Alright dads, the wedding is not too far away and you have been busy being the guy who your little daughter runs to every time something goes awry. Between doing “this” and “that”, you have not had a chance to prepare your father of the bride speech.
The father’s speech is an important talk that is always expected at the wedding reception. The good thing is that you don’t have to say a lot to give a good speech. Say too much and you will be in the sewer as far as your daughter is concerned. Use proper father of the bride speech etiquette and you will deliver an inspiring talk for your daughter and the wedding guests.
You can write the father of the bride speech in 3 easy steps
- Plan in advance what you are going to say
- Write a basic speech outline
- Practice your speech 2-3 times
No kidding? No kidding! Did you think that you had to write out the entire speech and memorize it? If you did that, you would bore all the guests. No one wants to hear a sappy speech that is read word for word.
The Secret Of Advance Planning
When you plan before an event happens, it’s never a surprise. Get the planning out of the way for the father of the bride speech and you will not give it a second thought. Think about what you would like to say and write a neat little rough draft. Now the words are on paper. Sit on this for a few days and come back to it. Everything will come together quick so can prepare an outline.
Here’s A Quick Speech Outline Secret
- Choose 3-4 good ideas from this rough draft.
- Put these ideas on a small index card.
- Make sure that the ideas fit a logical order.
You may be thinking that there has to be more to this speech than this! No. Keep it simple. Are you running for the U.S. Senate? Didn’t think so. Nobody wants to hear about how good you are. This is about her. Keep the focus on the bride and you will be her knight in shining armor.
Now You Can Easily Deliver The Father Of The Bride Speech
You are really ready to deliver the father of the bride speech. Give it a dry run practice on your wife, son, or in front of the mirror. See if it runs more than 3 minutes. You don’t want to exceed 3 minutes in your practice run as it will always go longer live. Remember, nobody wants to hear a long waxing speech. The 3 minute drill works!
Make contact with the maid of honor a few weeks before the wedding to ensure that you will not be stealing her thunder by talking about the exact same stories. She will have the maid of honor speech all dialed in and the last thing you want to do is ask her to change some of her talk.
Your final assignment is to relax. Just be yourself and offer some final words of wisdom to your lovely daughter and new husband.