Toasts at San Francisco Bay Area Weddings and Parties

by Robbie Schlosser · 17 comments

Thanks in advance for reading this article. I appreciate your interest and hope you get a few good ideas. I'd love to hear what you liked. Please write me a little COMMENT below. Start a conversation. Tell me what you think, and I'll reply. Promise.
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Toasts liven up a celebration. They can put the “special” in special event.

Robbie Schlosser in San Jose, 2010

I enjoy proposing toasts.  Do you?  Let me propose a toast to you.

But first, a little background.  Toasts are universal rituals where people drink to honor something or someone.  Throughout history toasts have taken many forms in many cultures.

You can Google “toast” and “toasting” and find everything imaginable about its history, significance, and customs around the world.

In fact, you can find dozens of pages listing sample toasts for every occasion.  You can even find people who offer to write a toast for you.

Toasts are significant.  At your next celebration, do everything you can to make the toasts stand out and be memorable.

Here’s a tip:  Whenever you plan music for a wedding or a party, coordinate the music with all the toasts.  

You must have participated in hundreds of toasts, right?  In my experience the most familiar toasts occur at weddings, banquets, and casual parties.

Here’s what happens:  Someone stands, raises a glass of wine — often champagne — and praises the guests of honor in a brief, flattering, often witty speech. All the guests raise their glasses, join in a chorus of “cheers!”, clink and drink.

Then a series of speeches and toasts often follows the first one, with what you might call “invigorating” results. When everyone in the room is feeling jolly, you might hear a toast like this one, which I heard a bridegroom propose several years ago.

“So here’s to you, and here’s to me,
And may we never disagree.
But if we do, to hell with you,
And here’s to me!”

Now, with that introduction to toasts, let me propose one to honor YOU.  Really.

But first, let that picture above set the mood. There I am toasting a friend photographing me at a networking event in San Jose back in 2010. Thanks, Rachel Kumar, for your wonderful photo.

Now my toast to you.  Short and sweet as I can make it.

“Thank you for your conversations. We’re all in this together, struggling each in our own ways to make sense of our world and make a positive contribution.

We work together, share inspirations, offer help and accept the same. We sing and dance together, swap and buy and sell.  We tell each other stories, read and write letters and books.  We’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.  We email and blog. That’s what I’m doing right now, and I look forward to reading your replies and contributions and seeing you soon.

So here’s to you… for keeping this lifelong conversation going in so many ways. If we ever stop sharing our ideas, we’re in big trouble. And as long as our conversation lasts, we can always continue making things even better.  Cheers!”

Cheers!

CLICK here to tweet this post, and join our Magnolia Jazz Band fans on Facebook.  You’ll receive daily tips for planning wedding and party music, and you’ll get reminders for our public events.



Thanks for reading this article. I appreciate your interest and hope you get a few good ideas here. Got one or two? I'd love to hear what you liked. Please write me a little COMMENT below. Start a conversation -- I'll reply. Promise.

By the way, does a friend need help selecting wedding or party music? Do them a favor: EMAIL this article, or SHARE it on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.

And if you find my blog useful, please LIKE it, TWEET it, and SUBSCRIBE for more ideas. Use those cute little icons below.

Meanwhile, the Magnolia Jazz Band entertains at weddings and parties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are ever nearby, you’ll love catching us in action, seeing and hearing us create a great mood.

How can I help you? Call 408-245-9120 or use Robbie@MagnoliaJazz.com. Planning a celebration? Ask about our availability.

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Julie labes

i never really thought about toasts before..they just happened..at weddings or social gatherings.It is nice to stop for a minute and actually think about them..what they are and what purpose they serve. Thanks for bringing it to my attention

Julie Labes the…Fierce over 50 feels much younger, point and click junkie, loves to travel, does not use a jogging stroller, and before you ask, this is NOT my granddaughter..Woman

Janet

Robbie, great blog, I like your style and I like your toast. I like your blog as well. Looking forward to many conversations to come! Happy Holidays – Here’s to YOU!

Janet K. Fish
http://www.dogbandanastore.com
http://www.mydoggblog.com

Donna McCord

What a wonderful service you offer! Nothing is better than music at a celebration, and I bet you must hear tons of toasts all the time! It’s fun to learn what people say to honor one another, and your toast in this blog is so lovely. Welcome to Blogger Monday!

Sharon Hiebing

I have to admit I find toasts are either really, really good, or really, really bad. The bad ones are usually way to long. Yours was very good though. Thanks for this fun and quirky blog!!

Sharon Hiebing
Follow Your Dream Compass
Sharon Hiebing recently posted..MOVING COUNTRIES – WHAT IS YOUR INTENTIONMy Profile

Fiona Stolze

Robbie, it was lovely to read this post. Loved the ‘Here’s to you’ toast! Thanks for making me smile.

Fiona

Fiona Stolze
http://fionastolze.wordpress.com

Judy Stone-Goldman

I think toasts are the unsung heroes of events! They are so important in bringing people together in the moment–quieting the hubbub and getting everyone to remember what the event is all about. Welcome to Blogger Monday!

Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
Judy Stone-Goldman recently posted..Lost Books and a Reminder about ClutterMy Profile

Judy Stone-Goldman

I think toasts are the unsung heroes of events! They are so important–bringing people together in a moment to remember the real purpose of the event, quieting the hubbub to a moment of shared reflection. Great to read about someone thinking hard about this role.

Welcome to Blogger Monday!

Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
Judy Stone-Goldman recently posted..Lost Books and a Reminder about ClutterMy Profile

kristin konvolinka

Toasts come in all flavors. From the inanely long and inappropriate (make sure you know chosen ‘toaster’ well) to short and sweet, funny and “sniff” tear-jerking. So many emotions come wrapped up in the tradition of uttering a few well chosen words with the raising of a glass. Perhaps we should toast more often than just a weddings and banquets. I think I’ll go give my husband a toast right now, he’s been working so hard!

Candace C. Davenport

Robbie-

I love the idea of everyone’s life being an ongoing conversation. Toasting is conversational gratitude!

Glad to have you aboard Blogger Monday!

Candace C. Davenport
http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ~ Little Books with a Big Message

Pat Zahn

I think drunken toasts are the best – they provide comic relief! Toasts fall into that category of public speaking that freak people out but really, if we’d all just relax and speak from the heart it wouldn’t be so hard and we could all enjoy each other.

Pat Zahn, Photo Solutions Superhero
http://www.patzahn.com
Pat Zahn recently posted..Traditions- Food- Holidays and ScrapbookingMy Profile

Jennifer Duchene

Always great to be reminded about Toasts and the importance of this ritual. Fun and fabulous. Just like you Robbie. I drink to you and your generous nature.

Jennifer Duchene
The Home Makeover Mixtress
http://home-decorating-makeovers.com/
Jennifer Duchene recently posted..Easy Holiday Decorating IdeasMy Profile

Yvonne Hall

Such a sweet post … inspiring me to call a few dear friends today and thank them!
Yvonne Hall
http://www.facebook.com/wildforwildtree

Judy Stone-Goldman

Toasts are incredibly important to events–the unsung heroes, really. They bring the people together for a moment of remembering what’s really important. The hubbub quiets and there’s a shared experience through the words of the person giving the toast. So more power to you! Sounds like you do it all–music, too.

Welcome to Blogger Monday!
Judy Stone-Goldman recently posted..Lost Books and a Reminder about ClutterMy Profile

Louise Edington

What a nice toast. I love a good, short and meaningful toast so thanks for that and nice to have you here.
Louise Edington
Facing Fears and Frontiers Over Fifty
http://louiseedington.com

Pat Zahn

…trying again…every time I’ve been in a place where there is a toast, it seems the person is really good at it, or it is really awkward – they are expected to do it and haven’t volunteered. I think if we all just relax and look at it as a way to relate to each other, the fear evaporates.

Rachel Lavern

Thanks for the lovely toast Robbie. Although I do hear more toasts being made at weddings, I notice that they seem to be coming more common at less formal celebrations also.

I learned an interesting fact a couple of months ago: the significance of clinking the glasses together after the toast is to repel evil spirits. Okay, I now sound like Cliff on “Cheers” 🙂

Rachel Lavern
http://www.rachellavern.com
Personal Transformation, Enlightenment and Development
Rachel Lavern recently posted..Refine Your Affirmations – Part 2My Profile

Jen Sako

What a charming blog post! Yes, there is an art to toasting. Some toasts are painful to sit through while others bring up all sorts of emotions. I enjoyed reading this.

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