of a best man can steal great toasts like these for his own wedding speech and thereby steal from the Irish wedding traditions while looking clever and heartfelt at the same time. Whether they’re wishing good health, God’s blessing, or just a death in Ireland, the Irish wedding toasts certainly have a sense of tradition in them. They’re obviously not cleverly thought of anecdotes like the traditional everyman’s wedding may have today, but they carry a sense of culture with them while making the wedding guests both cry and laugh.