Wedding Wishes: 80+ Ideas for Toasts

A good wedding wish is short, personal, and warm — a few sentences in which you wish for love, health, and a long path together, followed by a clear toast to raise a glass to. Below you will find over 80 ready-made wishes by category, plus guidance on how to choose and deliver your own.

What makes a wish memorable

The best wedding wishes are not the longest ones, but the most sincere. The working formula is simple: a short personal connection with the newlyweds (a memory, observation, or joke), one specific wish, and a final toast. If you are writing a wedding speech as a best man or bridesmaid, the same structure works for a longer text as well — just add one or two more stories.

Short wishes for a card

• Lots of love, patience, and happy days together.
• May every day be like the first — with a smile and excitement.
• Good luck on your path together — with love and understanding.
• Long life, health, and many reasons to celebrate.
• Love each other as you do on this day — always.
• May your home always be full of laughter and warmth.
• We wish you unity in everything — big and small decisions.
• May your love grow with each passing year.

Warm wishes from parents

Today we are not losing a child — we are gaining another one. Love each other deeply, forgive quickly, and laugh often.

Wishes from parents work best when they are personal — a childhood memory, a hope for the future, a simple piece of advice. Avoid clichés and speak directly to the couple, not to the guests.

• Thank you for making our child so happy. Welcome to the family.
• We wish you a home full of love and a life full of meaning.
• May your marriage be just like ours — with lots of love and a little bit of stubbornness.
• From today you are one — protect each other every single day.

Funny wishes for the best man and the bridesmaid

• Let the last word in the house always be "yes, darling."
• I wish you as much love as I have photos from the bachelor party.
• Health, patience, and a good Wi-Fi connection on your honeymoon.
• Promise yourselves to fight only over who loves the other more.
• May the refrigerator always be full, and your arguments rare and brief.
• I wish you a marriage where love wins, not the argument over the remote control.

Classic toasts for raising a glass

I raise a glass to two people who found a home in each other. Cheers — to a long, bright, and happy journey together!

1. Introduce yourself briefly and explain your relationship to the newlyweds.
2. Share a short, specific memory or observation about the couple.
3. Say the wish itself — clearly and without complications.
4. Invite the guests to raise their glasses with the word "Cheers!"

Origin and tradition of the toast

Clinking glasses and making a toast is a centuries-old tradition associated with wishing health and goodwill to those being celebrated 1. At a Bulgarian wedding, toasts usually follow a specific order — first the parents, then the best man and maid of honor, followed by close relatives and friends — but in the more modern format of a wedding program, the order is coordinated in advance with the host to avoid awkward pauses.

How to choose the right wish

Tips for a good live wish

• Keep it under 60–90 seconds live — longer speeches are for the best man and maid of honor
• Start with a short personal story, not generic phrases
• Avoid inside jokes that no one else understands
• Speak slowly and with a pause before the final toast
• Finish with a clear toast and raising the glass

Wishes in a card vs. wishes on a microphone

The wish you write in a card can be more personal and longer — the newlyweds will read it in peace. A wish on a microphone should be short and clear even for guests at the last table. If you are not sure which of the two is expected of you, ask the hosts or check the day's program — it usually indicates who gives a short speech and who just raises a toast.

Wishes in different languages

• In English: "Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness together."
• In Greek: "Να ζήσετε!" (May you live long!)
• In Russian: "Горько!" — a traditional shout for the newlyweds to kiss
• Classic Bulgarian: "Cheers — to a long and happy journey!"

Wishes for a Second Marriage or a Mature Couple

When the newlyweds already have life experience — children from a previous marriage, an established career, or a more mature age — the wish should ideally sound respectful of their journey so far, rather than sounding as if their life is just beginning. Phrases such as "We are glad you found your happiness right now" or "May this new chapter be the best one in your book" are more appropriate. Avoid jokes about age or previous marriages — they are rarely well-received even when said with good intentions.

• We are glad that life has presented you with this second encounter with happiness.
• May your experience make the bond even stronger and more peaceful.
• Congratulations to two people who know exactly how precious love is.

Wishes for a Church Wedding

In a religious ceremony, wishes often have a more spiritual tone — mentioning blessings, faith, and a shared life path before God. They sound appropriate both in a card and when spoken quietly immediately after the church ritual, before the official toast at the celebration.

• May God bless your union and grant you a long, happy life together.
• We wish you faith, love, and the strength to go through everything together.
• May the wedding candles burn symbolically throughout your entire journey together.

When a wish can replace a gift

Some guests worry that just a wish in a card is not enough, especially if everyone around them is preparing wedding gifts. The truth is that a warm and personally written wish often remains more memorable than an ordinary gift — especially if it is accompanied by a small gesture like a shared photo from years of friendship or a specific memory that shows you truly know the couple.

Common mistakes when writing a wish

• Overly generic phrases that would fit any other couple
• Mentioning past relationships or awkward family topics
• Too long a text in a card that no one has the patience to read at the celebration
• Humor that is funny only to a narrow circle of guests
• Improvisation without any prior preparation in front of a microphone

Wedding wishes via SMS or message

If you cannot attend the celebration in person, a short and warm message sent on time is a perfectly appropriate gesture. The important thing is to send it before or on the day of the wedding, not late — and if possible, add a photo or a short video greeting if your relationship with the couple is closer.

• Congratulations guys! May this new chapter of your life be full of love and adventure.
• I'm sorry I'm not with you today, but my thoughts are with you. Bitter! (Cheers!)
• I wish you a marriage full of warmth, laughter, and mutual support — congratulations!
• May this day mark the beginning of the best years of your life.

Wedding wishes in verse

A rhymed wish is harder to improvise, but it makes a strong impression, especially when handwritten in a card. You don't need to be a poet — the four lines below can serve as a foundation that is easily adapted with the names of the newlyweds.

May the path for both of you be illuminated, with love and trust, forever bound. May every day bring new joy to your home, and may your love grow with each passing year.

Wishes according to the wedding theme

If the wedding has a specific theme — for example, boho style, a garden wedding, or a winter celebration — the wish can slightly reflect it without sounding forced. This is a small detail that shows attention to the vision that the newlyweds have been preparing for months.

Most common fears before giving a toast

Many people worry more about public speaking itself than about the content of the wish. The most common fears are forgetting the text, your voice trembling, or not making the guests laugh as planned. The best solution is a short written note in your pocket — you don't need to read it verbatim, but knowing that you have a backup option significantly reduces anxiety.

• Breathe slowly and pause before you begin
• Have a printed text or a note in your pocket just in case
• Look at the newlyweds, not the entire hall, if that helps you stay calm
• Accept a slight tremor in your voice as a normal part of the excitement, not as a failure

Wishes in a foreign country or a mixed wedding

In a wedding between a couple of different nationalities, it is a nice gesture to say your wish in the native language of one partner, even if only in one sentence, followed by a translation into Bulgarian. Guests appreciate the effort, and the newlyweds remember it as a special moment in the otherwise long series of toasts.