Chinese wedding toasts... help!

[Mark Yong]

An old friend of mine is having his wedding dinner in a week, and I have been selected to toast to the newly-wedded couple (in Chinese, of course). Traditionally, there are three toasts - one for a happy marriage, one for longevity and health, and one for many offspring.

I am am currently trying to compile a good set of phrases that I can use for each of the above three toasts, but am running dry on material. The few that have come my way are:

恩愛永久甜蜜蜜

子孫滿堂如雲來

白頭到老

永結同情

百年好合

身體健康

Can anyone give me any better ideas? I would prefer to have, for each toast, a pair of 4+3 word lines of the following pattern:

AAAABBB, CCCCDDD

(A rather crude example of the 4+3 pattern is per the first two lines I have provided above.)

Cheers,

Mark

[skylee]

I have not heard of this tradition before. But I always like this from 詩經 - 執子之手，與子偕老. So I guess you could say -

希望你們執子之手，與子偕老。(This is actually the same as 白頭到老,永結同心 [note it is not 情].)

Sorry that it is not the format you want.

[semantic nuance]

Hi,

1.for a happy marriage--琴瑟和鳴, 鸞鳳和鳴 , 珠聯璧合,佳偶天成.

2.for longevity and health,--萬壽無疆

3.for many offspring--兒孫滿堂

You may check this link: http://www.hkskyhouse.com/index/main3/wish/wish2.html#賀新婚

Hope it helps!