The father of the bride makes the first speech

In some ways the father of the bride has the hardest time of all when making his speech – it is usually a very emotional time for him and he is talking about someone who is very special to him.

It’s also the first speech at a wedding, and this in itself can make it more stressful than for any of the other speakers. However, knowing what to say and preparing in advance can make it a much easier experience…

Thank the guests

The bride’s father should start his speech by thanking everyone for attending. He can also thank the people working at the function (caterers, photographers etc.).

Talk about the bride

A larger part of his speech should be about his daughter, saying how proud he is of her, how wonderful she was as a child, and fulfilling it was to raise her. He can also mention something that happened as a child – this can simply be one of those moments when children say something perfectly innocently which turns out to be very funny.

Welcome the groom into the family

The father of the bride should then turn his attention to the groom and welcome him as a member of his family and say a few words about his achievements. He may wish to give a few tips on how to have a happy married life – giving examples of how they helped him. Finally he should propose a toast to the couple wishing them a happy married life.

The father of the bride’s speech can contain some humour, as it helps to keep guests interested.

And that’s’ all there is to it!

Humour is a great ice-breaker

A good wedding speech with some humour is a great ice-breaker, and it’s a great feeling if you can get your audience laughing. However, bear in mind that you don’t have to keep the guests in fits of laughter for half an hour – that’s for films… So, here are three simple steps to get you started…

1) This probably the most important rule of all :- Make sure to take your audience into account when forming jokes to work into your speech. There will almost always be people of all ages and beliefs at a wedding – and not everyone has the same type of senses of humour (how often have you told a joke to one person who has laughed hysterically, and the next person you’ve told it too didn’t raise a grin?). Whoever you are at the wedding, a bad joke is an embarrassment, and one which offends is a show-stopper. While it may not be possible to please everyone, do your best to form jokes that you think everyone can get or relate to.

2) Your jokes should tie into a central message – your jokes should be an integral part of the speech, which shouldn’t be all about jokes, but your jokes should be all about your speech. This simply means that your speech should have a central message or purpose, and your jokes should compliment this. Having a theme (such as changes in the bride and groom, old memories that influenced your life, or even how you will setup a new life with your spouse) will help you move your speech along.

3) Give your speech a flow that enforces your central message in the beginning, middle and end. Constant reminders of what you want to get across are a surefire way of making sure people walk away with that message.