Toasting Glasses – ideas and suggestions

Customarily special toasting glasses are selected for the bride and groom to use for the traditional champagne toast which is done during a wedding reception. In this post I will offer ideas and suggestions for selecting toasting glasses and I will discuss the numerous types and styles that are available depending on the wedding theme and/or colors. (For detailed information about the various shapes of champagne glasses and the history of champagne and the Custom of the Wedding Toast, please click on the link)

Champagne is usually served in a champagne flute with the intent to preserve the carbonation and maximizing nucleation (basically the bubbles). There is an often repeated legend that the shape of the classic coupe style of champagne glasses was either modelled on the breast of either Madame de Pompadour, she was the mistress of King Louis XV of France who had a fondness for champagne, or perhaps Marie Antoinette who was the wife of King Louis XVI and the last Queen of France before the French Revolution.

Champagne should always be served cold and an ice bucket is perfect to chill a bottle to the right temperature. Ice buckets come in several of sizes to accommodate a single bottle or multiple bottles and they can also be found in variety of styles ranging from glass to silver to even copper.

Shown below are several examples of just a few styles that are available:

a simple and inexpensive stainless steel ice bucket

a classic silver ice bucket

a plain glass ice bucket

a cut glass ice bucket

a hammered copper ice bucket which would be perfect for a fall wedding

a silver seashell ice bucket which would be great for a beach wedding!

a large silver ice bucket for chilling multiple champagne bottles

ice mold with lemons (any fruit can be used) from Crate and Barrel

Many couples getting married will select special champagne glasses for the wedding toast to use at the reception. A great idea is that after the wedding the toasting glasses can be placed in a shadow box with other wedding items (such as the wedding invitation, bridal garter, etc) for a sentimental decorative display for the newlywed’s home. The special glasses can also be used every year for an anniversary toast or maybe even in celebration of the couple’s first child!

Shown below are examples of the different shapes of toasting glasses:

the classic coupe champagne glass

two styles of flute champagne glasses – regular and stemless

trumpet glass

tulip glass

Shown below are several examples of a few different styles of toasting glasses that are available to fit any wedding colors and theme (click on any photo to enlarge):