Raise Your Glass!

Did everyone get a chance to see President Obama and the little faux paux at the state dinner in London regarding the toast to Queen Elizabeth? The president was supposed to have waited until after the orchestra played “God Save the Queen” and then begin his toast. Whoops, he started before the song and continued speaking during it. A mistake, yes.  Everyone makes mistakes, but he ended up managing just fine and later had a good laugh about it.

This, of course, brings up the subject of etiquette and the proper toast. First and foremost, remember that when making a toast, it’s not about you. It’s about the person or persons that you want to honor. 

Secondly, preparation is key. There is nothing wrong with writing a toast beforehand and bringing it with you for reference. But, remember to practice it aloud.  This helps get the flow of the toast down. A toast should be short and sweet. Include a little humor. Everyone wants to smile, laugh and not cry too much! 

And most importantly, don’t give a speech when you’ve overindulged in alcohol. No one wants to listen to a slurred speech slob muddle through a toast. It truly ruins the sentiment.

Receiving a toast is equally as important folks. When everyone raises their drinks in your honor and takes a sip, you're not supposed to drink! When you drink to a toast in your honor, it’s like patting yourself on the back. Just raise your glass, smile and say thank you.

The perfect toast doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be from the heart.  So, I’m raising my glass to you all. Cheers!