# "Long life and happiness!" "Mazel tov!" what other traditional wedding congrats are there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701 "2011-10-25T02:28:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/1 "2011-10-25T02:28:38Z")
Inspired by **Dr. Drake’s** thread, of course. Just curious about traditional expressions to congratulate a new couple. What other ones do we know? what about in other languages? (For instance, I posted “Llongyfarchiadau!” for the two ducks, but I don’t know if it’s the right expression - just got it off a translator.) So…? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/2 "2011-10-25T11:04:21Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever heard any specific ones, I’ve heard people come up with specific blessings on the spot but just the usual “¡Felicidades!” or “¡por muchos años!” as a standard formula. The literal meanings are “may you be happy”, “long years (of happiness)” but they’re just the Spanish multi-purpose ways to congratulate someone. And if someone who just got married is a new couple, the officers involved should’a waited until the booze wore off… ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/3 "2011-10-25T21:23:32Z")
Similar to \*\*Nava’s \*\*example, there were cries of “ad multos annos” after a traditional Catholic Latin mass wedding that I was at earlier this year. It seemed quite appropriate given that the bride and groom had exchanged their vows in Latin too. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/4 "2011-10-25T22:44:46Z")
I was taught that traditional etiquette is to say “Congratulations” to the groom and “Best Wishes” to the bride. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/5 "2011-10-26T00:00:23Z")
I toasted my brother and his wife with “May They Live Long and Prosper”! ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/6 "2011-10-26T09:24:08Z")
In ‘The Godfather’ they say ‘(per) cent’ anni’, an expression of hope that the couple’s happiness should last a hundred years. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-life-and-happiness-mazel-tov-what-other-traditional-wedding-congrats-are-there/600701/7 "2011-10-26T10:52:19Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever heard any specific ones, I’ve heard people come up with specific blessings on the spot but just the usual “¡Felicidades!” or “¡por muchos años!” as a standard formula. The literal meanings are “may you be happy”, “long years (of happiness)” but they’re just the Spanish multi-purpose ways to congratulate someone… “Mazel Tov” (literally, “auspicious/lucky day”) is similar, and is used to remark on any good occasion.