Father of The Bride Speech

Father of The Bride Speech- how to write and present brilliant words.

We all know that it is usually the best man’s speech which has the wedding guests falling off their chairs with laughter but a Father of The Bride Speech is seen by many, particularly those who have to deliver one, as equally stressful. Traditionally, the father of the bride is first to his feet and so it is up to you to create those emotive, never-to-be-forgotten, words rather than doing a warm-up job for the other speakers.

Rules & Structure for your speech.

There a a few rules you can follow which will help you to write and deliver the perfect Father of the Bride Speech, such as removing the corny jokes and not going on far too long. Wedding  photographers, as you can imagine, hear many wedding breakfast speeches and I’m sure these tips will help you perform a brilliant Father of the Bride Speech.

Getting the STRUCTURE of the Father of the Bride Speech right is important. This ensures the speech flows naturally and if you are going to put in a few jokes, which is recommended, then they all connect  in the right way.

• INTRODUCTION.  Gather everyone’s attention. Get the guests to become completely silent before you begin your speech. Remember, they will be adjusting seats to see you better and for this reason don’t start with a joke as it may fall on deaf ears. Introduce yourself to those who don’t know who you are and thank everyone for coming. Use this moment to mention those people who couldn’t attend and pass on any messages for the couple they may have given you.

• YOUR DAUGHTER.  As you know your daughter better than almost anyone else you are in the fortunate position to know how she responds to your humour and how far you can go! The best man will be taking the mickey out of the groom during his speech, so this is your opportunity to bring up some funny (maybe embarrassing!) stories about your little girl growing up. Most importantly, though, is to tell everyone today just how proud you are of her. You may want to say; “Of all the things I’ve done in my lifetime, being your father and caring for you is by far my biggest achievement yet.”

• YOUR NEW SON-IN-LAW.  Tell him how welcome he is into your family. For example; “It’s now the time where I’m supposed to officially welcome [partner’s name] into our family, but the truth is you’ve been a part of this family since the day we met you.”  Welcome his family too. This is a chance to slip in a funny story of how you first met or of times when you were getting to know him. It’s also an opportunity to relate a moving moment (if there was one) when you realised he was the one for your daughter. It could also be appropriate to say; “Of all the amazing qualities that you possess, my favourite of all is that you’re always making my daughter smile“.

• CHANGE THE MOOD.  Hopefully, your father of the bride speech, with it’s funny stories about daughter and new husband, has raised many laughs. Now is the time to move the room to tears! Raise the bar high and dig deep. Say something that will not leave a dry eye in the house. A touching line at this juncture  would be; “When you and I shared that moment earlier, just as we were about to walk down the aisle and our eyes met; that is a moment I know I will cherish forever”. This is the most important part of your Father of the Bride Speech. Don’t force it. Think for a moment just how much you love your daughter and the words will come. If you know some of her long-standing friends, they will be in the room, so turn to them and thank them from the bottom of your heart for caring and supporting your little girl. She will probably remember your words for a very long time.

• YOUR TOAST.  Phew! Your job is almost over and you can breathe a sigh of relief. You will probably have a lump in your throat, as everyone else will. So why not end on a light note. Get everyone on their feet, raise your glass to the happy couple but instead pronounce; “Raise your glasses to both [her partner] and ME, as we’ve each gained something this fine and blessed day. He gains a wife and a companion for life – while I gain a whole new stack of bills to pay.”  If you feel that is too untraditional, then of course toast the happy couple. Now your party starts!

I hope you find these tips helpful. Is the groom starting to feel a little nervous thinking about the moment he has to get to his feet? Then take a look at The Groom’s Speech blog. It’s one of our ‘most read’ articles!