As father of the bride, your speech comes first so it’s a kind of scene-setter for the speeches to follow. So make sure that you know the father of the bride speech etiquette to ensure your speech is perfect on your baby girl’s big day.
Usually, the father of the bride’s speech is light-hearted and based on family recollections – preferably not embarrassing ones – and humorous asides, with a heartfelt helping of sentimentality! You don’t want to make your daughter feel embarrassed on her big day, so make sure that you paint her in an extremely flattering light. Sincerity and brevity are always much appreciated!
Your speech is also made on behalf of the bride’s mother, unless she’s going to make a speech herself. If she has died, then this may be the moment to say a few words in her memory.
Be sure to say something about how happy you are to welcome your new son or daughter in law into your family, make them feel welcome. Not only will this make your daughter’s partner feel happy inside, it will also mean a lot to your daughter.
If you feel you absolutely can’t make a speech, then you can ask a very good friend or relative, possibly your daughter’s godfather, to do it for you. Remember though, that weddings are occasions for family and friends and you’ll have a hugely appreciative and sympathetic audience – even just a few words from the father of the bride will go down a storm.
We have added a handy new tool the site which allows the father of the bride to to simply add the names of the wedding party and start selecting and swapping sections around before printing off his very own personalised wedding speech. Check out the tool here.
