A celebratory toast to the groom and bride is deeply ingrained in wedding tradition, but did you know the way the venerable custom came into being? In Bottom&rsquos Up!, a 2005 book of cocktail lore, former maritime reporter Robert McKenna solves the mystery.
Drinking to someone&rsquos health or happiness dates to Greek hosts who desired to assure guests the wine they drank wasn’t poisoned. However the word &ldquotoast&rdquo arises from the Latin word &ldquotostus,&rdquo meaning roasted or parched, and it took place during Roman times. Wine wasn&rsquot very tasty then, so drinkers plunked a certain amount of burnt bread to their goblets to further improve the taste. The custom continued in the 1600s on European waterfronts, where seaman dropped some toast in their associated with ale or mulled wine. When the crouton grew soggy and sank on the bottom, inevitably among the drinkers would call, &ldquoToast!&rdquo and they also&rsquod race the other person to view who could finish that coffee first and consume the saturated bread.
Nowadays, raising a glass to toast a wedding couple includes a higher purpose: to wish the bride and groom happiness and success. Toasts might be emotional or funny, sometimes embarrassing, but always heartfelt. They may also be challenging photograph, logistically and artistically speaking, so wedding photojournalists have to remain alert, creative and nimble. For example, a bridal couple may be squarely inside a photographer&rsquos viewfinder during a toast, but &ldquowhen glasses are lifted, who knows if their faces will probably be obstructed,&rdquo highlights WPJA member Amy Raab, being married photojournalist in Annapolis, MD. &ldquoYou may think you’ve got a clear shot, however, you don&rsquot.&rdquo
&ldquoHow we shoot is dictated from the environment,&rdquo says Wendy Woods, a Minneapolis-based WPJA member who photographs weddings together with her husband, Nick Gorski. &ldquoWe need to be careful never to block people&rsquos view.&rdquo
Photo by Amy Raab
Raab agrees. In fact, her consideration of guests at the 2007 Annapolis wedding party led her to capture an award-winning photograph. The evening party occurred on a boat cruising Chesapeake Bay. &ldquoAbout 75 citizens were gathered on the middle deck in the boat, which had a decreased ceiling,&rdquo Raab recalls. &ldquoThat confined space dictated generate an income photographed the toast. I got near to bride and groom as well as the bride&rsquos dad, but I had to squat down because otherwise I’d personally have blocked everyone&rsquos view. It was ideal because the 3 were lined up uninterruptedly.&rdquo
During his toast, the daddy from the bride told an amusing story of precisely how the bride and groom met. In keeping with her photojournalist roots, Raab listened to the storyline with the camera to her eye. She kept the 3 subjects in their viewfinder and waited for that emotional moment. &ldquoYou have to focus and in firing range in case you see emotion,&rdquo she explains. &ldquoThe little moments&mdasha subtle glance, rolling from the eyes&mdashare the toughest to capture.&rdquo
