Wedding Toasting Ideas:
Crisp Toasts : Wonderful Words That
Add Wit and Class to Every Time You Raise Your Glass (Thomas Dunne
Book) (Hardcover)
From Library Journal
These two contemporary collections from The New Yorker 's Frothingham
and Evans ( And I Quote , St. Martin's, 1992) will prove useful
for any collection. Crisp Toasts lists at least three toasts for
more than 100 alphabetically arranged topics, from absent friends
to work. Ranging from timely to traditional, most of the toasts
are short one-liners, ideal for weddings, christenings, reunions,
and retirement dinners. Well-Done Roasts is one of the first collections
of roasts for every occasion. Roasts are becoming an ever more
popular form of testimonial for everyone from politicians to retired
sports heroes, and the authors offer hundreds of friendly tributes
disguised as insults, arranged alphabetically from old age to
youth. There is even a helpful list of synonyms. This user-friendly,
nonsexist manual will keep audiences in stitches. Some contemporary
samples: "Those aren't acne scars on his face, he just had
a hard time learning to eat with a fork," and "She went
to the Tammy Faye Baker cosmetics school."-- Brian E. Coutts,
Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Wonderful words that add wit and class to every time
you raise your glass.
Sample toasts:
Friends & Friendship: To our best friends, who
know the worst about us but refuse to believe it.
Generosity: Life 'em high and drain 'em dry to the
guy who says, "My turn to buy!"
Golf: To golf, the most frustrating and masochistic
sport in the world, which may be why golf spelled backward in
flog.
Happiness: May we be happy and our enemies know
it.
Gambling: Life consists not in holding good cards,
but playing those you hold well.
Politics & Politicians: To Washington, our country's
capital, where the roads, and everything else, go around in circles.
Review: A Heartfelt Toast For The Ones We Love
A truly remarkable book! Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it
down. Original, creative, heartfelt and sincere toasts. "Crisp
Toasts" is the answer for "those of us" who don't
know exactly what to say and when to say it. It gives you direct
guidance on helping you find the "perfect" toast for
the "perfect" couple. Sincere and meaningful examples
are given, some serious and others funny, and insight as to which
one is appropriate depending on the situation. I have recommended
it to many friends and relatives. What a wonderful reference book
to keep throughout the years.
Toasts : Over 1,500 Of the Best Toasts,
Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces (Hardcover)
From Library Journal
This is a book that will be helpful to anyone who ever expects
to be called on to give a toast. It begins with a brief introductory
history of toasts and toasting, pointing out that the custom of
drinking to the health and prosperity of another is an ancient
one. The book is arranged by broad topics from age ("May
you enter Heaven late") to weddings ("May you grow old
on one pillow") to friendship ("Here's to a friend.
He knows you well and likes you just the same."). Some of
the quotes are from literature or famous people, but there are
many old anonymous ones, too. Sections on effective toasting,
odd customs, and the like are also included. Libraries needing
to expand their quotations collections might want to buy this
volume.
- Rebecca Wondriska, Trinity Coll. Lib., Hartford, Ct.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
For anyone who will ever face a sea of expectantly raised glasses,
or anyone who is fascinated by words and word-play, this rich
compendium of toasts for every occasion will prove as entertaining
as it is useful.
The best toasts ever proclaimed (and a few of the
worst), funny and sentimental toasts, cynical and heartfelt toasts,
old-fashioned and contemporary toasts, justly famous and unjustly
forgotten toasts ... they're all here in the latest compilation
of verbal fun from wordsmith extraordinaire Paul Dickson. Impossible
to put down when browsing and easy to use when looking something
up, it's one of those books that will never gather dust on the
shelf.
Weddings, graduations, anniversaries, births (and
birthdays), family reunions, business dinners, and other occasions
are all included, along with tips for the toastmaster, ways to
says "Cheers!" in fifty languages from Albanian to Zulu,
and other toasting topics.
Salud!
I drink to your health when I'm with you,
I drink to your health when I'm alone,
I drink to your health so often
I'm beginning to worry about my own.
Here's to good-byes -- that they never be spoken!
Here's to friendships -- may they never be broken!
Drink to the girls and drink to their mothers,
Drink to their fathers and to their brothers;
Toast their dear healths as long as you're able,
And dream of their charms while you're under the
table.
Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy
and wealthy and dead.
-- James Thurber
I used to know a clever toast,
But pshaw! I cannot think it --
So fill your glass to anything
And, bless your souls, I'll drink it.
Review: One sip of this will bathe the drooping spirits
. . .",
This is a fantastic resource, the best single source on toasting
which I have ever come across. The introduction and "Brief
History of Raised Glasses" provides a brief, gentle, and
highly useful education so that you can oh so suavely back up
immediately any question or challenge to the quote you've chosen
from this cornucopia of highly organized toasts for just about
any occasion imaginable.
The illustrations are superfluous, but the footnotes are very,
very useful. At first glance a bit pedantic, they allow the user
of the toast to speak (and understand) the traditional language,
such as "stook," "murphies," and "banns."
The different subject areas, plainly intuitive, and listed alphabetically
in the table of contents include such further instructive chapters
as "Hints for Effective Toasting," "Odd Customs,"
a "Selected Toast and Tipple Glossary," and "Skoaling."
The different subject areas are also modestly cross-referenced
to each other, such as the entry "see also 'friendship;'
'general;' 'guests'" concluding the "Hosts and Hostesses"
section. There is also a useful bibliography.
What is missing and would have completed the book
would be an index. This is my only complaint with this superb,
and in my case oft-used little reference.
Review: Better than we hoped
The book we ordered was listed as "almost new." When
it arrived it was pristine except for a gift salutation on the
flyleaf. We were very pleased.
Review: Do you know the Bishop of
Norwich?
In an age when some of us fear the loss of gentility, Toasts reminds
that there are those who still covet proper comportment.
Toasts provided me the perfect words to use at my
parents' 50th anniversary, and I use it routinely as a reference
prior to business dinners and other gatherings where I know I'll
be called upon for the honors.
Review: Carpe glass (Sieze the glass!)
Like a real pro, Paul Dickson has produced, actually concocted,
a rich compendium of examples and answers to any query and questions
about toasting and hosting. Getting a copy even helped me articulate
my sincere attestations when I entertain a few close friends and
acquaintances in my modest home; though frequently with coffee
or irish cream or shandy, seldom with wine.
Dickson does not preach, he guides and suggests. As your reading
progresses, you easily learn, comprehend and take heart what is
appropriate if perfect, and then sense what to avoid or perceive
what is uncalled for when giving someone or something a toast.
This book is not only amusing. It's a deliciously
entertaining and concrete fount of infos and references for fledgling
hosts and party impresarios. I read my copy cover to cover and
felt like popping the champagne and making the wine glasses clink!
Review: Useful, entertaining and
complete with just enough history.
I bartended (part time) for years and heard a lot of toasts, but
no one could explain the origin of toasting. A customer bought
me this book and all my questions were answered.
The text is simple and easy to follow. If you are looking for
a toast for a particular situation, just go to the category index
in the front pages and thumb your way through.
You will laugh, you will learn, you may even get
a little grossed out. But all in all, if you love history and
you entertain or like to be the life of the party, this is a great
buy. I recommend it highly.
The Complete Book of Wedding Toasts (Paperback)
Brilliant: The bridesmaid's guide to a wedding toast.
I was the bridesmaid in my friends wedding and this book provided
me with the know how on delivering an exceptional toast worthy
of my best friend's wedding.I would highly recommend this book
to anyone.A must own
Review: Very helpful
My brother got married recently and I was the best man. The thought
of getting up and giving the toast at the reception was really
scary to me so he got me this book to help. When I read through
the book I found several that made a lot of sense so I combined
a couple together and added a few things of my own. It turned
out great and I know I couldn't have done it without this book.
Review: A Maid of Honor's best friend
This is a very cool book! I was recently in my cousin's wedding
and had to give a couple of speeches about the bride and groom
and it really gave me a lot of good ideas. There was lots to choose
from so that I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. Even
my mother liked it. Well worth it.
Review: Terrific!
This book really allowed me to enjoy my daughter's wedding. Not
only was it a great help to the wedding party it was also a great
help to me and my husband. We were able to give loving, appropriate
toasts with a minimum of nervousness. I highly recommend it.
Review: A Terrific Useful Book
I just loved this book. I've been a bridesmaid so many times and
have had to make toasts and say "a few words" on many
occasions. I just wish I had had this book ten years ago. Some
of the toasts actually brought tears to my eyes. It's truly a
reference book that's written with heart, passion, and humor.
I recommend it to anyone who needs to come up with a meaningful
speech for anniversaries, weddings, any emotion-filled life event.
The Pocket Guide to Wedding Speeches & Toasts (Paperback)
Diane Warner's Complete Book of Wedding
Toasts: Hundred's of Ways to Say "Congratulations!"
(Paperback)
Book Description
The best man brings down the house with a hilarious story.
The bridegroom recites a touching poem.
The father of the groom gives an eloquent toast
to the newlyweds.
All of these can happen at your wedding with Diane
Warner’s Complete Guide to Wedding Toasts, which features hundreds
of sample toasts anyone responsible for delivering heartwarming
words at a wedding can use.
And this completely new edition includes:
Special toasts by members of the family and the
wedding party
Entire chapters are devoted to special toasts, including
toasts by the best man, the fathers of the bride and groom, the
bride’s sister, the bride for her mother and the bride and groom
to each other.
Toasts with ethnic variations
A chapter has also been devoted to dozens of touching
ethnic toasts, including a wedding toast inspired by an old Eskimo
wedding prayer, a beautiful Scottish wedding toast and fifteen
lovely, lilting Irish wedding toasts. This chapter also includes
a list of each country’s preferred toasting beverage.
Toasts inspired by the classics
This chapter is filled with unique toasts inspired
by Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aristotle, George
Eliot, and many others.
Humorous toasts
The book wouldn’t be complete without a chapter
filled with humorous toasts, including charming anecdotes, limericks
and one-liners.
Diane Warner is the best-selling author of 22 books,
including Diane Warner’s Contemporary Guide to Wedding Etiquette,
Complete Book of Wedding Toasts, Complete Book of Wedding Showers,
Complete Book of Baby Showers, Diane Warner’s Big Book of Parties
and How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget, 4th Edition.
Diane also writes for magazines, newspapers and Web sites. She
is a popular speaker and radio and television guest. She has made
over 100 national radio and television appearances and can be
seen regularly on HGTV and The Discovery Channel. She lives in
Tucson, Arizona with her author-husband, Jack.--This text refers
to the Paperback edition.
Wedding Toasts & Speeches: Finding
The Perfect Words (Paperback)
Capture the feelings of joy and love in your toast! It isn't always
easy to find the right words to express your special thoughts
at this memorable moment. Use some of these famous and not-so-famous
quotes and speeches, each one appropriate for that special wedding
day. You'll find wisdom, humor and comfort in these proverbs and
sayings, both profound and pithy, to sum up your sentiments!
Sample wedding toast:
May you have enough happiness to keep you sweet; enough trials
to keep you strong; enough sorrow to keep you human; enough hope
to keep you happy; enough failure to keep you humble, enough success
to keep you eager; enough friends to give you comfort; enough
faith and courage in yourself to banish depression; enough wealth
to meet your needs; enough determination to make each day a better
day than yesterday.
Review: Excellent!
Helps you find just the right words for that special day! It's
a great help when trying to figure out how to word that special
wedding toast.
Toasts for Every Occasion (Mass Market Paperback)
Review: The Perfect Gift for Every
Occasion,
Fabulous! This was the perfect Father's Day gift - and will be
my favorite gift to give for all occasions! Just perusing is provides
delicious entertainment. I treasure having a FIRST EDITION and
here's to many more!
Review: The Champagne of Toasts,
Jennifer Rahel Conover's talents are as many as the bubbles in
champagne--endless and always rising to the top. Jennifer's pedigree,
intelligence and wit are blended with her years of hobnobbing
around the world to compile "Toasts For Every Occasion."
Every host should own one. Every guest should give one as a gift!
---Kathleen Pickering, Author, "Echoes of Love"
Beautiful Wedding Receptions (Pennies from Heaven Series) (Paperback)
Your wedding reception will be the party of your life.
It will be a time to gather all the people who are meaninful to
you and your husband. This book is about creating the wedding
reception of your dreams.
The Perfect Wedding Reception : Stylish
Ideas For Every Season (Hardcover)
Book Description
Once couples decide to say "I do" there
are dozens and dozens of decisions to be made. It's hard to know
where to begin and even more difficult to fit all the dozens of
details together into one wonderful event. Thankfully Maria McBride-Mellinger,
author of acclaimed bridal books, stylishly illustrates just how
to create a dreamy reception that will be forever memorable.
The Perfect Wedding Reception features exquisite
wedding celebrations designed by Maria McBride-Mellinger that
capture the magic of each season in refreshing, contemporary style.
The nuptial adventure begins in a formal spring garden but soon
its off to a beach front for a fanciful summer wedding, to a revolutionary
era stone barn for a rustic fall wedding and finally to a gracious
country home for a candle lit winter wedding feast.
Glorious photos of each location, flowers, menu
selections, table details, centerpieces, bouquets, invitations,
wedding cakes and favors tell the story of each wedding with helpful
tips and most importantly McBride-Mellinger's favorite resources
from around the country that will actually help bring your wedding
reception to life.
Whatever season you choose to marry Maria McBride-Mellinger
offers delightful flourishes to tempt every couple as they plan
the party of their lives and create memories meant to last a lifetime.
Review: Perfection!
As a second-time bride, this was the book that "did it"
for me. My October wedding reception, while not the exact replica
of Ms. McBride-Mellinger's, incorporated as many of her ideas
as I could. This is an absolutely beautiful book which will be
an inspiration to any bride to be that wants a classy, memorable
wedding befitting her chosen season. The settings, invitations,
floral designs, cakes, and small touches are unique and certainly
can be "scaled down" for those on a smaller budget.
Not the end-all, be-all catalogue of a bridal book...but a digestable
and exquisite source of inspiration.
Review: Beautiful pictures, but not enough
different weddings
This book has wonderful pictures of four weddings, one in each
season.
The pictures are truly extraordinary, but they are almost exclusively
of these four weddings, so there aren't tons of different ideas
for each season, rather one "theme" idea for each season.
One thing that disappointed me was that her summer wedding was
a casual one on the beach, so if you want more formal ideas for
a summer wedding you are out of luck. Like other reviewers have
said, most of these perfect presentations would be completely
out of a lot of people's price range, but you could definitely
pull a few ideas that you loved from her spreads and make it work
on a smaller budget. By and large this is a good supplementary
book on reception ideas, with tons of photos and some good "idea"
text (as opposed to "how-to" text.)
Review: OSTENTATIOUS IDEAS FOR EVERY SEASON
BUT NOT EVERY BRIDE
If Kennedy or Vanderbilt is your last name and I mean The Kennedys
and The Vanderbilts, if Bill Gates is your wedding sponser or
if you are a member of the Royal Family then this book is for
you. If you live in the real world you may not want to bother
reading a book that would embarrass even Martha Stewart. Even
if your wedding budget isn't that of a small nation you can uncover
some ideas to use on a realistic day of bliss. But I would leave
out the "Honeymoon bed out in the open" next to a swamp
unless you are marrying Jeff Corwin or the Crocodile Hunter. Look
at page 116 and see if you would like to spend your wedding night
there but McBride-Mellinger says "far from sight of the area's
inhabitants". It's also far from sight of a bathroom,room
service and Walgreen's to get some mosquito spray and close to
sight for anything with four or six legs or even eight hairy ones
that hopefully would be four groomsmen rather than a spider. As
in all the weddings in the book, the cakes are works of art, the
prettiest I've ever seen (pgs 106&107, 214&215 "a
masterpiece" and the chapter on Confections) and the flowers
are magnificent. If you read this book make sure to have a dictionary
for all the $2.00 words as it must have been written with a word
processor in one hand an a Thesaurus in the other. Also, a really
good cook book will come in handy to try and figure out what everyone
was eating. McBride-Mellinger is even so helpful as to tell you
how to dress the "help" as if in this day and time the
guests even know what to wear, where the "help" should
go to the bathroom, and to prepare food incase they work more
then four hours. But do show respect because Maria McBride-Mellinger
has a very high opinion of herself and a much over inflated ego.
"The Perfect Wedding Reception" is that: perfectly ostentatious,pretentious,over
the top and prefectly not for middle class America. The book is
a "perfect" waste of a good tree. For over 30 years
I have been a floral artist and wedding planner with the experience
of over 500 weddings in all parts of the US and Europe.
Review: creative suggestions
This book suggests many creative ways to make your wedding reception
fun and unique. The author describes 4 weddings (one for each
season) thoroughly and with an artist's eye for detail and color.
She also provides an extensive index for all aspects of reception
preparation and planning. The pictures vividly display the character
of each wedding, bringing them to life. I would have prefered
some extra examples with illustrations of decorationg ideas for
each season that were not part of the featured wedding. It would
have been nice to have some more practical examples of possibilities.
The featured weddings are gorgeous but, for people like myself,
a bit out of reach financially. Surely, one can put a creative,
unique twist on some less eccentric styles to make them equally
as special, beautiful and perfect for any wedding.
Review: Very helpful
There are some wonderful suggestions here to make your day special.
You will read this and remember the little things to do. One recommendation
would be to direct readers to Katherine's Song, the wedding song
in Defenders of the Holy Grail (Ken Agori)...this is THE song
for this millenium. Of course, this may belong more at the service,
but at the reception for the first dance, WOW!! THis book is worth
the money...
Review: One of the Best
In preparation for our wedding, I ordered just about every book
that I thought looked appealing and got great reviews, literally
HUNDREDS of dollars' worth of books! This and its companion, The
Perfect Wedding, stood out among the rest.
I liked it for the following reasons:
1. Beautiful pictures of original ideas. There were lots of pictures
and lots of ideas. Obviously you aren't going to find a book that
has absolutely every idea for flowers or cakes (it would be HUGE!),
but the ones that this book included were very nice.
2. Good mix of pictures and text. About 3/5 of the book was pictures
and ideas. It was divided up into 4 sections representing the
4 seasons, so you could get ideas for your specific season (getting
inspiration from the best of your season is a great idea!). The
other 2/5 of the book was resources with phone number, addresses,
websites, etc., so you could actually get ahold of the people
who put together the beautiful things in this book or go to the
places that would give you more of a similar idea.
3. Not just for the wealthy. Granted that I personally am not
too concerned with books geared for my budget, this book gave
ideas for all ranges of budgets. Of course, some of the cakes,
flowers, etc., must have been expensive, but she also gives ideas
that are more budget-conscious.
I would recommend this book, no question. It's better
than Colin Cowie's, on par with Martha's, and definitely much
better than Vera Wang's.
The Ultimate Wedding Reception
Book (Paperback)
Review: Wedding Details (Hardcover)
Book Description
Whatever the setting -- a minimal, modern buffet, an intimate
wedding breakfast, or a sophisticated formal reception -- this
invaluable book is full of elegant and imaginative ideas to help
you transform your wedding day into a magical and memorable occasion.
Throughout the book, clear and concise text is paired with evocative,
inspirational photographs that are guaranteed to capture the imagination.
About the Author
Mary Norden, a succesful textile designer, has been commissioned
by Liberty, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent.
She has written for Homes & Gardens and is the author of Gift
Wraps: Baskets & Bows and Decorative Embroidery. Sandra Lane
is a successful still-life photographer. Her work appears in magazines
such as Elle Decoration and Homes & Gardens, and she has photographed
several of Mary Nodens's previous books. She lives in London.
Review: Great resource tool
I have a small wedding business and found this book very helpful.
It is a very simple short book but it is loaded with great ideas
for weddings and receptions. Pictures are excellent, lots of new
ideas to try, I would recommend it as a resource guide and was
very happy to receive it as a gift off my wish list.
Review: Big Things Come In Small
Packages
A cute-sized book chockful of ideas! Creative ideas on favor packaging,
table settings, floral arrangements. Inspirational ideas that
can be easily adapted to your budget and style.
Review: Practical and modern-day
ideas
Cute-sized book offering plenty of creative, practical and modern
ideas on wedding favors, table settings, and floral decorations;
beautiful still photography for inspiration.
Creative Wedding Florals You Can Make
(Paperback)
Review: Helpful for Beginners
When my daughter took her ideas for her wedding to our local florists,
the estimates were over $3,000. When we finished laughing, we
bought this book. Even though we had very little previous experience
with florals, with a little practice we were able to make quite
a few of the things she wanted ourselves. And perhaps more importantly,
we were also able to determine what we couldn't do ourselves,
and how best to work with a professional florist.
We didn't use any of the designs from the book, but the clear
photographs and step-by-step instructions made it well worth the
price for the skill development it gave us.
Review: Useful but Sort of Typical
(aka Traditional)
I found this book useful but typical - tradional wedding flowers
with little bits of baby's breath. Some people like the traditional
wedding styles. I like something more modern or Asian. Indeed
this book has good instructions - although I always recommend
building a prototype before you are put on the spot to make the
real thing (I prefer using silk in this stage). If you want a
more traditional wedding floral book, this is a good one. If you
want unique pizazz then I suggest you try Florist's Review - it's
my fave.
Review: an excellent resource
This book provides an excellent overview of wedding florals and
a number of pretty ideas if you need them -- this is a book for
you if you really want to do your own flowers -- not if you want
ideas for spectacular or unique florals for a florist to do. the
instructions are very understandable and easy to execute, for
all the wedding basics: bouquet, boutinnieres, corsages, basic
arrangements.
Review: Bridal Floral Basics for
the Do-It-Yourself-er in You
Let's say you're a prospective bride like me or you know someone
who is. You want beautiful basic floral arrangements, but a florist
seems like a fortune. Well, if you are like me or you know know
someone who is, then this book's for you. Different floral arrangements
for the bride, the wedding party, and extras such as unity candles,
centerpieces and pew arrangements, are all included here. Sure,
they're not super-creative in style, but YOU can be...
Review: Good Instructions, Weak on
Creativity
This is not the book to buy if you are looking for new and creative
floral ideas for your wedding - you will be greatly disappointed.
There are examples of each main different type of bouquet, such
as nosegay, cascade, hand-tied, etc., but the "variations"
shown for each type aren't anything to write home about. Look
for another book if you are hoping to find something stellar and
original that will stand out at your wedding.
On the other hand, if you plan to arrange your own flowers like
I do, the instructions are very well laid out with good detail
and clear pictures....
Review" Excellent how-to information,
but not too creative
The title of this book would lead one to believe that it gives
how-to information for new, fresh, creative bouquets and arrangements.
While the instructions are thorough and clearly written, the arrangements
themselves are more traditional and "floristy" -- they
use a lot of filler, and I think some of them look rather overdone.
The strength of this book is in the instructions. They are laid
out step by step, with photographs of how to construct each arrangement.
The book tells you exactly which tools you will need and how many
flowers to buy. Even a beginner like myself would be able to create
pretty good bouquets and arrangements with these directions.
I bought this book together with "Bouquets:
A Year of Flowers for the Bride," which does have more creative
ideas, but is weak on the instructional part. I recommend this
combination of books to anyone like myself who is looking to make
their own wedding flowers, but does not have experience in floral
design. Both books have their weaknesses, but they complement
each other and make up for each other.
Review: Good Basic, Traditional Design,
How-To Book
From a bride who started by taking 2 years of design classes and
creating her own bridal flowers to now a flourishing wedding floral
business owner who creates custom wedding arrangements for brides
all across the country, this book helped me get started. I review
and purchase a lot of floral reference books for my design business,
and when I started out, this was one of the better books I found
on basic, traditional styles. The book is particularly helpful
for the beginning designer as the clear photos and detailed, how-to
steps are easy to follow. My only suggestion for improvement is
to expand the book (or publish a second book) that lists advanced
techniques and more contemporary, unique designs and florals/materials
for the bride who desires something more unusual and creative.
It's limited in the creativity it offers, but overall, it's one
of the best BASIC books to reference and LEARN from. Good for
beginners and floral students.
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