Short Father of The Bride Speech: A Very Simple Guide To Writing And Delivering A Short Father Of The Bride Wedding Toast Even If Your Writing Sucks
Have you ever wondered how some fathers of brides give short and sweet father of the bride wedding speeches while several others miss the mark?
Giving a beautiful speech at your daughter’s wedding is something most fathers dream of, yet the overwhelming majority of them don’t live up to expectations because they don’t really understand what it takes to come up with a unique and heartfelt speech about their daughters and sons-in-law.
Most of us think that to be successful at this, you have to be a naturally good writer or even be pretty good at public speaking.
Both gifts are good to have but are not must-haves when you have to put together something sweet about your daughter and son-in-law.
Now, guess what?
Putting your thoughts on paper is a high-pressure task for anyone- no matter how witty and eloquent they are- but thankfully they are tried and tested tips and advice and templates you can wisely use to write something your daughter, new son-in-law, and your whole family can be so proud of you.
That is the greatest dream any father can hope for on her daughter’s wedding day, right?
Well, before we get into the heart of the matter, let us closely look at one of the major threats that cripple most dads from performing so admirably and how you can turn things around for your good.
You need not worry if you are still worried about what to say and what not to say because I am going to share with you everything you need to know about writing a truly memorable speech.
Please Tackle This Head Before You Even Attempt To Write A Single Word
As you know, almost every speaker cringes with fear, guilt, and embarrassment whenever they are asked to speak because of past failures.
If you have ever failed to speak with poise, flair, and confidence at any event you were invited to, you will begin to feel butterflies in your tummy as you envisage how your speech will be received this time around.
Believe it or not, it’s perfectly normal for your mind to conjure up images of past failures and that can keep you grounded if you focus so much on what went wrong and what could have been done differently.
If you are well known for making those blunders, your family will probably not expect much from you.
As soon as you are asked to deliver your remarks, they will start this internal dialogue that you are not good, but you can silence your critics by putting the past behind and visualize a new mental picture of you speaking with confidence to the admiration of everyone listening to you in the wedding hall.
Do you know what holding that mental image in your mind can do?
It will naturally boost your self-confidence, mood, and concentration and will also help you feel a bit more comfortable speaking in large crowds and hopefully remind you that everything will work out no matter how nervous you are.
That said, one might wonder…
What Should The Father of The Bride Speech or Toast Include?
It's a great question, a question I think we've all been asking ourselves.
And my response is this: ''Don’t write your speech if you don’t know what goes into making a great speech and we will be looking at that shortly''
First, let’s thoughtfully consider this for a moment. I am sure you wouldn’t travel to a foreign country without making an initial inquiry about what it feels like to be in that environment, right?
A lot of dads perform way below expectations because they get caught up in the trap of having to put down their ideas without really thinking about what to say and how to say it best.
To come up with a heartwarming message, you first have to gather ideas to help you write and you shouldn’t look far for them.
Video-sharing platforms like youtube.com are great places to find rich ideas for the clever expression of your thoughts.
Now, let’s get into action and grab a piece of paper and pen and hop over to your favorite search engine and insert keywords like the father of the bride speech at the wedding reception, father of the bride speech for rehearsal dinner, etc.
Do watch several clips and ask yourself which ideas you can incorporate into your own speech. Also, jot down phrases that speak to your heart and see if you can fit it into your script.
By the way, here are two of the best fathers of the bride speech videos you can learn from if you are the visual type of person. Please enjoy and prosper.
Video # 1
Video # 2
If you enjoy reading as much as I do, then, I have good news for you because I want to bring to your attention an indispensable resource for coming up with a brilliant speech about the bride and groom.
Have you got any idea what this proven resource is? You have five minutes to come up with the right answer.
Well, our time is up! Oh boy, I am sure you’re struggling with this. But can you at least guess what the answer is?
Father of the bride speech templates! That’s it. If you mentioned that, then congratulations!
Free father of the bride toast is one of the materials to help just about anyone write what is on their minds.
As you are pretty much aware, there are so many of them online and almost every father is scouring for ideas and if all you do is simply copy ideas from the different pieces you discover, your message will not hit the right emotional chords.
Instead, you should model your speech after them in a way that captures your own voice and personal style without being a copycat.
To give you an idea, let’s study this short example and after that, we will take it bit by bit so you get a sense of the direction I want you to follow concerning this.
First …
A Short And Sweet Father of The Bride Speech Example
Good evening and welcome everyone. I am Mike Golan and I am the happy father of the bride. Thanks so much for being here tonight and I want you to know that it means a lot to see the happy couple surrounded by family and friends on the occasion of their wedding.
Alexa, nothing can compare the joy I felt deep down in my heart when I walked you down the aisle to give you away. You made me feel so blessed for having you in my life.
You’ve always meant the world to me right from when you were born to this day.
I remember holding you like a priceless gift when you came into our lives and even though my work schedules kept me away most times, I promised myself that I would do my very best to help your mom raise you into the girl we’ve always been dreaming of.
From changing your diapers to coaching you in softball to our numerous family vacations, I have enjoyed every moment spent with you.
As I watched you grow into a very beautiful person, I worried about the kind of person you would get married to and if that guy will love and protect you like I always do.
Out of nowhere, David walked into your life and I knew immediately that he was the one we have been waiting for and that brought tears of joy in my heart for you both.
David is kind, humble, polite, and loving. Over the years, David and Alexa have been through a lot and have come out stronger for it and I am very confident that he will stand by our daughter through thick and thin.
Pamela and I are excited to have him join our family and we look forward to the future with him and his wonderful parents.
David and Alexa, as you start a life together, always love each other and always work as a team and you will have a long, happy life together. Always remember in your walk together that the couple that works together stays together.
We wish you the very best in everything you do and God bless you.
Using that example as a guide, let’s see…
How To Write Your Father of The Bride Speech
First, let’s break it down so you can get an understanding of how the entire thing was written from start to end.
Let’s begin by recapping the opening lines briefly.
''Good evening and welcome everyone. I am Mike Golan and I am the happy father of the bride.
Thanks so much for being here tonight and I want you to know that it means a lot to see the happy couple surrounded by family and friends on the occasion of their wedding.''
Oh, I almost forgot to say this and I hope it’s not too late to slip it in, right?
Ok…thank you for the love.
After you have said thank you to the guests, you should thank some individuals who have played a key role in your daughter’s life.
People like your own wife or the mother of your daughter...
An example is
''Let me take a moment to thank my wife and Alexa’s mom Sherry for being a loving mom and a great role model. She looks so beautiful tonight and I would like to let her know that her tireless efforts have brought our daughter thus far. God bless you so much, Sherry.''
If her mom is deceased, you can still mention that and pay her a glowing tribute.
- You can thank the groom’s parents too. This can help us illustrate. A special thanks go to David’s mom and dad, Mike and Diana, for their love and support throughout the years and for raising an absolutely wonderful young man
- You may add others like her siblings, friends, uncles, and aunts and state why you are thanking them
You see, the opening line of any presentation is the most important part of it because it serves two purposes:
- It breaks the ice and makes wedding guests chuckling with delight if you start with a good joke or on a funny note
- Starting with something engaging will make everyone want to listen to you
Even though I write speeches every now and then, I spend an enormous amount of time on the opener because when I know when I get it right, the story will then flow seamlessly.
Nonetheless, coming up with a memorable opening is something most folks struggle with a lot and I am happy to share with you a few clever ways of doing that without breaking a sweat.
Are you ready to go? After greeting the audience, you can begin with one or more of these:
- You can begin with a good quote about marriage
- You can start with how you felt when your daughter was born….did you see that in our extract? If you’ve forgotten about it, then here you go again
''I remember holding you like a priceless gift when you came into our lives and even though my work schedules kept me away most times...''
- You can simply start by sharing how you felt when you got married
For example….Today Alexa is getting married to Diana and this beautiful occasion brings back memories of when I got married to my wife 30 years ago…
- You can lighten up the mood by starting with some funny lines or even a joke
For example, if you can use this joke creatively, you will get tons of compliments.
''A long time ago in Brussels, a Belgian went to his local priest and confessed ‘’ Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. During the Second World War, I hid a Jewish man in my attic.
That’s not a sin,’ said the priest. It was an act of great kindness. But I made him agree to pay 30 francs for every week he stayed.
I admit that wasn’t particularly charitable, said the priest. But you did it for a good cause.’’
‘’ Thank you, father, Father,’’ said the man. ‘’ That’s a great relief to me. I have just one more question.’’
‘’ What’s that? ‘’
‘’ Do I have to tell him the war is over?''
If you want to continue with that, you can continue by saying
Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news for you. After waiting for seems like forever for this occasion to happen, I am happy to announce that the waiting war is over…
Did you see how I inserted those underlined words?
Having said that, let’s look at how to write the content of your toast.
Again, let’s look at excerpts of our example so we can know exactly which course of action to take.
''From changing your diapers to coaching you in softball to our numerous family vacations, I have enjoyed every moment spent with you.
As I watched you grow into a very beautiful person, I worried about the kind of person you would get married to and if that guy will love and protect you like I always do.
Out of nowhere, David walked into your life and I knew immediately that he was the one we have been waiting for and that brought tears of joy in my heart for you both. ''
The body comes after the introduction and I often like to compare it to the human heart because it gives life and meaning to the rest of the body of your message.
This part is fairly easy to write. But with a lot of random thoughts running through your head, it becomes so hard to shift through what’s important to say and what not to say.
However, picking a style for your speech will help you determine the kind and number of stories to share.
For example, if you want to do something sentimental or hilarious, then you have to jot down at least a funny anecdote you can remember. If you have lots of them, the wedding guests will never forget what you said as no one would like to sit through a boring speech. Do you?
That brings me to this point. Please make sure whatever style you should reflect your personality or it should be something you are comfortable with. You should never imitate a style of presentation you admire no matter how lovely it is.
A few years ago, there was this amazing father of the bride's speech that went viral, and almost every father was copying what the talented dad did…Can you imagine how awkward that was?
You’re very unique and very special and whatever you say should be based on that distinctiveness.
With that foundation laid, let’s look at a few pointers that can help you come up with the outline of your toast. Grab a paper and pen and write down answers to these questions
- What was your daughter like when she was a little girl?
- What fond memory do I still have in mind?
- What did both of you enjoy spending time doing? Did you go on trips? Were you her sports coach or you took her swimming? ... It goes on and on
- What are her accomplishments in school, sports, etc.? And do you really want to share her exploits growing up?
Hint: You will notice as you go through this mental exercise is that you will end coming up with so many cheerful and embarrassing.
Leave out what will upset her or even make her lose her sanity and focus on good ones you really want to use.
To make things fairly easy for you, you can develop it based on this simple structure:
Introduction---name and your relationship with the bride and groom as we’ve seen
Body---(a) talk about when she was a little girl…mention qualities like kindness, activeness, etc., and back it up with no less than a story about the character trait.
(b) Do the same thing for her growing up years or teen years by sharing a minimum of two (2) stories
(c) You can wrap it up with how proud you are of her accomplishments
That top-to-bottom strategy always works if you are running out of time or you are simply tongue-tied.
After you have got your stories together, just write what’s on your mind using that pre-written father of the bride speech or any beautiful one like this one as a reference. You don’t have to break your neck getting it right the first time.
You should consider rewriting whatever you produce until you are completely happy with your draft speech.
Now, let’s see...
How To End Your Speech with A Bang
Your closing remarks will most likely remain in the minds of the wedding guests for the rest of their lives.
Thankfully, here are some tips to help you conclude on a strong note that will leave a deep impression on everyone.
First, you can end with a quote from the bible if you are a deeply religious person or Christian.
For example, you may use this well-known bible reading to end like this
David and Alexa, today is the day the Lord has made. Scripture affirms in 1 Christian 13: 13 that there abides faith, hope, and love but love’s the greatest of these.
The love you have for each is God’s best to you, so treasure that gift every day of your lives and your joy will overflow like a refreshing spring…
Did you see that?
Second, you can end with a very touching poem. Here’s one
Love is beautiful and great.
When you find the right person, it will be fate
My love I have for you is so strong; nothing can ever go wrong
It was love at first sight. I wanted to be with him every night.
Every day I feel so good inside…I can’t wait till the day I become his bride
As far as the future, we cannot see, but together forever we will be
What we have is love; it is as beautiful as a dove.
Our love has grown into something bigger that has shown your heart and my heart connected, but our love is so expected,
Wondering how we can use that poem to close remarkably? Please watch carefully as I do that.
David and Alexa, your love is so beautiful and so strong
And nothing can ever go wrong if you always work hand in hand
As far as the future, we cannot see, but together forever your love will be
Your hearts have connected
And now from this day, I will always pray that you never lose that sense of connection because your love is
So beautiful and so strong
Again, you can use the lyrics of a love or wedding song everyone can sing along to wrap up if you have a good voice.
The best way to end however is by sharing some words of wisdom based on your years of being married.
P.S: Most dads of the bride use this...Have you considered it? Want to write and give a great wedding speech but can't seem to get started because you don't know the exact words to use?
Or not too sure if what you intend writing will be well received by the guests?
Let's help you make your daughter, wife, and family proud, and let the wedding guests say great things about your speech.
Here’s what one nervous and skeptical dad called Glen sent over after the wedding was over
Hey Dan, I just wanted to thank you once again for the speech you wrote with me. My goal was met afterward, I was told by many "what a beautiful speech" and received a standing ovation. I couldn't have done this without you. God Bless Dan!- Glen, U.S.A
Want to know how he did just that? We helped him with his speech.
Want to get on board? You should by first filling out this short and simple form.
This is letter a dad sent us after we helped him deliver his speech(Please click on it to enlarge if you can't see it)
Ok, Is This Offer For Me?
- Yes, if you are expecting nothing less than a very special, beautiful, unique and memorable speech.
- Yes, if you are overwhelmed by the pressures of work and don’t have the time to put together a very meaningful speech, so you can have your peace of mind
- Yes, if you want your family, children, friends and wedding guests to shower you with very sincere compliments…just imagine how you will feel
- Yes, if you are not good with words and you feel you’re not a natural writer and you are struggling to find the right words but still want to give a great speech.
- Yes, you get so scared anytime you’re asked to say something before an audience and you really want to save yourself from any form of embarrassment on your daughter’s big day.
- Yes, if you are not too eloquent or not too sure if you are on the right track.
- Yes, if you absolutely hate speaking in public or feel this is not your thing but you want to make your daughter feel very proud
- Yes, if you have a day or less to the wedding and you are worried that you might make some horrible mistakes
- Yes, if you are a good speaker but you still want someone to look over or review what you've come up with!
Wedding not too far away? Or happening in less than 24 hours? Trust me, we can deliver! it doesn’t matter if your speech is today, tomorrow, next week, next month ,next year,... we can make things work for you
Just imagine leaving your entire presentation in the hands of skilled wedding speech consultants who will take away your pain of spending hours thinking hard and long about what to say and what not to say.
This is another letter a dad sent to us when the wedding was over. (Please click on it to enlarge if you can't see it)
Also, envision being patiently guided to say something that will leave a favorable impression on the mind of your listeners.
And also imagine the thrill and feeling of excitement and pride you’re going to experience when the audience leap onto their feet and scream and shouts and even sing your praises.
Won’t you love that? I hope you do...
Ok, I am Interested, What’s the Cost?
You simply pay what you want after you’ve got your beautiful speech.
Why? As you know, the current health and economic crisis has caused severe hardships for most people.
Precious lives have been lost, jobs wiped out and families displaced, leaving everyone wondering what the future holds.
Yet, some daughters are still getting married and asking their fathers to give speeches.
Nonetheless, not every father could afford our services even before the pandemic suddenly hit us.
So, we have dropped our normal rates so you can simply pay what you want after you have got your beautiful speech.
Please note: When life gets back to normal, this offer will be scrapped for good.
So, please take advantage of it now even if your daughter’s big day is in the future.
Even though we are going through this crazy time, if you do a poor job at it, your speech will be captured on video and your daughter and son-in-law and other viewers will forever remember what you said and would not attribute your poor performance to the fact there was a deadly disease in town.
So, please take advantage of it now even if your daughter’s big day is in the future by simply paying what you want after you get your beautiful speech.
Oh Ok, How Then Do I Get Started Since I Want To Get On Board Right Away?
Ok, here’s how it works
All you have to do RIGHT NOW is to click on this link to receive an easy-to-fill-in questionnaire via email. Check your email a few hours after you’ve submitted your request for your questionnaire.
So,
- After that, we will send you a very short questionnaire to fill out via email! You only have to check your email a few hours after you have made your request
- Then, you fill out the questionnaire sent through your email, and please have it sent back to us…
- We will confirm receipt of it…If something is not too clear, we will ask you to clarify….
- If not, we will send you a wonderful draft in a couple of hours if this on very short notice….If not, after a few days
- Then, you look it over and tell us if you are okay with it or you want to amend or revise it till you are happy with it--although we always get it right even with the first draft.
- Then, we ask you to pay for it.
Please note: The information collected through the questionnaire is only for the purpose of writing your speech. I wouldn’t even need it if I could read your mind. So, your information is very confidential and no one will know about it.
Just a reminder of what you pay after it’s duly completed. You simply pay what you want after you’ve got your beautiful speech.
Why? As you know, the current health and economic crisis has caused severe hardships for most people.
Precious lives have been lost, jobs wiped out and families displaced, leaving everyone wondering what the future holds.
Yet, some daughters are still getting married and asking their fathers to give speeches.
Nonetheless, not every father could afford our services even before the pandemic suddenly hit us.
So, we have dropped our normal rates so you can simply pay what you want after you have got your beautiful speech.
Please note: When life gets back to normal, this offer will be scrapped for good.
So, please take advantage of it now even if your daughter’s big day is in the future.
Even though we are going through this crazy time, if you do a poor job at it, your speech will be captured on video and your daughter and son-in-law and other viewers will forever remember what you said and would not attribute your poor performance to the fact there was a deadly disease in town.
So, please take advantage of it now even if your daughter’s big day is in the future by simply paying what you want after you get your beautiful speech.
Please note: Your speech draft comes with a proven and simple tip to master your speech or remember your speech just as you want it without carrying a paper with you.
Just see what someone said about that great tip that's proven to calm your nerves and help you speak with purpose, poise and clarity!
''Hi Dan,
The speech went very well, I modified it a bit and practiced it as you suggested (great advice). Thanks for all your help and if I need a prepared speech again I’ll definitely contact you.
All the best,
Matt''
Please note: Don’t fill out this form if you’re a dishonest individual. This offer is for a limited time.
So, CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED NOW TO GET YOUR GREAT SPEECH NOW BY FILLING OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE---you only pay after your beautiful speech has been delivered. So, you can have peace of mind and not lose money. The risk is on us!
You don't have to worry about paying our per speech for now.
Forget about money and let’s write something for you. We believe in the values of honesty and integrity and we think you should be happy with our work first.
So, Here Are The Benefits You Get When You Get On Board!
- A great speech written by our wedding speech consultants that reflects what you want to say exactly
- We coach you on how to use your voice to make your speech very exciting.
- We show you a simple but often overlook strategy to rehearse your speech even if you have a very poor memory. This method is used by great speakers like Obama and was used by Abraham Lincoln and his compatriots
- The most effective way to get your entire speech into your head without memorizing your speech. Guaranteed to help you even if you have a very poor memory or your memory is like a gold fish…most of our clients still wonder where we got this idea from. This ensures that you don't read off a sheet of paper...
Just see what someone said about that great tip that's proven to calm your nerves and help you speak with purpose, poise and clarity!
''Hi Dan,
The speech went very well, I modified it a bit and practiced it as you suggested (great advice). Thanks for all your help and if I need a prepared speech again I’ll definitely contact you.
All the best,
Matt''
- Ways to include humor in your speech and what it takes to do so
So, CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED NOW TO GET YOUR GREAT SPEECH NOW BY FILLING OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE---you only pay after your beautiful speech has been delivered. So, you can have peace of mind and not lose money. The risk is on us!
Remember, you have to see your speech first before you pay. So, you can relax and let us sweat it out at our expense!
''The wedding was GREAT. There were about 120 guests. About 15 people came up to me afterward and told me I gave a great speech. I had to tweak it little because of my tardiness getting it to you but, it all turned out great. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it''- Phil Australia