After years of watching best men fumble through inside jokes and maids of honor tear up mid-sentence, I’ve learned that the right quote can be your secret weapon—a bridge between your genuine feelings and the perfect words that somehow always seem just out of reach.
Whether you’re the parent who’s watched love bloom, the friend who survived dating disasters together, or the sibling who knows where all the bodies are buried, these 25 quotes will help you nail that sweet spot between memorable and meaningful.
1. Choosing Love Daily
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” — Mignon McLaughlin
This quote hits different when you’ve actually been married for more than five minutes.
McLaughlin understood that love isn’t just one grand gesture or a single moment of butterflies—it’s choosing the same person through their morning breath, their weird food phases, and that thing they do with their socks.
Use this when you want to acknowledge that marriage isn’t always Instagram-worthy moments. It’s perfect for speeches where you want to be real about the work love requires while still celebrating the magic of commitment.
The beauty lies in its honesty about the daily choice to love someone, even when they leave dishes in the sink.
2. Hold On to Each Other
“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” — Audrey Hepburn
Leave it to Audrey to make something so simple sound so elegant. This quote works because it doesn’t overcomplicate love—it just states the obvious truth that somehow we all forget when life gets messy.
Perfect for those moments when you want to remind everyone (including yourself) what really matters.
It’s especially powerful when delivered by someone who’s weathered storms with the couple, whether that’s parents who’ve supported them through breakups and makeups, or friends who’ve been there through job losses and family drama.
3. Love as a Daily Verb
“Marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb. It isn’t something you get. It’s something you do. It’s the way you love your partner every day.” — Barbara De Angelis
Barbara nailed the difference between having a wedding and building a marriage. Too many people think saying “I do” is the finish line when it’s actually the starting gun.
This quote works beautifully for couples who’ve already been together for years, maybe lived together, survived long distance, or overcome real challenges.
It acknowledges that they already know marriage is work—good work, but work nonetheless. Use it when you want to honor their maturity and realistic approach to love.
4. Enjoying the Differences
“A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.” — Dave Meurer
Dave gets it. The couples who make it aren’t the ones who never fight or have zero differences—they’re the ones who figure out how to laugh about the fact that one person is a morning person and the other considers 10 AM early.
This quote is gold for couples where opposites truly attracted. You know the ones—she’s organized, he’s spontaneous; he loves horror movies, she faints at Disney films.
It celebrates the beautiful messiness of two different people choosing to build something together instead of trying to change each other.
5. Making the Ride Worthwhile
“Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” — Franklin P. Jones
Franklin understood that love doesn’t solve everything or make life perfect—it just makes all the chaos and uncertainty feel like an adventure worth taking.
This works particularly well for couples who’ve been through actual stuff together. Maybe they’ve moved across the country, changed careers, or supported each other through family illness.
It acknowledges that life is going to happen regardless, but having the right person beside you transforms everything from an ordeal into a shared journey.
6. Thinking Together
“The goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together.” — Robert C. Dodds
Robert captured something crucial that a lot of couples miss. Unity doesn’t mean becoming the same person—it means becoming a team that can tackle anything together.
Use this for couples who maintain their individual identities while building something bigger together. Maybe she kept her name, or they have different friend groups, or pursue separate hobbies.
This quote celebrates partnerships where two whole people choose to combine their strengths rather than lose themselves in each other.
7. Conversation That Never Ends
“A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” — André Maurois
André understood that the best marriages are built on friendship first. When you genuinely enjoy talking to someone, everything else becomes easier.
This quote is perfect for couples who are clearly best friends. You know them—they’re the ones still laughing at each other’s jokes after years together, who can spend hours talking about nothing and everything.
It works especially well when delivered by someone who’s witnessed their easy communication and genuine enjoyment of each other’s company.
8. Forever Sleepover
“Marriage is getting to have a sleepover with your best friend every night for the rest of your life.” — Christie Cook
Christie captured the pure joy and comfort of marrying someone you actually like hanging out with. Sometimes the most profound truths are the simplest ones.
Perfect for couples who radiate that comfortable, playful energy. This quote works when you want to celebrate the fun side of their relationship—the inside jokes, the lazy Sunday mornings, the way they still choose each other’s company over anyone else’s.
It’s especially sweet when delivered by someone who’s seen them in their natural habitat, just enjoying being together.
9. Total Commitment
“The secret to having a good marriage is to understand that marriage must be total commitment. It’s not just agreeing to marry that person, but agreeing to accept that person exactly the way they are.” — Bunker Hunt
Bunker understood that acceptance isn’t just tolerating someone’s quirks—it’s loving them because of and despite everything that makes them who they are.
This quote works for couples who’ve clearly seen each other at their worst and chose to stay anyway. Maybe they’ve been through long-distance, financial stress, or family drama.
It’s powerful when you can speak to specific examples of how they’ve accepted each other’s flaws and chosen love over perfection.
10. Getting the Better Deal
“A good marriage is one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal.” — Unknown
Sometimes the best wisdom comes from unknown sources. This quote captures that beautiful feeling when both people feel lucky to have found each other.
Use this when you can honestly say both people seem genuinely grateful for their partner. It works especially well for couples where you’ve heard them both talk about how lucky they feel, or where their faces light up when they talk about each other.
The humor makes it memorable while the sentiment makes it meaningful.
11. Loving Every Day
“Love is not about how many days, months, or years you have been together. Love is about how much you love each other every single day.” — Unknown
This anonymous wisdom cuts through all the anniversary counting and gets to what actually matters—the daily choice to love someone.
Perfect for couples who might not have been together the longest but love each other the deepest. It’s also beautiful for second marriages or couples who found each other later in life. The focus on daily love over duration makes it inclusive and real.
12. Teamwork and Grace
“The greatest marriages are built on teamwork, a mutual respect, a healthy dose of admiration, and a never-ending portion of love and grace.” — Fawn Weaver
Fawn laid out the actual recipe for marriage success, and it’s more complex than just “love conquers all.” Real marriages need multiple ingredients working together.
This quote works when you’ve witnessed the couple actually functioning as a team. Maybe you’ve seen them handle wedding planning together, support each other through career changes, or navigate family dynamics.
It acknowledges that successful marriages require multiple strengths working in harmony.
13. Rebuilding the Edifice
“A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day.” — André Maurois
André appears twice because he really understood marriage. This quote acknowledges that marriage isn’t something you achieve once—it’s something you choose and build continuously.
Use this for couples who understand that marriage is work and aren’t afraid of that reality. It’s particularly powerful for couples who’ve already shown they can rebuild and strengthen their relationship through challenges.
The metaphor of daily construction honors the effort while celebrating the result.
14. Love Takes Out the Trash
“Marriage is not just spiritual communion, it is also remembering to take out the trash.” — Joyce Brothers
Joyce Brothers brought marriage down to earth with this perfectly practical observation. Love is both transcendent and mundane, and the best marriages honor both aspects.
This quote is perfect for adding humor while keeping things real.
It works especially well for couples who’ve been living together and already know that love includes grocery shopping, bill paying, and yes, trash duty. It gets laughs while acknowledging that real love shows up in ordinary moments.
15. Soul-Stirring Love
“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” — Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks might write fiction, but he nailed what transformative love actually feels like. This quote captures both the passion and the peace that real love brings.
Use this for couples who clearly bring out the best in each other. Maybe she’s more confident since they’ve been together, or he’s found his direction.
It works when you can point to specific ways they’ve grown individually while building something beautiful together.
16. One Soul, Two Bodies
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” — Aristotle
Aristotle understood connection at a level that still resonates thousands of years later. This quote speaks to that rare unity where two people become something greater together.
Perfect for couples who seem to read each other’s minds, finish each other’s sentences, or move through the world as a seamless unit.
It’s especially powerful when delivered by someone who’s witnessed their almost telepathic connection or their ability to support each other without words.
17. Building Love to the End
“A great marriage doesn’t happen because of the love you had in the beginning but how well you continue building love until the end.” — Unknown
This anonymous wisdom focuses on love as a skill and a choice rather than just a feeling. It’s about construction, not just chemistry.
Use this for couples who’ve already demonstrated their ability to deepen their connection over time. Maybe they’ve been together through college and early career changes, or they’ve supported each other through family challenges.
It honors their proven track record of growing love rather than just maintaining it.
18. Tiny Moments Mosaic
“Marriage is a mosaic you build with your spouse. Millions of tiny moments that create your love story.” — Jennifer Smith
Jennifer captured the beautiful reality that marriages are built from countless small moments, not just the big milestone events.
This quote works for couples who clearly cherish their ordinary time together.
It’s perfect when you want to honor all the small ways they show love—the coffee brought in bed, the texts during the day, the way they still hold hands while watching TV. It celebrates the accumulation of small gestures that create lasting love.
19. Love Returned
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” — Eden Ahbez
Eden wrote this for “Nature Boy,” but it became a universal truth about the reciprocal nature of real love. The magic happens when love flows both ways freely.
Use this for couples who clearly delight in both giving and receiving love. You can see it in how they look at each other, how they speak about each other, how they naturally care for each other’s needs.
It’s simple but profound, perfect for capturing the essential joy of mutual love.
20. Friendship on Fire
“Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times.” — Ann Landers
Ann Landers provided a comprehensive definition that covers all the bases—passion, friendship, trust, and commitment. This isn’t just romance; it’s a complete partnership.
Perfect for couples who embody all these qualities. Maybe you’ve seen their friendship, witnessed their loyalty, or observed their quiet understanding.
This quote allows you to celebrate multiple aspects of their relationship in one powerful statement.
21. Two Hearts as One
“Two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one.” — John Keats
Keats captured the poetic beauty of deep connection. Sometimes you need language that matches the magnitude of what you’re witnessing.
Use this for couples who seem genuinely connected at a soul level. It’s especially powerful for couples who’ve overcome obstacles to be together or who found each other against all odds.
The poetic language elevates the moment while honoring the depth of their bond.
22. Falling for the Same Person Again
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, and always with the same person.” — Germaine Greer
Germaine’s version of this sentiment emphasizes the renewal aspect of lasting love. Marriage isn’t about maintaining one feeling forever—it’s about rediscovering love repeatedly.
This works for couples who’ve clearly evolved together over time. Maybe they’ve been through different life phases, career changes, or personal growth.
It acknowledges that they’re not the same people who first fell in love, and that’s exactly what makes their current love so beautiful.
23. Loving to Be Together
“The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they’re right if you love to be with them all the time.” — Julia Child
Julia Child knew about passion—for food, for life, and clearly for love. This quote celebrates the simple joy of genuinely enjoying your person’s company.
Perfect for couples who obviously have fun together. You know them—they’re the ones laughing at their own table, who choose each other’s company over other options, who seem to genuinely enjoy just being in the same room.
It’s simple but captures something essential about compatibility.
24. Can’t Live Without You
“Love is not about finding someone to live with. It’s about finding someone you can’t live without.” — Rafael Ortiz
Rafael understood the difference between settling and finding your person. This quote speaks to that rare connection where someone becomes essential to your happiness.
Use this for couples who clearly can’t imagine life without each other. Maybe they’ve been inseparable since they met, or they’ve tried being apart and realized it doesn’t work.
It’s powerful when you can speak to how they’ve become integral to each other’s lives and dreams.
25. Bringing Out the Best
“Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other.” — Harville Hendrix
Harville ends our list with a quote that encompasses both the commitment and the transformation that great marriages provide. It’s about becoming better humans together.
This final quote works for couples who clearly inspire each other to grow and improve. Maybe she’s pursuing dreams she never thought possible, or he’s become more compassionate and open.
It celebrates marriage as a catalyst for becoming the best versions of yourselves while building something beautiful together.
The right quote can transform a nervous ramble into a memorable moment, but remember—the best toasts come from your heart first, quotes second.
Choose words that genuinely reflect what you see in the couple and what you want to celebrate about their love. After all, you’re not just sharing wisdom; you’re witnessing and honoring a love story in progress.