Father of the Bride Speech

Father of the Bride Speech In 6 Simple Steps

First things first, if you are panicking about giving a your speech, please don't. This web page is going to break it down into 6 easy steps which will help relieve any worries you may have.

Let us start with step one.

Step 1 Introduction and Welcome

Although this is the father of the bride speech, you may not be the actual father, because he may be deceased, ill, abroad etc. 

Not all of the wedding guest may know this, and so be curious as to why you are standing up and talking..

If this is the case you may want to include a simple line such as:

' For those of you who don't know me I'm John. I'm not Amy's biological father, that is Peter but he is unable to be here today... '

You may want to add how you know Amy

'... I have known Amy since she was 10 years old and I was good friends with her dad. In no way am I trying to replace her dad but I hope by standing in for him I do him justice. ...'

Next- Welcome everyone.

You certainly don't need to welcome everyone personally, a general welcome will be sufficient.

If you have guests that have made a special effort to attend it would be a nice gesture to acknowledge them. For example:

'...Welcome and thank you every one for coming. I would like to say particular thanks to those that have had to make an extra special effort to be here today such as Aunt Joyce and cousin Mick. ...'

You should also personally welcome the parents of the groom.

'...It also is my great pleasure to welcome Mr and Mrs Genrich, John's parents...'

Step2 Talk About The Bride

The father of the bride speech is a wonderful opportunity to show everyone how much you love your daughter.

You have two major ways of doing this:
By what you say
And by your body language

Begin by paying her a compliment. You could say something about how beautiful or radiant she looks.

Say it with sincerity. When you are giving the complement make sure you look at her and smile and mean it.

In this section you should also mention something about your father/daughter relationship.

Choose something positive about your relationship.

'...Amy and I might not have agreed about most things, but we are a rock solid team when it comes to AFL...'

You could also talk about :
some of her traits that you admire.
Hopes you have for her
How you felt watching her grow up

Do not include a list of her achievements as this only shows how much you value the achievement, instead talk about her traits that enabled her to gain her rewards.

Whatever you choose to say about her, make sure it is something she will be pleased to hear, and certainly not embarrassing.

Step 3.  The Groom and his family

Here you welcome the groom into your family

Did the groom ask for your daughter's hand in marriage?  If so you could tell your audience how you felt at the time.

Or your thoughts when you first met him and if they have changed.

Just follow the guidelines about stories and speeches.

Don't spend too much time talking about him. His time for glory and ( humiliation) will come in the best man speech.

Let  the groom's family know you are looking forward to getting to know them better.

If the two families have interests in common (apart from the bride and groom) you could mention those.

Step 4 Words of wisdom and marriage advice

Keep it positive and hopeful.  Do not give out bad marriage statistics

This is the part of the father of the bride speech where you could include a wedding quote if you want.

Step 5 Thank you

Firstly remember this isn't an award speech where you spend 10 minutes thanking everyone. However, you do need to give some thanks. Is there anyone who deserves a special mention.

Think about the different jobs involved in organising and planning a wedding, such as:
Flowers
Venue
Invitations
Catering
Ministers
Childminding
Financial
Cars

Do include in your personalised thank yous
The  Mother of the bride/ Wife
Aunt Mabel who sew all the bridesmaids' dresses

Finally Step 6

Finish your father of the bride speech with a toast

Related Pages to help with your father of the bride speech

free wedding speeches

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