In English-speaking countries, guests may signal their approval of the toast by saying "hear hear". The person honored should neither stand nor drink, but after the toast should rise to thank the one who has offered the toast and take a drink, perhaps but not necessarily offering a toast in turn.
Usually, toasts end with some kind of wish for the future, such as “May you live for as long as you want, and never want for as long as you live!” If you find yourself at a lot of formal dinners, it can be wise to memorize a go-to toast or two, whether heartfelt (“May your house always be too small to hold all our ...
The response
Once the toast is finished, she simply rises, bows her acknowledgement, and says thank you. She may also raise her own glass to propose a toast to the host and anyone else she wants to honor.
The order is this: Wait for everyone to get a drink, raise glass, words spoken (see following table for suggested words), optional clink, drink. (Some varsity-level drinkers have taken to tapping the bottom of their glasses on the table post-clink and pre-sip.
The person honored should neither stand nor drink, but after the toast should rise to thank the one who has offered the toast and take a drink, perhaps but not necessarily offering a toast in turn.
Everyone raises a glass and clinks, saying “Cheers!” or “¡Salud!” or some variation thereof. Then you lightly touch your glass to the bar or tabletop, making a satisfying “thunk” sound before swigging. Many drinkers believe this demonstrates respect for the establishment and those who work there.
Americans and British people both say “cheers” when they are out drinking and clink their glasses together.
A post-toast is a wedding welcome party for out-of-town guests but it is held immediately following the wedding rehearsal. Old etiquette stated that it was oh-so-important to invite every single soul to the rehearsal dinner but times are changing.
Remember To Flip Your Pieces
Making toast in the oven requires an extra step, but it's worth it to get toast that's even and golden brown on both sides. Remember to flip your slice halfway for the best results!
“The best length for a toast is about three minutes,” Polansky says. “It's enough time to say what you need to say, but short enough that you'll still have everyone's attention when you ask them to raise their glasses to toast the happy couple.” Practice.
There's a simple formula to a good toast: Introduce yourself, tell a story, connect that story to the event and wrap it up (time to hit the dance floor!) The biggest challenge is choosing the right story for the occasion and audience.
“Please raise your glass to a long, happy and healthy future for [insert bride and groom's names here].” “Please raise your glass to the most important people in the room… friends and family.” Finally, please make sure you use the names of members of the wedding party during any wedding toasts, not just their titles.
Just like your introduction, keep the closing short and to the point. You can simply say thank you again and wish everyone a wonderful time.
LILLIE-BETH'S ANSWER: Keep your response natural and cheerful and say thanks as people toast you. As a person wraps up the toast, smile and raise your glass in their direction or clink the glasses of those around you. (It can sit on the table while they're talking.)
The term toast, as in drinking to one's health, comes from the literal practice of dropping a piece of toast in your drink. In the 16th century, it was common practice to add a piece of scorched or spiced toast to wine. The bread would help to soak up some of the acidity and improve flavor in poor wine.
'Cheers' is usually said as a toast when you raise your glasses to celebrate, but it also means 'thank you'.
Announce Your Intentions With Both Words and Behavior
So when you approach the table, theoretically everyone else is already seated or in the process of doing so, and you can simply stay standing and say something like, “I'd like to propose a toast.”
'Cheers' means…well, pretty much everything. From hello, goodbye, to thank you, and no thank you, to formal or informal toasts at the bar. It's difficult to get through a day in the UK without hearing this one a few times.
Some people tap their glass on the bar as a quiet tribute to absent friends and comrades. In Ireland, it was believed that liquor contained spirits that might be harmful if consumed, and tapping the glass dispelled those spirits.
According to the OED, a “toast” is a… call to a gathering of people to raise their glasses and drink together in honour of a person or thing, or an instance of drinking in this way, while “cheers” is defined as expressing good wishes. Lovely, but less etymology than I usually like.
The phrase originates from the old French word chiere meaning “face” or “head.” By the 18th century, it was used as a way to express happiness and encouragement. Today, the phrase is entirely symbolic, a practice of camaraderie that is so routine it's almost second nature.