Father Of The Bride Rehearsal Dinner Speech Toast
Looking for great ideas to help you write the best ever father of the bride speech wedding rehearsal dinner speech toast?
By the end of this post, you will be armed with all the tips and ideas, and examples you need to write the best ever father of the bride rehearsal dinner speech toast.
Most men, on their wedding day, will look at their future wives walking down the aisle towards them and think that they can’t possibly love another woman more. But all of that changes overnight when they become a father, and particularly, a father to a beautiful baby girl.
Almost every man has conclusively agreed that they’ve felt a fierce, unparalleled love like none other when they’ve held their daughter in their arms for the very first time - it unlocks a new side of them, and almost instantly, that tiny bundle of blankets becomes their entire universe.
The bond between a father and his daughter is one of the world’s strongest yet sweetest relationships. He is her first-ever superhero, she is his princess, he could be incredibly brusque, burly, and brutally harsh on others but will be the complete opposite around her.
She is the only one who gets to dress him up and as the years go by, he’s the one that protects her from everything - school bullies, mom’s wrath, boys who could potentially break her heart, crashing into objects on her first car ride, etc.
A father is one of a girl’s first-ever positive influences in her life. But he seldom is the only one. There comes a time when every daughter grows up and chooses to fly the nest - this is when she decides on a partner for life.
For most dads, this is, arguably, the most bittersweet part about watching their daughters grow up - they’re thrilled to know that their little girl has found the love of her life, but will always be wistful over the fact that there is now another man or woman to contend with for her affections.
If you’re reading this and have a wistful expression on your face, chin up dad! Your daughter may soon be getting married to a wonderful man or woman, but always remember that you were the first man in her life (and nothing can or will change that).
So, the best way to honor your relationship with your daughter and cherish the memories you’ve had with her so far is by making a fitting speech at the wedding rehearsal dinner or reception. Read on to know how you can give your little girl the best gift on her most important day!
Before we get started on your speech, I want us to get this one thing right that can compromise your performance no matter how good your speech is.
Do you have any idea what I am talking about? It is nervousness before, during, and after making your father of the bride wedding rehearsal dinner speech.
If you are not even nervous now, there is a greater chance that you will feel nervous as you watch wedding speaker after speaker on the night. If they put on a splendid job, there will be undue pressure on you to live up to expectations, particularly if you are a very gifted speaker.
Before you even say something about your daughter and son-in-law on the eve of the wedding day, you first have to heal yourself from the inside out before arming yourself with the tools you need to succeed.
So, how do you heal yourself from within? Good, you have asked this excellent question. If you are frozen with fear, then there’s a high probability that you didn’t impress your audience when you were asked to deliver a speech some time ago.
But you don’t have to worry about that because we all get nervous before we speak. But the trick is how to work it to your advantage.
Even if you are a horrible public speaker, you can turn the tides around by believing that you can make it and hold that thought in your mind until your performance comes to an end.
You see, as you do that, memories of past incidents where you failed to glitter will come back to haunt and taunt you. But you still have to focus on what you have to say and you will be empowered from within to speak confidently even if you feel a tinge of nervousness every now and then.
That said, let us see...
How To Get The Right Ideas For Your Father of The Bride Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Speech
Saying something sweet about your daughter is a lot like dating, if not more. Do you remember what you went through before you proposed to her mom or your wife? Nostalgic memories I guess.
You don’t have to put down your thoughts without first considering how it is actually done.
Good videos are the best way of getting your foot in the door. So, this is what I suggest you do right now. Go over to youtube.com or your favorite video sharing platform and watch a couple of videos to get a fair idea of what to expect.
Well, I don’t want you to spend so much time doing that. So, I found these two video examples for your watching and learning pleasure and I do hope it gives you a sense of inspiration and guidance.
Action Tip: Go grab your journal and pen and create an outline for your speech based on what you will hear in both clips.
Father of The Bride Rehearsal Dinner Speech Toast Example #1
Father of The Bride Rehearsal Dinner Speech Toast Example #2
I hope you learned a thing or two from watching both presentations?
Now, if you like reading as I do, then let us look at a well-written father of the bride speech template and how you can use it to write a heartfelt rehearsal wedding dinner speech for your daughter and the groom.
Here you go:
Short Father of The Bride Rehearsal Dinner Toast
Hello, good evening, and welcome everyone!
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Frank and I’m Rachel’s proud dad.
On behalf of my family, and the happy couple Brad & Rachel, it’s a pleasure to welcome the friends and relatives of both families - thank you all for coming out here to help celebrate this incredibly special day.
My daughter is getting married tomorrow, and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank certain people that were instrumental in transforming her into the kind-hearted, beautiful, and genuinely thoughtful person she is today.
My wife, Linda, for her endless love, support, and compassion through the years. She is a wonderful wife and a loving mother to Rach and Bryan.
Unfortunately, Linda’s parents are no longer with us but I am sure they are here in spirit - Patrick and Annie were doting grandparents to Rach and Bryan and took such wonderful care of them while Linda and I were at work.
Last but not the least, a special thank you to Alexa and Mike, for raising a wonderful man like Brad. Thank you both for your love and support over the past few years, I’m ecstatic to welcome you into the family, officially.
Before I start, may I just say, Rachel, you look absolutely beautiful tonight.
When you made your grand entry and walked towards me, I was quite frankly speechless and overwhelmed by the emotions of the day - if anyone were to ask me what I’m feeling right now, I feel like I could almost fill up an entire notebook.
As I walked you down the aisle to give you away to Brad, fond memories came rushing back to me, and I would like to share some of them with you and everyone present here today.
Right from the time we first brought Rachel home from the hospital, all bundled up like a precious gift, our hopes and dreams were to love and inspire her, above all keeping her safe from any form of harm. Today, you’ve exceeded even our fondest dreams, Rachel - you’ve grown into such a beautiful person with a true heart of gold.
From an early age, Rachel was a happy and thoughtful little girl, always concerned about the wellbeing of her loved ones - be it us, Bryan, or her friends. As much as she was sweet, she was also quite the stubborn little thing. I distinctly remember the time she kept pestering Linda and me for a new baby. Every day, without fail, she would either come to me or my wife and tell us, very very clearly, that she wanted a baby brother.
After a point, she gave up on us and started praying every night, hoping that God would be more responsive towards her dilemma. Eventually, her prayers were answered when Bryan came along, 2 years later.
Growing up, Rachel was fun to be with, but like most kids, she sometimes drove us crazy. When she was about 5 years old, she disappeared from home and as you can imagine, her disappearance shot our blood pressure through the roof.
We ended up calling the police and they combed the neighborhood doing a fruitless search for her for over an hour. When it felt like all hopes were gone, I started shouting frantically.
Finally, she heard me calling out for her and she responded by saying that she was in her dollhouse. Believe it or not, when I entered, she was fast asleep like a log!
Rachel, we are so proud of you and of how far you’ve come down the road of life.
When Rachel first told us about Brad, the excitement in her voice was apparent - we knew she’d found her love, her rock, her balance, and her inspiration in him.
As for us, we were ecstatic to know that our little girl had found a wonderful man that loved her as much as us. Brad, time and again, you have shown that you really love Rachel with all your heart, and as parents, there’s nothing more we could ask for.
You’ve helped enriched her appreciation of life’s good things, and I am eternally grateful to you for that.
For those of you who don’t know, Brad was posted in the Army after graduating dental school and was stationed in New York for 4 years - Rach and he were in a long-distance relationship, but that only grew their love.
They both rose to the challenge by committing to the relationship, visited each other whenever they could, and most importantly, showed each other what mattered the most - each other.
To me, that was and is a testament to their commitment and love towards the other, and Brad, I could not be happier to welcome you into the family finally.
Rachel and Brad, your love for each other is as refreshing as morning dew. You are a wonderful couple with similar hopes, dreams, aspirations, and goals.
We wish that your love for each other always gives you the courage and strength to be always there for each other.
So, as you embark on this journey of love, always love, respect, support, and put each other first in whatever you do.
So, to Rach and Brad, may you two enjoy a loving, wonderful marriage for many years to come. I wish you all the happiness in the world.
So without further ado, grab a notepad and start making a note of what you would like to include in your speech.
First, let us see…
How To Write The Opening Remarks Of Your Toast
First, a snippet of our introductory remarks to get our creative juice flowing.
''Hello, good evening, and welcome everyone!
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Frank and I’m Rachel’s proud dad. On behalf of my family, and the happy couple Brad and Rachel, it’s a pleasure to welcome…''
This is the most important part of your speech because it sets the tone for the rest of your story and it is also a great opportunity to break the ice.
Granted writing one that grabs the attention of the audience from the very beginning is not a very easy task because most fathers are so accustomed to how wedding speeches are delivered. Hence, they don’t see the need to inject a breath of fresh air into what they say.
As you can see from that excerpt above, many ‘father of the bride’ speeches simply thank the guests for attending as well as pay homage to the special people who were instrumental in getting things ready for the big day.
That is a great way of bonding with the audience because you will be breaching wedding speech etiquette if you don’t tell everyone who you are.
Even if it is a small wedding, you still have to reintroduce yourself because it is very likely that not everyone will know who you are. Don’t take this too lightly.
If you are doing a joint parent of the bride's speech for your daughter and new son-in-law, then you can take turns introducing each other.
An example of what to say:
Father of the bride: I am Dan and this is my lovely wife.
Mother of the bride: I am Regina and Dan is my precious husband.
If you are the stepfather of the bride, there really is no need to mention that unless it’s very obvious to your family, her friends, and your in-laws that you are not her real dad. In that case, you make it known to them and you will be surprised at how complimentary everyone will be for raising the bride so well.
That basically is the structure of the opening lines of your father of the bride wedding toast.
Action Tip: Do a little brainstorming and come up with the list of individuals who have been a blessing in your daughter’s life and be emphatic with or about why you are thanking them.
If you have covered that ground, let’s dive right in by looking at what to include in your introduction.
- If you are a known prankster or joke-cracker by nature, you can always open with a clever pun or zoom right in by making a funny father of the bride rehearsal speech.
- Another way of getting content for the opening remarks is to share how you felt when your daughter was born if you are thinking of making an emotional or sentimental toast. I culled it from our guiding example to show you how to do it.
‘'Right from the time we first brought Rachel home from the hospital, all bundled up like a precious gift, our hopes, and dreams''
Did you notice how touching those words are?
- Another key point is to start with quotes above love, marriage, and so on. Ok, here are a few good materials you can use.
''When you’re young, you think your dad is Superman. Then you grow up, and you realize he’s just a regular guy who wears a cape.''– Unknown
''You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. She looks up to you. You’re her oracle. You’re her hero. And then the day comes when she gets her first permanent wave and goes to her first real party, and from that day on, you’re in a constant state of panic.'' – Stanley T. Banks
''A daughter is a treasure and a cause of sleeplessness.'' – Ben Sirach
Now, Let’s See How To Write The Structure or Body of Your Father of The Bride Rehearsal Speech For Your Daughter and Son-in-Law
By the way, let us look at excerpts of it to guide us along the way.
''From an early age, Rachel was a happy and thoughtful little girl, always concerned about the wellbeing of …Every day, without fail, she would either come to me or my wife and tell us, very very clearly, that she wanted a baby brother.
Growing up, Rachel was fun to be with, but like most kids, she sometimes drove us crazy. When she was about 5 years old, she disappeared…''
As you can see above, this part of the speech is all about reliving memories of all the years you have spent with your daughter. But you need not share everything you can remember though.
You need to showcase a few stories you think would leave a favorable impression on the guests. If you want to make it fairly easy to write, you can script your piece from her early childhood through her late adulthood. That’s always proven to work. So, if you decide to follow that, then you can model your speech after this style.
Early childhood---memories of those years
Late childhood- fond memories of those times
Growing up years---the travel and adventure stories of those years
Her teenage years----don’t mention if the years were rough…dwell on her amazing traits instead
The trick here is to do a little brainstorming and jot down several stories about each aspect of the developmental stages outlined above and figure out which stories resonate best with you. Or you can provide answers to the following questions
- How did you feel when you found out that you were having a baby girl?
- Recollect your feelings on the day you brought her home from the hospital.
- List three main positive attributes about your daughter and support them with incidents where she has demonstrated those traits (could be from any phase of her life).
- Do you remember any funny incidents that she was the mastermind of?
- How was your daughter as a sibling (in case you have other children)?
- How was she as a middle-schooler, high-schooler and college graduate?
- What are the ways in which she has made you proud?
- What do you feel about her as an accomplished professional? You can state some of her achievements and laurels (we love nothing more than a proud dad)!
If you are the only member of the family delivering a speech that day, rest assured that you have a ton of content to comb through! As a father, you’ve been privy to almost all the pivotal instances of your daughter’s journey, and now it is your time to celebrate the beautiful woman sitting in front of you.
Also, if you feel that there are too many incidents swimming in your mind at the moment, a good tip will be to jot down everything and eliminate the events you don’t want to talk about when you’re finally constructing your speech.
Keep in mind that your audience will love to hear stories from her childhood, so take advantage of that.
However, you should know where to draw the line - don’t pick an incident that could potentially offend any member of the wedding party in any way. Steer clear of controversy and stick to the safe side by picking incidents that are either sentimental or embarrassing (but again, not too much).
Once you have a grip on that, turn the toast or your attention towards your new in-law.
Even though a big chunk of your speech will go towards celebrating your daughter, you will also have to acknowledge the ‘new child’ in your life now - your son or daughter in law.
The best way to express your emotions and feelings is by directly addressing him or her - depending on the nature of your relationship with your daughter’s significant other.
For example, if your daughter has been dating this person for a long time and your rapport levels are high, you will know enough about her significant other to talk to them like you would talk to your little girl.
In case you aren’t that familiar with them, keep it simple - congratulate them on their special day, thank them for making your daughter happy beyond measure, and as a sweet gesture, you can also add in what you love about them (any personality traits, any gestures they’ve done for your daughter or you, instances of their thoughtfulness, etc).
You can also use the father of the bride speech toast as a way to reminisce about how you met them for the first time, and what your first impressions were. It’s a great way to induct your newest family member into your clan, so make them feel equally special and welcome.
Once, you are done jotting down memories about your daughter and your soon-to-be son-in-law, you can then write a rough draft of your rehearsal dinner speech for the lovely couple.
I know for sure the question on most father’s minds is how long their wedding speeches should be?
Contrary to what you have read online, it needs not to be neither short nor long. Don’t just go with the flow. Rather, you have to do what you are comfortable with and not what is in vogue.
I personally wish your rehearsal dinner toast could make your daughter proud by giving a short and sweet speech.
But from working with tongue-tied fathers, I see nothing wrong with a lengthy speech as long as it’s like honey to the taste buds. I have written speeches that sometimes lasted 10 minutes and even though those individuals were worried prior to their remarks, they happily came back to say many people thought their speeches were the best of the night. Just imagine that!
Let me ask you this simple question: can you sustain the attention of the audience for a long time? If so, don’t stick to the widely held opinion.
Now, let’s look at how to wrap up.
First, you should give some practical advice.
Since you’re older, wiser, and married (or have been, at some point in time), it makes sense for you to give the newlyweds some nuggets of marriage advice.
However, do this step only if you are comfortable speaking on this, but do not force it if you are the type of dad that believes in his children learning on their own trajectories.
This part is a great way for most dads to inject humor into a speech that has mostly been sentimental so far - it’s a great time to crack your own puns and use inside jokes, but do try to stay away from overused quips or sexist phrases. Or discussions about the mounting divorce rate across the world (it definitely lends a sour taste to the evening’s events).
Second, end with a toast. Most speeches take the usual route of ending with a touching toast - if you’re unsure as to how to end your father of the bride's speech, this is the best way to proceed.
Convey your congratulations to the lucky couple, raise your glass, and wish them a glorious life ahead. Remind your daughter that you could not be happier for her - for her new life, her partner, and the infinite journey of joy stretching out in front of them.
However, if you would like, you can also end the speech on a different note - suppose you write poetry as a hobby, you can even recite one of your poems for them.
Fourth, some religious parents also end their toast with a profound verse from the Bible or any other religious text, so that option is there as well. Here are some verses you might want to use.
Proverbs 19:14
Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Proverbs 12:4 – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones.”
Last but not the least, if music runs in your veins and your daughter’s, whip out your guitar and sing your heart out to your daughter. That’s going to be a memorable ending to an equally memorable speech, and one that will definitely melt your little girl’s heart.
So there you have it, dads! Finish off by welcoming your new son-in-law, take a sip of your drink and wrap your daughter in a giant bear hug, because the odds are definitely that she might be stifling back sobs at your sweet speech.
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