Questions & Answers about Vi vill vara med och önska brudparet välgång.
Since this lesson is about the optative mood in wishes, why doesn't this sentence use it?
Because this sentence is a standard statement about making a wish, rather than the formulaic exclamation itself. You would typically use this normal phrasing as an introduction in a wedding speech, right before raising your glass and actually shouting the fixed optative phrase: Leve brudparet! (Long live the bridal couple!).
Why does the sentence say och önska (and wish) instead of using an "-ing" form like "of wishing"?
Swedish doesn't use present participles (the equivalent of English "-ing" words) in this way. Instead, it relies on a structure called pseudocoordination: linking two verbs with och (and). Because the first verb vara is in the infinitive (following the auxiliary vill), the second verb önska must also be in the infinitive. Literally, it translates as "We want to participate and wish...".
How exactly is vara med being used here?
Vara med is a very common phrasal verb meaning "to participate", "to join in", or "to be a part of [something]". By saying vi vill vara med och önska, the speakers are expressing that they want to add their voices to the chorus of other guests wishing the couple well.
Why isn't there a preposition like till (to) before brudparet?