
How to Give a Wedding Toast
For the best man, the maid of honor and the father of the bride — how long to speak, what to say, what never to say, and how to land the ending.
The wedding reference, since 1999
The reception, hour by hour: the toasts, the menu, the cake, the dancing and the photographs that outlast everything else.


For the best man, the maid of honor and the father of the bride — how long to speak, what to say, what never to say, and how to land the ending.




Most favors are left on the table. The ones that aren’t are edible, useful, or personal — plus a quarter-century of ideas sent in by Today’s Weddings readers.

Bouquets from real weddings, described by the brides who carried them — the blooms, the foliage and how each one was tied.

How to judge a portfolio, what the contract has to say, and the shots that are gone forever if nobody asked for them.

How big, how much, what it is made of, and the questions to ask a baker before you put down a deposit.

What happens when, why the order matters more than the clock, and the three moments that decide whether the room stays.

Cakes from real weddings in the late 1990s, described by the couples who cut them — tiers, flavors, frosting and flowers.
Advice and essays first published on Today’s Weddings between 1999 and 2019, kept as they were written.