Traditionally the Father of the Bride speech is the first speech of the night. It precedes the other father’s speech and they are both similar apart from the obvious. Here’s how it should unfold.

Introduce Yourself & Thank People For Attending

Obviously half the people should know who you are because you are the bride’s father. Unfortunately not everyone on her partner's side may know you. A simple introduction of who you are is customary so everyone is on the same page. Then a simple thanks to everyone for attending always goes nicely. Of course, there is a good chance the MC will introduce you before you walk up to the mic, so if this happens, you don’t need to do it again. Just move on to the next part of your speech.

Talk About The Bride (your daughter)

This is the part of the speech which is supposed to be touching. It is also to be heart warming with a little laughter thrown in. Talk about your daughter and who she is as a person. You can talk about the kind of person she was growing up and her personality. Do this in a positive way and maybe who she gets it from . It is good to mention a story or 2 that give a rounding as to who she is and also a funny story for a bit of a laugh.

Talk About her partner

Welcome your new “in-law” into the family and to make them feel welcome. As father of the bride can talk about how you first met them and / or first impressions. You can also talk about how they have grown on you. You can mention how you feel that they are a good fit for your daughter and that she chose well.

Talk About The Two As A Couple

This part is a little different compared to just talking about the couple. This is where you talk about them as a couple and how being together brings out the best in them (give examples). Also as you have known your daughter longer (because she is your daughter), feel free to talk about how her partner brings out the best in her.

Words Of Advice

Here is an excellent part to bestow some worldly wisdom to the happy couple. This is to help the grow together and to have a long and happy life together. You are more than welcome to make this part light-hearted and tell some funny jokes about marriage, wives (be careful here... very careful) and general life.

Toasting The Happy Couple

The last thing to do is to toast to the happy couple. Tell people to raise their glasses and toast to the happy couple. As a side note others who are doing a speech on the night will ask to toast to the happy couple. Traditionally this is how the father of the bride is supposed to close off his speech. This is different to others who just wish to make a toast.

Short Story, Poem Or Quote (optional)

To help end the speech nicely a common (yet optional) thing to do is end your speech with a quote, short story or poem. If there is a family saying, song or something with heritage then that will make it even more personal. This is to give the couple something to think about and inspire them as they start their life long journey together.

You Want Grandchildren (optional)

You often hear either the father of one of the couple make a very strong (and often comical note) that they want grandchildren. This is perfectly fine, and often a light heated jab saying “you are ready and waiting for the grandchildren” or “have children sooner than later for the free daycare” are popular options. Also if the couple dated for many many years before they got married and have no kids you can say “can you hurry up and have grand-kids already… your mother and I have been waiting long enough”. This paragraph is where you can let your “dad jokes” shine with excellence but not over the top.

Pro Tips Specifically For The Father Of The Bride Speech

Below are a collection of tips specifically for the father of the bride speech.

Some fathers are jokers and while its perfectly fine to have humour in your speech do not go over the top. The father of the bride speech is about your daughter and sometimes a father can go from funny to “Super Dad Joke Mode”.
You are allowed to show emotion. I am not saying to be all blubbery but sometimes a father can be a little reserved in their approach so its fine if you wish to be a little sentimental and show some emotion.
There are some cases where the father of the bride is unable to speak. This can be for many reasons which can include medical, estranged, passed on or just a complete fear of public speaking. It is perfectly acceptable to have the mother of the bride to speak on behalf of him or even with him.

The Father Of The Bride Speech – Done!

Sit Back and relax the rest of the night, hoping your little girl chose wisely and that you have done an excellent Father Of The Bride Speech. As you are the first speech of the night, you set the benchmark for others to follow. Let's just hope they are as good as yours or yours inspires them to do a quick edit on the night to improve theirs.

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