Father of The Groom Speech Or Toast: Time Tested Tips And Examples To Help You Write The Best Ever Wedding Toast For Your Son And Daughter-in-Law

Looking to write the best ever father of the groom's speech or toast for your son and daughter-in-law that will earn you the love, respect, and admiration of the wedding guests?

Please don’t go anywhere…Just give me a couple of minutes and I will gladly share with you all the tips and ideas and examples that can help you write a heartfelt and memorable father of the groom's speech or toast.

From the moment your son came into your life, you’ve taken on multiple roles - the fierce protector, the wise teacher, the unyielding supporter, the prankster friend, the unwavering confidant, and so many more.

But as he prepares to start a new chapter in his life and build a family of his own, there is still one more important role that you (and only you) can play - sending him off on that journey with a great father of the groom speech on your son’s wedding day.

It’s okay if you don’t know what to say or even say it better because I know for sure that encapsulating 20 years of memories (or so) is going to be a challenging task to undertake.

That’s why I am here this afternoon to help you write a heartfelt father of the groom wedding speech or toast befitting your status as a responsible father of the groom, even if you are not good with words.

Here’s What Your Father Of The Groom Speech Toast Entails

A unique father of the groom speech should checkboxes on various levels.

It should celebrate your son, the bond you have with him and highlight his positive attributes while also being warm and welcoming for your daughter in law.

In addition, it can serve as a heartfelt nugget of advice and insight, from one married man to another who will be shortly entering those ranks.

I am not going to lie to you. The expectations are going to be at an all-time high particularly if you give your speech as the host at the wedding rehearsal dinner night.

Most fathers go through this phase of panic when trying to put together a piece, and many of them think that good oratory or writing skills are definitively required to produce a great speech.

This is simply not true - while those could be an added advantage, a great speech is much more than technical delivery or fancy words; it’s all about the thought, the emotion, and the intent behind the same.

All you need are a few tips, ideas, examples, and a couple of pointers that will help you structure your thoughts and ideas into a touching tribute for your son and daughter-in-law!

For now, let’s consider this fair warning before we get ideas to help us create an outline for the content of your father of the groom wedding speech or toast.

Some fathers wing it. But you shouldn’t unless a eureka moment (you have a sudden bout of inspiration on the spot.)

Delivering a speech on the spot is quite arguably one of the toughest things to do - 98% of the time, only great public speakers can pull off something like that.

Keeping the flow, the emotion, and the continuity is also a challenge in itself - you could run out of steam, lose your momentum, or accidentally say something that isn’t in the best interests of the evening (which would put a dampener on the celebrations)

Some fathers copy and paste their information into templates found on the internet.

Others overthink it. You don’t have to do that. Similarly, overthinking your speech isn’t a good idea as well. You might end up overanalyzing everything you write, get nervous, sweaty, or develop anxiety.

For Starters: What Should The Father Of The Groom Say About His Son And Daughter-in-Law?

They say that babies don’t come with instructions and that’s true. But writing the best father of the groom speech does come with instructions or following proven guidelines.

When they are asked to say something by their sons, most fathers of the grooms don’t learn as much as they could about the writing process before they put their ideas and thoughts together.

What this means is that your father of the groom speech requires some preparation in advance to come up with an amazing wedding speech for your son and daughter-in-law.

Before you write your speech, you should first….

Look at the father of the groom's speech videos on youtube and elsewhere. There, you will find speech videos that can inspire the beginning and delivery of your speech. Besides, they are a rich source of practical ideas you ethically borrow for the content of your presentation.

Action Tip: We are going to watch two clips. So pick a piece of paper and jot down words, phrases, and examples that you feel you can work with. Thank you for making time to watch both clips.

Father of the groom speech video #1

Father of the groom speech video #2

Did you find anything worthy you wish to include in your speech? If so, please write it down because you will need it when you eventually put your thoughts together.

Well, we have a well-written speech here with us, and we will be examining every part of it in detail after we have seen a short but sweet speech in its entirety.

Action Tip: Read the template below carefully and examine how well it is written.

Here you go:

A Short But Sweet Father Of The Groom Speech Example

Hello everyone. I’m Jeremy Fisher, Andrew’s dad, and now, Serena’s second dad as well.

As I look across this room, it gives me immense pleasure to celebrate this joyous occasion with friends and family who have loved, supported and encouraged Andrew and Serena through the years.

Maya and I would like to thank all of you for being here today - we’re grateful that you found a way to rejoice with us, even during these crazy times.

Andrew is my eldest son and the oldest of five brothers.

Standing here and celebrating his marriage takes me back many years to the moment where my heart first burst with joy - the first time I held my newborn son in my arms.

Even though I have experienced that same fierce fatherly joy four times over, it never gets old.

Andrew was a perennially happy, adventurous, and daring boy, an endless source of fun & laughter. Maya and I enjoyed watching him concoct these cute games that would entertain us for hours on end - when Andrew was 2 years old, he’d run into the room, model a boxing stance, yell, ‘Get my wife!’ and then take off like the wind, to look for the said wife. Thank God, his lovely bride has been found at last!

As a little boy, Andrew loved to play the piano in his own way. He’d play our electric keyboard with his little fingers over his head, pound out fistfuls of keys and scream in between the discordant notes.

Oh boy, I should have really known that loud music was in his future given that his music choices as a young adult had screamo rap written all over it!

As Andrew grew older, he was really into bobby traps. Once, I tied a rubber mallet to a rope and attached a secondary string tied to the lamp post on the sidewalk, then lodging it in the tree.

My genius son pushed his brother’s tricycle down the sidewalk into the string tied to the lamp post, sending the mallet swinging out of the tree and knocking the tricycle over!

But I would never forget what happened when he was a teenager. Andrew bugged me so much during one of his March breaks, that I banished him to the basement until lunch.

When he came up, he was looking pensive and informed me that there was some smoke in the basement and that he’d opened the windows to let it out (swearing that it wasn’t because of his old chemistry set).

It turned out that the furnace room was thick with grey smoke, so we opened the basement door to clear it out. Just about then, my elderly neighbor frantically called to inform me that there was a skunk that came from her backyard into mine.

Andrew overheard this, yelled out a plan of action (which involved a rocket launcher, detonators, and copper pipes), and took off to shoot the skunk through our front door, all before I could even process what he was doing. Naturally, the skunk retaliated by spraying the entire yard found an escape route but left all of us trapped in the aftermath of the smell.

Thankfully, we were in the middle of winter and the smell dissipated before we started using the yard regularly - Andrew still remembers this incident vividly and so do I (and for good reason).

In Grade 11, Andrew moved to London to work with our family friend, Mark, who’s also Serena’s dad - they did a great deal of traveling, looked at various types of construction, and even undertook some housing projects on a gratis basis. It turned out that this move was quite possibly the beginning of Serena and Andrew’s relationship, at least through my eyes.

When he came back home to complete high school, it was pretty obvious that Andrew was totally smitten with Serena.

After graduating from high school, Andrew moved to Montreal and worked for a construction company where he gained many valuable building and construction skills.

Now, he’s proficient in machine maintenance and also builds excellent container homes. He really loves what he does and his clients are full of praise and admiration for him and his services.

Andrew, I am so proud of your success and even prouder that you’ve grown into a very self-confident, godly, steadfast, persevering, gentle person with a fantastic sense of humor and it’s an honor to have a son like you and now, a very special daughter in law.

I absolutely love the fact that Serena is very caring, persevering, faithful, giving, fun to be around, talented, responsible, and helpful.

Serena, throughout the years, you’ve shown time and again that true love still exists and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with Andrew through the thick and the thin. I am very confident that you will take wonderful care of my son and become a wonderful mom to your own children someday.

Let me add that a great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences

Congratulations on your wedding and God bless you both. Cheers!

Now, that we’ve read it, let’s break down the speech we are going to write into three parts: introduction, body, and an ending.

First, let’s get a snippet of that father of the groom speech example so you can write a captivating introduction.

''Hello everyone. I’m Jeremy Fisher, Andrew’s dad and now, Serena’s second dad as well….Maya and I would like to thank all of you for being here today - we’re grateful that you found a way to rejoice with us, even during these crazy times ''

Now, let’s see how you can write your introduction the right way using that extract.

As you did see, the introductory remarks comprise of the following pointers:

Greeting the audience and thanking them for being present there (it is an important part of wedding speech etiquette)

Stating your name and your relationship with the groom or bride. Don’t fail to do this even if you have been introduced by the emcee or the speaker who spoke before you did

It can be followed by giving thanks to all the people who have contributed to shaping your son into a very responsible man over the years.

Such individuals may include:

His mom or your wife
His uncles and aunts
His paternal and maternal grandparents
His brothers and sisters
His best friends

Never ever start your presentation without acknowledging those around particularly those individuals as failure to do so is a breach of the wedding speech etiquette. Oh, I forgot to mention that you have to thank the parents of the bride for welcoming your son into their family if you are giving your speech at the wedding reception.

This becomes more paramount if you are making a speech at your son’s wedding rehearsal night as the attention will be on you.

Action Tip: Can you put down names of folks who have been a blessing in your son’s life from the very beginning till now that he is getting married?

We are not done yet. The opening remarks should set the tone for the rest of your speech too. Did you take notice of how Andrew evoked feelings of nostalgia about the birth of his son?

''Standing here and celebrating his marriage takes me back many years to the moment where my heart first burst with joy''

That is sure to hit home with the wedding guests. There are a couple of ways to bond with them even more and below are a few ideas:

You may start with a joke. For example, if you were arguing about who your son looked like when he was born you can mention this fact and make it hilarious.

Below is a funny father of the groom toast example based on that.

When our son was born, my wife and I spent countless arguing about who he looked like. A week after his arrival, we noticed that he looked more like his grandma.

So we called my mom and jokingly said: ''Alice, you should keep this baby because he’s more like your last child. Guess what? He looks just like you!''

Then, she said then do you mind if we nickname him ''Granny Alice''

Most of you tease him by calling him ‘’Granny Alice’’ and that’s actually how he earned the cool name.

You can start your speech with any of these quotes

Falling in love consists merely in uncorking the imagination and bottling the common sense."
"It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving."-- Mother Teresa
"A man in love is incomplete until he is married. Then he's finished."--Zsa Zsa Gabor
"A heart that loves is always young."--- Greek Proverb

Have your son asked you to be his best man? Then the opening lines of your speech should state and tell him how honored you are for asking you to be his best man.

Again, you can share with the guests how you felt when he was born. If you had to endure a lot to have him, you can state it and your story will make your speech very touching and inspiring.

That reminds me of a man who said he felt like a deer trapped in car headlights at night when the doctors asked him to help him during delivery while the nurses were busily watching an important event on TV.

You can simply walk down memory lane by recounting how you felt when your wife walked down the aisle when you first got married.

Finally, if the wedding date ties with an important milestone in your son’s life like his birthday, you can proudly wish him a happy birthday to break the ice.

Action Tip: Which of those tips do you wish to start your introductory remarks with? You may go back up and reflect on them. I wish you the very best as you pick the right option.

Now, Let’s See How To Write The Body Of Your Speech

This is the start of your story outline and it should continue from the ideas you have composed from the start of your speech.

Before you put the bits and pieces together, you first should pick a theme and style for your message.

Once a father asked me to write his speech for him and he chose to use the theme of seasons throughout. Having spent these number of years with him, it’s only vital that you pick a theme that reflects who he is and back it up with a story or two.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong if you want to use different themes but I have seen that will serve you well only if you want your speech to follow from his childhood through adulthood.

Having chosen your theme(s), you should pick a style you are comfortable with and not what you’ve seen other wedding speakers do successfully.

For example, if you are a naturally funny guy, then you might consider taking that route since it’s in your forte. If you have no amusing stories to tell about him, just stick to what actually played out in his life.

The trick here is to list as many stories as you can about him and pick out the ones you want to use.

If you are doing a joint parent of the groom's speech, you and your spouse can brainstorm together and come up with the right ideas.

The boy occupies the biggest chunk of your speech, so use these questions or guidelines to put together the storyline of content or an outline for your father of the groom toast:

Do you remember what happened on the day of his birth and how you felt?

How was your son like when he was a little boy? List down his admirable traits.

Do you remember any funny or hilarious incidents involving your son?

Has your son done anything sentimental or sweet for you or the family as a kid?

Talk about your son’s teenage years and stories from that era.

Mention his achievements, be it personal or professional.

If you think it’s obnoxious to brag about your kids, please stay off it. Many fathers talk about their feats and there’s nothing wrong with that. So I leave you to decide for yourself.

Action Tip: Scroll up this page and write down answers to those seven questions, Afterward, go back to read that example we saw for inspiration, and then write your first draft.

If you are giving a stepfather of the groom's speech, you may use portions of those queries. But make sure your presentation flows from when you first came into his life.

If due to work or family estrangement or whatever, you happen to be a distant father of the groom who wasn’t particularly involved in his upbringing, you can overcome the guilt by sharing a piece of advice.

Additionally, you can use the moral lessons learned from a story you have read to say something about the marriage journey.

If you are still married to his mom, then the best way to make your speech very memorable and enjoyable is to give a joint parent of the groom's speech. I have written a couple of them and you can tell from reading them that parenting gets sweeter and easier when the burden is shared.

By the way, if both the father and mother of the groom are going to speak in one speech, then the template below can serve as a guide.

Greetings, thank you, and self-introduction---father.

For instance: Good evening and thanks for coming. I am Eric and standing right by my side is my beautiful bride of 40 years… (pause)…Martha (wife mentions name)

Introduction---Wife talks about his birth

His childhood years---father of the groom says that

Growing up years--- the mother of the groom speech

Teenage years---both mother and father can speak in turns

Your impressions of the bride---let the mother speak her

Mention her beautiful qualities---let the groom’s father speak

Welcome her into the family---you should do this on behalf of your wife and the whole family

Pieces of advice---both father and mother can give pieces of advice separately

Well-wishes--- you may let the mother of the groom speak here

Toast--- You can end it with a toast

Now, I would like to add one thing that most wedding speakers grapple with:

How Long The Father Of The Groom Speech Should Be

I almost always recommend delivering a short speech, based on our findings here at standing ovation speeches.

It always suffices if you want to give a simple, short, and sweet toast. However, there is nothing wrong with delivering a long speech.

I recently wrote a seven-minute for a mother who was worried about the length of her remarks saying she’s read that her speech shouldn’t go beyond five minutes.

Someway, somehow, I persuaded her to go with something long considering the fact any omission might take the joy out of an otherwise beautiful speech.

After the wedding, she wrote back saying that she received many warm compliments on it. Needless to say, it worked for her.

So, a long speech can work for you if your story is interesting. But you will have to introspect and see if you can hold the attention of your audience for a long time.

Your goal, as always, should be to get the wedding attendees to enjoy your tribute - if you feel that it is too much of an uphill task for you, please stick to something that won’t get on people’s nerves.

That reminds me of something that happens to most fathers as they write their wedding speeches for their sons: getting stuck in the process and that’s what we writers call writer's block.

Several factors can account for this. First, your mind can drift somewhere as you piece your thoughts together.

Solution: make sure you put your mind and heart into what you’re writing. Turn off your television or sound stereo system and your cell phone too if you should. As well as anything else that won’t make you distracted.

You could write early in the morning before sunrise or late in the night when the house is quiet. If not those times are not convenient, you can plug your ears with a headphone to keep out the noise in your environment.

Also, don’t edit as you write. Just pour your hearts out on paper and don’t be so worried about how your writing sounds or looks.

All great writers-including the ones you admire experience that. But you simply have to rewrite your father of the groom toast till it sparkles. Don’t worry too much about being a perfectionist either.

However, if you get a sudden bout of inspiration; you just have to pour your heart out like a flowing stream. If you don’t have a paper and pen in handy, just speak into your phone’s voice recorder.

That brings us to the next point:

How To End Your Father Of The Groom Speech On A Memorable Note.

A great speech is like watching a dramatic TV episode. The story could be great, but if you don’t end on a strong note, the memorability factor will be so low.

A great ending to your toast is something that your son, your daughter in law and your guests will remember for years to come. Conventionally speaking, most wedding speeches end with toasting the bride and groom; but that isn’t the only way to wrap up a speech on a poignant note.

There are several other examples and I am happy to share some tried and tested methods with you.

If you are married and have been married for a long time, you can share some practical advice that has helped you in making your own marriage work.

You can see an example of this in action here.

I want the royal couple to know that it takes teamwork for marriage to work.

Sometimes, the pressures of life become so severe that it becomes hard to love your partner the way you want it but if you still work hard to keep the flames of romance and passion burning, there is no way they will give up on each other on this endless adventure.

If you love poems, you should use that. Find examples of touching love or marriage quotes below.

I carry your heart with me By Edward Estlin Cummings

I carry your heart with me(I carry it in my heart)I am never without it(anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done…

Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet

If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man…

If you are very religious or a born-again Christian, there are many Bible verses that can lend an ethereal feel to the celebrations. You may use any of these Bible verses to enrich your message:

I Corinthians 13: 3-7 (The Message Bible Edition)

^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Proverbs.18:22(NIV) He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD

Proverbs.12:4(NIV) A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Proverbs 19:14(KJV) House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.

Ephesians 5:25 (KJV) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.

If you are a person who enjoys humor, you can end your speech with a funny line or a joke like this one:

“Ladies and gentlemen, someone once said that in the first years of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.”

You may just offer your best wishes and end with a toast. Any of these one-liners can help you toast the bride and the groom.

May your love life be one of the beautiful love stories ever told
May the almighty God keep you in his safe arms and see you through those dark moments of your lives
May you find real peace and contentment in the little things God provides for you and may you and your children live fulfilled lives

There you have it dads - a classy and comprehensive guide to crafting a wonderful father of the groom's speech.P.S: Most dads do this...Have you considered it? Want to write and give a great wedding speech like the one above 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 son, 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? He got on board our wedding speech program and one of our talented speech consultants helped him out.

Want to get on board? You should by first clicking here to fill out this short and simple form.

This is letter a dad sent to 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 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 son’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 son 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.

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 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 sons 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 son’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 son and daughter-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 son’s big day is in the future by simply paying what you want after you get your beautiful speech.

This is another letter a dad sent to us after we helped him deliver his speech(Please click on it to enlarge if you can't see it)

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,

1)CLICK HERE NOW TO GET STARTED NOW TO GET YOUR GREAT SPEECH NOW BY FILLING OUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE---you only pay after your beautiful speech has been delivered. So, you can have peace of mind!

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.