The Father of the Bride's Speech - Tips & Advice
Seeing your daughter get married is surely one of the happiest days in any Father’s life. However, as excited as you are about the day you may be dreading having to give a big speech during the reception. The key to delivering a good speech is to speak clearly, be confident even if you do not feel it and smile at your audience. Keep in mind that everyone there will be family and friends and they are not going to judge you. If you come across as relaxed and having fun then your audience will instantly warm to you.
When it comes to writing the speech, it is vital that you plan ahead to make sure that you do not forget to thank anyone. If you are struggling with writing the speech and knowing who you should include we have created a list of key points to include.
What to Include
1. You should begin your speech by welcoming everyone to the wedding and thanking them for coming and sharing in your family’s special day. At this point you may also like to mention what a wonderful day you have had and how proud you are of your daughter.
2. The next point should welcome the Groom along with his parents to your family and perhaps share your joy at this.
3. You should then go on to say how beautiful your daughter looks.
4. You may like to offer the happy couple some advice on married life. This could be both sincere and humorous if you like.
5. You should now move on to thanking all those who have helped make the day so special. If specific family members have helped with the food or decorations or perhaps just making sure everything has gone smoothly then give them a special mention.
6. Following this you should mention how the couple met, perhaps include stories of times you have spent together. Again, these can be both sincere and humorous if you wish.
7. You may like to include some stories of your daughter when she was younger at this point.
8. Finish your speech by once again welcoming the Groom to the family, making a toast to the happy couple and introducing what is happening next.
Tips on Delivering the Speech
Make sure that you have practised your speech beforehand so that you know how long it is and that you have included everything. This can be especially helpful if you are nervous as it helps you to remember what you have to say. If you do think that you will struggle then write a list of bullet points on some flash cards to refer to. This is preferable to writing the whole speech out as it prevents you from simply reading off of a piece of paper and gives you the opportunity to look at the audience and interact with them.
With some careful planning and a bit of practice, knowing that you have a good speech will help to give you the confidence that you need.
Good Luck! |
