The day has finally come. Your daughter is getting married and you have to make a speech. The father of the bride usually has the very first slot for speeches at the reception, so the pressure is on.
While some couples now choose to forgo wedding speeches for less traditional activities, the father of the bride speech is still a fairly popular feature. You will want your speech to reflect the love you have for your daughter and also set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Most father of the bride speeches span from humor to sentiment, setting the tone for the reception and emotions of the event. Ultimately, you will need to “read the room,” so to speak, and base your style off of the wedding style.
Another important part of a father of the bride speech is extending thanks to everyone involved in the wedding. Though many couples forgo the traditional set up where the bride’s family pays for the ceremony, as the first person to speak, you should still extend a thank you.
Writing a father of the bride speech can be a stressful, but potentially wonderful experience. It allows you to express your love for your daughter while making people feel welcome, which is a wonderful task.
Where to start your father of the bride speech:
Regardless of the tone and style you plan to set with your speech, you should always introduce yourself at the beginning of the speech. This can be as formal or informal as you please, though throwing in some lighthearted jests about your role is never a bad idea
Then, after you introduce yourself, you will move into a blanket welcome to all the guests. In this section, it is a good idea to extend a special welcome and thank you to the groom’s family.
Weddings are family affairs, so make sure everyone who should be is included.Not only does the introduction help put the audience at ease, but it can also help you get comfortable if you do not like public speaking. For this reason, a joke can be a welcomed addition here.
While picturing everyone in their underwear is always an option to calm your nerves, cracking a joke is a much less disturbing approach. Picturing grandparents and elderly relatives in their underwear will not help you relax; humor just might.
When you start writing your father of the bride speech, it may be easiest to actually write the beginning last. Because it can be fairly standard and self-explanatory, you will not need as much time to craft it as you will for the body of the speech.
What goes in the body of your speech:
The body of your father of the bride speech will most likely take the most time to write. Additionally, it should take up the bulk of your speaking time. This is the place to really set the tone for your speech and the evening
No matter the style, you will want to speak to both your daughter and new son-in-law during this section of the speech. You will primarily focus on your daughter since you have a greater connection with her, but a wedding is also about two families becoming one.
If you have a more casual and teasing relationship with your daughter, this part of the speech is a great opportunity for embarrassing childhood stories. Those stories can also lead to a much more touching message of how proud you are of her. Again, humor can be the key.
When you talk about your son-in-law, you will want to do a couple things. First, sincerely welcome him to the family. Second, perhaps rib on him a bit. He is marrying your daughter, right? This is the place for the ever popular “yes, dear” jokes.
If the wedding is a more formal affair, it does not mean you cannot add humor to your comments. It does, however, mean that you will want to keep the speech to a more serious tone as a whole. Focus on what your daughter and son-in-law mean to you.
How to end the speech:
The end of the speech is perhaps the simplest part of the entire speech. Wedding speeches always end with a toast to the bride and groom. Yours is no different.
Prior to the toast, you can impart some wisdom to the happy couple. Whether it is relating to having a happy marriage or simply some advice on life, it can be a nice note as the father of the bride.
When you are ready for the final toast, you will first need everyone to rise and raise their glasses. There are many different traditional toasts, ranging from longer, sentence long ones, to the simple “to the bride and groom.”
Regardless of how you end the actual toast portion, it is not uncommon for there to be tears. Of course, if you choose to go an entirely humorous route, this may be lessened. Weddings are emotional times and your father of the bride speech will most likely bring some of that out.
Conclusion and recommendations:
Depending on your comfort level with public speaking, writing a father of the bride speech can be a stressful undertaking. Luckily, there are a ton of resources out there to help you deliver the perfect speech
If you are feeling overwhelmed, however, with the amount of information available, there are alternatives. Using a service like Wedding Speeches for All will help ease the anxiety and provide a great personalized father of the bride speech at the end of the day.
Not only with Wedding Speeches for All help you decide on the content and style of your father of the bride speech, but they also provide coaching for your speech delivery. This is especially helpful if you are not a comfortable public speaker.
No matter if you choose to use a service such as Wedding Speeches for All or not, your main goal is to wow your daughter on her wedding day. Wedding Speeches for All can certainly help with this goal and help you deliver the perfect father of the bride speech for your situation.
