A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. There are many things for one to plan like venues, seating, catering, the list goes on and on. One crucial element is the toast. A good speech can change the tone of the entire wedding. It can make the guests so emotional that handkerchiefs need to be handed out, or have them laughing until their stomachs hurt. Here’s a list of how to line up your toasts.

The Welcome Toast

The host at the wedding reception initiates the event once the guests are seated. The parents of the bride usually make the toast to the newly married couple. The parents of the groom can follow suit, if interested. This will warm up the guests for action and get them ready for the ensuing celebrations!

The Blessing

This forms an integral part of the wedding reception as it offers a blessing over the food and marks the start of the dinner. It doesn’t happen with every wedding, as it’s more of a personal choice.

The Best Man and Maid of Honor Toasts

The best man and maid of honor speech is an important part of the evening, as it is not only a beloved tradition but also helps pump people up a little and get them ready for the final toast. This toast is done toward the end of dinner as guests can enjoy their meals and also be all-ears. In case there is no sitting arrangement, the waiters can finish their job and make sure the guests have food to chew on.

The Newlyweds Toast

This is a moment of the event where the bride and groom express their love, gratitude, respect, and everything else that they feel for each other. It is also a chance to thank everybody from the parents to the guests for coming to the event.

How to Give a Good Speech

Practice your toast thoroughly before standing up on stage, as winging it doesn’t work for everybody. Secondly, think of those you would love to have speak at your reception and make a list. You can have the toasts done in a non-stop spree or have them interspersed with food courses. To ensure the smooth flow of speeches, you can take a few steps like giving your speakers a time limit beforehand as well as a time allocation so they know when to speak and for how long. If you’re planning a wedding, every little thing you do can go a long way. So raise a toast to planning the perfect wedding!

Whether you’re newly engaged or whether you’ve been married for twenty years, there’s a high chance that your wedding or engagement rings are some of your most prized possessions. They are a reminder that you married your best friend, and they are a reminder that you made one of the most beautiful commitments that this world has to offer to the person that you love above all else. However, it seems as though hand sanitizer could be damaging these rings beyond repair.

Keeping Them Clean

In light of the ongoing pandemic, there’s a high chance that you are washing your hands with soap and using hand sanitizer more than you would normally. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Keeping your hands clean is extremely important – now more than ever – but it seems as though all of this cleaning could be having adverse effects on your jewelry.

Dulling Them Down

Yes, did you know that the cleaning agents found in sanitizer and hand wash can cause long-lasting damage to your wedding and engagement rings? To be more specific, they can cause the finish on white gold to wear down, and it can break down the brilliance of your diamonds, gems, and the metals often used within these rings. This can leave them looking dull, and this brightness won’t come back. As if that wasn’t enough, these cleaning agents can also loosen the metal prongs and fixtures that keep your diamonds and gems in place. This means that you could lose them without even realizing it.

What To Do

This doesn’t mean that you should stop washing your hands, though. All you have to do is be a bit more wary about what you’re putting near your rings. To be safe, it’s best to take off your rings every time you want to wash or sanitize them – just in case.

They’re prized possessions, so make sure you treat them well.