How to Give the Best Father of the Bride Speech

The day your daughter gets married is likely to be one of the proudest of your life, but that can sometimes be clouded by the pressure of writing a father of the bride speech. After all, it is one of the main father of the bride duties!

But we're here to tell you that there's nothing to worry about. With our guide to writing and delivering a killer father of the bride speech, putting it together will be an absolute breeze.

With expert tips from a professional speech writer, and real father of the bride speech examples to use as inspiration, you can't go wrong with advice like this. And the best news? Being yourself, using your real life experiences and smiling are almost all you need to do. 

Simple, right? And on that note, we also have a short guide on how to write a father of the bride speech in just six simple steps - does it get much better than that? We think not.

The 30 Best Father of the Bride Speeches, Tips & Ideas

Whether you're feeling super nervous and aren't sure where to start, or you're confident and raring to go, this father of the speech guide will help you craft and deliver a speech that your daughter will be so proud of, and ensure you feel confident doing so. 

We've also included expert advice and tips from Heidi Ellert-McDermott, founder of Speechy and author of The Modern Couple's Guide to Wedding Speeches - if there's anyone who can give expert insight into writing the perfect father of the bride speech, it's Heidi. 

• What is a Father of the Bride Speech?
• What Should Father of the Bride Speeches Include?
• How to Structure a Father of the Bride Speech?
• Dos and Don'ts for Writing a Father of the Bride Speech
• Father of the Bride Speech Examples

What is a Father of the Bride Speech?

A father of the bride speech is a speech given by the bride's father during the speeches section of the wedding ceremony. 

Traditionally, the father of the bride gives a speech about his daughter on her wedding day, but it's not uncommon nowadays to have mother of the bride speeches in lieu of, or as well as a father of the bride speeches. 

Within the speech, you'll want to include a mixture of happy and funny memories about your daughter, as well as some advice for the couple, and welcoming your new son or daughter-in-law. Fore more on the specifics of what to include in a father of the bride speech, scroll on! 

What Should Father of the Bride Speeches Include?

Though each one will be completely different to the other, when it comes to writing a father of the bride speech, there are some things we always recommend including. 

1. A Tribute to the Bride

Every father of the bride speech should include some touching words about just how brilliant your daughter is. Be specific and avoid anything too generic - you want to ensure these things could only be said about your daughter. 

This is also the time to talk about some of her achievements, and the things that make you proud, but you don't want it to turn into a CV so stick to fewer but better for this part. 

If you and your partner are together, or are on good terms, this is also a nice moment to give a compliment to the bride's other parent and how they have helped you raise such a great daughter. 

2. Anecdotes & Special Memories

An introduction of your daughter and her brilliance leads perfectly into you talking about some poignant and special memories. Think about the moments that shaped who she is as a woman, and some funny stories that'll get the room giggling. 

You may also want to share moments that solidified your bond as father and daughter, and some slightly embarrassing tales, of course! 

3. Welcome Their Partner

Any good father of the bride speech will include a special mention of their daughter's partner.

It's important that you take some time out of your speech to welcome them to the family, or perhaps explain why there's no need for a welcome, and why they've already cemented their place in your family. 

Talk about why they make such a brilliant partner for your daughter, speak to their character and perhaps even give a special mention to their family as well. 

4. Advice for the Couple

Most father of the bride speeches will include some advice or marital anecdotes for the couple. This doesn't have to be hard-hitting advice, but it's always a nice touch to end on something of a gift in terms of words of wisdom.

You could go heartfelt and sweet, or light-hearted and funny - the choice is completely up to you! 

How to Structure a Father of the Bride Speech

Ensuring you include all of the above in a father of the bride speech is step one, but step two is knowing how to structure it. Once you have the structure of father of the bride speeches down, writing it will feel like a piece of cake! 

Below is the traditional structure of a good father of the bride speech, including tips from industry expert Heidi Ellert-McDermott.

1. Introduction

Use the beginning of a father of the bride speech to introduce yourself to the guests and welcome everybody to the wedding of your daughter and her partner. 

Heidi explains why this part is such a biggie: "If following a traditional wedding speech order, the father of the bride speech tends to be the first of the day, so dads should start by welcoming all the guests that have attended the wedding.

"Make the welcome heartfelt but try to include a touch of humour too. This will help you and your guests relax into the speech."

2. Say Thank You

In line with the introduction, it's also a good idea to thank everyone for coming, and those in particular who helped plan or fund the wedding. This is usually where you will thank your new in-laws as well as members of your own family. 

3. About Your Daughter

Once you have done a short introduction and a few snappy thank yous, it's time to get to the heart of your speech and talk about your daughter.

Using the tips below, spend this part of the speech celebrating your daughter for the wonderful woman she is. 

Adding to this, Heidi explains that no father of the bride speech would be complete without a bit of praise for your daughter on her wedding day, "Whether it’s towards the end or at the beginning of the speech, a dad should always remember to publicly acknowledge how beautiful the bride looks.

"It can be easily forgotten by fathers sitting down to write their speeches months before the day but it’s not something you want to miss out."

4. Talk About the Couple

Once you've spoken about your daughter, pivot to talking about her partner, and welcome them and their family into yours. 

Heidi gives her take on how you can make this tribute special: "Again, this should be a mix of entertaining and meaningful.

"Pinpoint the unique characteristics that make them the ideal partner for your daughter. Do they both have equally appalling music taste? Or is one of them ridiculously clumsy and the other great at DIY?"

5. Your Words of Wisdom

After you've talked about the merging of two families, this is when you can offer a few words of wisdom and advice to the happy couple.

6. The Toast

The best way to end any father of the bride speech is, of course, with a wedding toast! Whether it's funny, poignant, light-hearted or deep, getting everyone to raise a toast to the happy couple is the best ending to any father of the bride speech. 

Heidi explains, "The conclusion of the speech should reiterate your pride and love for your daughter, and share your hopes for the couple’s marriage. It’s no longer necessary to offer the newlyweds ‘marriage advice’ per se, but many dads still opt to; sometimes the advice is humorous and naughty, sometimes it's meaningful and heartfelt.

"A father’s toast at the end of the speech should be directed towards the newlyweds. The style is up to you, but we are seeing many fathers increasingly opting for a more personal sentiment over the traditional ‘health and happiness’ option."

Dos and Don'ts for Writing a Father of the Bride Speech

Now you have the structure and 'must includes' down, it's time to start putting pen to paper.

But how do you write a cracking father of the bride speech? Heidi shares her insight on the biggest do's, and her top tips on how to write a father of the bride speech to be proud of. 

1. Do: Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Start thinking about your speech at least a couple of months before the wedding date. 

2. Do: Crowdsource Stories & Ideas

You don't have to do this alone! Pick the brains of the rest of the rest of your family when it comes to thinking about stories or anecdotes. Ask people for their funniest and fondest memories of your daughter - siblings are great for intel.

3. Do: Choose a Narrative

Once you have all of the material together, see if there's a theme that links multiple stories together. Is she always right? Or remarkably clumsy? Or so devoted to her pups, you couldn't believe it when she found a human she liked as much?

Having a strong narrative is a great way of ensuring your speech has depth, and isn't just a list of unlinked observations.

4. Do: Be Ruthless

When you've got everything written down, go through your speech and edit it. We usually recommend people cut down their speech by about a third. Be ruthless. A speech is always better when it's punchy and has pace to it. 

5. Do: Test it Out & Rehearse

Once you've made edits, test the speech out on your partner or someone you trust to give honest feedback - that's the key here. You want someone who will tell you the truth - if they don't get a joke about your daughter, no one else in the room will, so take on any advice they give. 

Ensure you have at least a couple of weeks ahead of the big day to memorise your speech and feel confident in your delivery.

We always try and encourage our fathers to try and memorise the speech so they feel comfortable with the flow on the day, and use their notes as a reference as opposed to reading directly from them. 

6. Do: Smile!

It sounds so simple, but looking happy while you deliver your father of the bride wedding speech makes all the difference. Ensure you make eye contact with the guests on the day and smile throughout - it's literally infectious. 

7. Don't: Use Common Wedding Jokes

Whilst all speeches need humour and a few jokes, please avoid the tired, old (and really common) wedding jokes and googled gags. They will only result in groans or sympathy laughs, and that's not what you want.

If in doubt, remember the phrase, "It's funny because it's true," and use that when you're writing any jokes.

Think about your daughter at her naughtiest. What were her embarrassing habits as a child? Which of those still happen to her as an adult? Any guilty pleasures she should have grown out of, but absolutely hasn't?

8. Don't: Use Crude Language

On that note, when writing jokes or including humour in your father of the bride speech, avoid anything crude or inappropriate that could cause people in the room, specifically your daughter, to be embarrassed.

No exes. No mention of things you know she'd rather you didn't share. If it's the kind of story she'd kick you under the table for at a dinner party, it's definitely not wedding-appropriate. 

And that goes for money as well - it's better to not talk too much about finances. 

9. Don't: Tell Her Life Story

Of course, you love your daughter, and you probably have hundreds of stories and memories you'd like to share, but many dads make the mistake of trying to chronicle their daughter's entire life story and every achievement that's ever occurred into the speech, and it's really not necessary. 

Yes, you want your guests to get the sense of what a wonderful person she is, but no one needs to know that she played Annie in her Year 6 play - unless there's a funny story in there, of course. 

10. Don't: Let it Drag On

For the stories you are including, make sure they aren't too complicated and don't go on for too long. Much like the length of your speech, no one has ever listened to a story and thought, "God, I wish that went on for longer!"

If your stories are too complicated and long-winded, you'll lose the room. Land the plane, quickly and with a punch.

The length of your father of the bride speech absolutely matters and how long yours is will depend on how confident of a speaker you are, how many speeches are being made, and the timing of the day. But for a guide, Heidi advises on the perfect length and how to measure it.

She says, "When it comes to speeches, size matters. All speeches should be delivered within ten minutes, and that includes pauses for laughter.

"Generally, a father of the bride should aim for eight minutes or around 1,000 words. I'd say the maximum it should be is 1,300 words, but that's for a speech that's pacey and funny to justify the additional length."

11. Don't: Get Negative

Hopefully you're in a situation where you are really pleased with who your daughter has chosen to marry, but if for any reason you aren't, and you don't completely approve - do, not, mention, it. At all!

Your father of the bride speech is not the time to suggest anything other than overwhelming happiness for your daughter's choices. It also isn't a roast of their new partner, so play nice, please. 

12. Don't: Be Generic

The biggest mistake you can make when writing your father of the bride speech is not making it unique to your daughter, and resorting to clichés and googled anecdotes and jokes.

Once you've written it down, read back through your speech and ask yourself how many lines could be said by another father - and get rid of any that could.

Make it personal - every baby doesn't sleep through the night and poos a lot, so think of things that are unique to her. 

Father of the Bride Speech Examples

Here’s some examples of simple, real father of the bride speeches from our father of the bride speech section that can inspire you.

As you already know, we're not about a 'copy and paste' job when it comes to writing a father of the bride speech, but there is nothing wrong with using father of the bride speech examples to inspire you. You can even use these as templates to build your own speech from.

A lot of father of the bride speeches and examples will refer to a bride and groom, but you can alter the references to your daughter's partner if you are giving a speech at a LGBTQ+ wedding.

1. Sweet Father of the Bride Speech Example

This father of the bride gave a sweet speech about his daughter Leah and her new partner, explaining how proud he and Leah's mum were of her life choices and welcoming her new partner to the family. 

Welcome! To the family and friends, and friends that I’ve yet to meet. 

For those of you that don’t know me, I am the very proud father of this beautiful bride, Leah. As the father of the bride, I have the dubious pleasure of making the first speech: I am therefore the warm-up act for the star speakers – the groom, Clive and best man, Tim. 

Your mum and I are aware of just how blessed we’ve been to have you in our lives Leah. It has been an absolute joy to watch a very talkative and extremely inquisitive little girl blossom into the very beautiful, clever, compassionate and extremely loving young lady that I had the privilege of walking down the aisle today.

Leah has been like a ray of sunshine since the day she was born. Now, as she begins married life, Clive will be whom she will turn to for love and protection. And I know, that she knows, her mum and dad will always be there for her, too.

You often wonder as a parent just how your children will turn out. You wonder what sort of life decisions they will make, especially those that you have no control over. What friends will they choose, who they'll pick as a partner to share their life with. Will that person love and care for them as well as you would? Will you approve?

Well for what it’s worth Leah, your Mum and I think you have made an excellent choice in Clive!

I was honoured when Clive approached me to ask for Leah’s hand in marriage, but I wasn’t at all surprised. Today they are embarking on their greatest adventure together, and it gives me much pleasure to be here with them. I’m very happy to formally welcome Clive into our family today. He’s become like a son to us and he’s an absolute credit to you, Jane and John.

Leah, there is so much more I’d like to say about you. But I believe that my time is up. You look incredible today. You are a beautiful woman and a wonderful daughter. You have married a terrific man. And you will make a perfect wife. I won’t bore you with lengthy pieces of paternal advice, regarding marriage and life together, as I understand your hens have already done that for you.

So here's my piece: This world is entirely yours, and it is only you who will determine its rules. I am sure that you will build a reliable family home, your safe haven where you’ll feel at ease, which will give you strength to withstand the storms and challenges of life ahead. On this journey, let me wish you only love and good fortune.

You can read the full speech here.

2. Traditional Father of the Bride Speech Example

When making a gesture to your daughter's new partner, a sweet story about them is a lovely way to show your appreciation for them. This father of the bride decided to share the story of his daughter's partner asking for her hand in marriage, a tradition they decided to celebrate. 

Hello everyone. First of all, thank you so much for joining us tonight to celebrate [bride] and [groom] wedding.

Before I offer a toast to these newlyweds please allow me to say a few words about these two special people.

I'll start with the groom. Kim and I have known [groom] for a few years now. In our short time together we've been able to witness and appreciate many of his great qualities. We've learned that he's thoughtful and good natured. He's creative, industrious, and tackles projects with an artistic flair.

But better yet we've learned that [groom] has strong character. For example, 18 months ago [groom] came to our house and asked permission to marry [bride].While Kim and I were anticipating an engagement…asking permission demonstrated a level of character that you don't see every day.

It was a very special moment for us, and it really tested our capacity to keep a secret. But best of all during our time together, Kim and I have learned that [groom] is the one for [bride]. This not based on one single thing, but on the many little things.

I think anyone who has spent any time with this couple would agree they connect in a special way. And for these reasons, and the many more to come, we are delighted to call [groom] family today.

You can read the full speech here.

3. Funny Father of the Bride Speech Example

Adding just the right amount of humour to your father of the bride speech is guaranteed to go down well. It doesn't have to feel like a stand-up comedy routine, but a few jokes here and there can really bring it to live. This father of the bride did just that with his speech. 

Hello, for those of you who do not know me, I am Gillian's dad, Charlie.

As the father of the bride it's my privilege to give the first speech and, as I get to go first, you will have nothing to compare it to, so look to me at the warm up act for Kenny and David. This is an important day for my wife Lesley and I, a special day, when we officially welcome Kenny into our family.

Our welcome to him is not forced or a hardship, but something that we are happy to do, as we have known Kenny for so long now that it would have been sad if he didn't become part of our family one day. So today, both Lesley and I are delighted Gillian made it official and he is now one of us.

Time flies by so quickly, it doesn't seem that long ago since Gillian was born, and here I am today speaking or trying to toast her wedding. Gillian is a very caring person and has a lovely warm nature that has given her mother Lesley and I so much joy and happiness over the years, even in spite of her expensive tastes as she was growing up.

I could tell you a thing or two and who knows, later on, when I've had a few drinks I just might - but for now I can give you a small example, like when she used to ask me to upgrade her mobile phone, on what seemed like a weekly basis. So much so that I was sure I was getting a bigger discount from the manufacturers than Carphone Warehouse was.

Every father and mother wishes their daughter the best of luck for the future and worries about her finding the right person, one who will make her happy, cherish, and look after her forever.

During the time we have known Kenny, we have come to realise how special he is to Gillian, how much of a kind, caring, pleasant and genuinely nice man he is and what a great son in law he will be, IF he finishes my tiling. It's almost a yellow card for you Kenny.

Gillian, you are a very pretty woman and looked stunning in your wedding dress and as you know, your dad tends to state the obvious. Today, you really looked beautiful when I saw you in your wedding dress. You looked like a princess who has now found her prince charming!

I'm not saying Kenny looked like a frog before you kissed him but... Oh no, I see Kenny is starting to go into a bit of a sulk…OK Kenny, you look really handsome and very smart too. Almost but not quite as good looking as Gillian.

Lesley and I will always be there for you if you ever need anything. But I need to clarify something, that by anything, I mean if you both want to talk, not borrow money, because that would be something different and nigh on impossible. It's good to talk but I can only lend you an ear.

And can I just remind you both, that you signed a contract. For richer, for poorer etc, remember? I have witnesses and it's on tape! That, in legal terms, is called good admissible evidence.

Finally, I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple, and know that everyone here will want to join me in wishing this pair a very long, happy, and healthy future together.

You can read the full speech here.

4. Sentimental Father of the Bride Speech Example

This father of the bride gave a sentimental toast to both his daughter and her new partner. He used beautiful stories and words to narrate how he felt and we just love the sentiment here. 

Laura, both me and your Mum are both aware of just how blessed we have been to have you in our lives and we hope you know exactly how much we love you and how very proud we are of the lovely young lady you have become.

It has been an absolute joy for both your mum and me to watch a very talkative, extremely inquisitive - and often clumsy - little girl develop into the beautiful, young lady that it was my absolute privilege to escort down the aisle today. After all it doesn't seem all that very long ago that you were dancing around in front of the mirror, hair brush in hand belting out some Spice Girls hit, or was that last week.

I first became aware that Laura had found herself a young man when suddenly our dinner discussions that had been on subjects such as reduction labels, stock levels, queue lengths and the amount of overtime left in the Tesco budget, suddenly became about groceries and a certain young manager by the name of James.

I know that tradition dictates that it is at this point that I am supposed to welcome James today into our family, but the truth is that we have known him for some eight years now and from day one he has always been a member of the family. He's happy to join in with what's going on, an expert in assembling gazebos and an excellent cook when it comes to looking after BBQs. Just not much of a rally driver.

For what it's worth Laura your Mum, Barney and I think you have made a great choice. From the first day we met James he has been an absolute credit to both Tracy and Lee. At this point I can only apologise to both of them for the additional workload that Laura joining their family may cause.

Laura and James, may your marriage be a truly happy one and may you have a long and wonderful life together. It is my very great pleasure to propose the first toast to the happy couple. So could I ask you please be upstanding and raise your glasses to the bride and groom.

You can read the full speech here. 

5. Funny & Heartfelt Father of the Bride Speech Example

This father of the bride speech example has the perfect balance of humour and sentiment, as it touches on funny stories and anecdotes, as well as some more hard-hitting roadblocks the couple have had to navigate through. 

Good afternoon everyone. On behalf of Moira and Ellen and myself, I would like to start by welcoming you all and to thank you for coming here to celebrate this very special, happy occasion, the marriage of our daughter Marie to Stephen.

Every wedding is special, of course. But to see your daughter get married is something else. Marie, our walk down the aisle this afternoon is a memory I shall cherish. You looked absolutely beautiful in your stunning wedding dress.

When the date was set for the wedding I thought that was plenty of time to get my father of the bride speech sorted or maybe just wing it! As you can imagine, that suggestion didn’t go down well. In fact, it should be called mother of the bride speech as Moira kept crossing out things I couldn’t say about Marie to embarrass her.

Growing up, Marie was stubborn and moody, don’t know where she got that from, but always there for friends and family. Always helping around the house, cooking and cleaning – NOT! I know where she got that from.

Marie went to Australia for a year, she left right after her 21st birthday not able to boil an egg, hopefully she has got better Stephen.

After they had been together a while I got a call from Marie, in tears saying she just found out something terrible about Stephen. I calmed her down and that’s when she told the news. Stephen was a Rangers supporter and what should she do. At the time they were in the 3rd division so I told Marie he was probably embarrassed to tell you.

When Stephen asked Marie to move in the first thing she asked was, “Do you have Sky Sports?” He must have thought it was xmas, a girlfriend who will watch footy instead of Corrie. She’s a keeper.

Anyone who knows the two of them and saw them together will know how much in love and how well suited they are, especially when they got the horrible news of Stephen’s cancer.

Stephen gave Marie the option to walk away, but that was never going to happen, as I saw first hand with Marie and Ellen being at his bedside during the chemo how close Marie was to the whole of Stephen's family and him to ours.

You only have to be in their company for a few minutes to realise they are best friends as well as soul mates.

After Stephen got the all clear I invited him to play golf having heard he was a pretty decent junior player, I thought this was a great chance to see how he reacts to me. With only one eye and difficulty hitting all his shots properly he let me win. I thought then “You will do for me”. We haven’t played since, thankfully.

Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, could you please raise your glass to the bride and groom: Marie and Stephen.

You can read the full speech here. 

6. Short Father of the Bride Speech Example

This short father of the bride speech example is concise and to the point, proving that you can make a brilliant speech with everything needed inside, without it having to last ages and ages. 

Good afternoon everybody on behalf of Sharon and myself, I would like to start by welcoming you all and to thank you for coming here to celebrate.

Now if you want to get an inkling of what Bex was like as a small child then look no further than her lovely daughter Raina, a child full of energy like Bex and always on the go.

Never sleeping when she should just like Bex, irritating her brother whenever possible like Bex, but always a wonderful happy little soul.

Bex was very talkative as a small child and when she wasn't forming long sentences she would gabble away in a language only known to herself.

You are a wonderful daughter; and have provided us with so much joy and happiness over the years.

It has been a joy for both your mum and me to watch you develop from our gorgeous baby daughter into the very beautiful, clever, compassionate and extremely loving daughter, mother, and now wife, that you have become.

And it was my honour and privilege to escort you down the aisle today.

I know that tradition dictates that it is at this point that I am supposed to welcome Paulo today into our family, but he has been part of it for a while now, with exceptional BBQ's whenever the weather permits, so we have had quite a few this year.

Also I have always thought that Paulo and I have had a mystic connection from the very start.

It seems that we both share a very strong interest in the spirit world.

Two spirits to be precise.

Gin and whiskey.

Together we have quite a substantial collection.

It only remains for me to say – Bexy and Paulo, happy marriages begin when you marry the one you love, and they blossom when you love the one you married.

May your marriage be a truly happy one, and may you have a long and wonderful life together.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have one final very pleasurable responsibility to fulfil.

It is my very great pleasure to propose the first toast to the happy couple. So, could I ask you please to be upstanding and raise your glasses to the Bride and Groom.

You can read the full speech here. 

7. Father of the Bride Speech Example With Advice

In this father of the bride speech example, the dad gives some really personal, funny and sweet advice to his daughter and her new partner. 

Louisa and Steve not only found and booked this amazing house for their big day they also provided us with the fantastic meal we're all about to enjoy.

In fact, in a welcome break from tradition, today is virtually all courtesy of Steve and Louisa themselves. So thank you both, very much, for your generosity and hard work.

Every wedding is special, of course. But to see your first-born daughter get married is something else.

Louisa, our walk down the aisle this afternoon is a memory I shall cherish: you looked absolutely beautiful in your stunning and elegant wedding dress.

Although to be honest part of me expected to see you in your jeans and Converse and Steve in his purple Warwick University hoodie. That wouldn't have surprised anybody.

Louisa; Mum and I have always been extremely proud of you; and never more so than today. You're clever, independent, modest, thoughtful and fun-loving. What's not to like?

Now, I know what some of you are thinking; how on earth can such a beautiful, intelligent and modest young lady be his daughter? Well she is. It's just that, apart from the ginger gene, she's much more like her mother than she is me…which means she can be a bit secretive at times.

Now, at this point it would be customary to spend a few minutes bragging about the qualities of our new son-in-law…and that would be very easy for me indeed; in fact, I've got two pages of notes here listing Steve's good points and the many reasons why he's a perfect match for our number one daughter. Unfortunately Steve, I can't read your handwriting…

Suffice to say, Ali and I are delighted Steve met Louisa that fateful night; they're obviously a very well suited couple and make each other very happy.

Finally, it was suggested to me that I should sign-off today with my thoughts on what makes for a successful, long and happy marriage. Well, I'm not sure I can put a finger on it, to be honest; and I'm sure it's different for every couple.

In my case, it's been very easy. I've just done exactly what I've been told for the last 36 years and that works for us. Other than that, all I can really offer is some advice to Steve, based on my experience, for a continued happy time living with Louisa:

Always have Louisa on your side in any quiz or board game especially if it involves numbers.
Never gloat if, in the unlikely event, Wales should ever beat England at Rugby Union.
Most importantly, never, ever, eat the last piece of chocolate without Louisa's permission.
More seriously, stay best friends, don't sweat the small stuff, do lots of everything while you both can, have fun and try to laugh every day. I wish you both much love and happiness in your new married life together.

You can read the full speech here. 

8. Shy Father of the Bride Speech Example

I would like to begin by welcoming you all, and thank you for coming to this very special occasion to celebrate the marriage of my beautiful daughter Jennifer to Christopher

I would like to start by extending a very warm welcome on behalf of my wife Gill and myself to the parents of the groom Don and Sue.

I would also like to thank everyone who has helped in the lead up to the wedding in whatever way possible big or small, you have all played your part to make this day very special.

I would also like to give a huge thank you to the bridesmaids. These occasions don't just happen, they take a lot of thought, time, planning and preparation - you have done Jenny and Chris proud. 

Gill and I must also give a big thank you to Rhys the best man, he's done such a great job so far and the hardest bit is over Rhys, you got the groom here.

I am a bit nervous today as I am not used to speaking in public, but I am sure we will get by.

Writing this speech was a real worry at first. What do you say, what do you write?

Then it dawned on me, just say it how it is from the heart, so here is the other copy my wife gill did not get to read or edit.

Every father knows that one day their offspring will find a partner and fly the nest. You worry about that day. Now that day has arrived. No longer am I worried, because Jenny has found and chosen her partner for life.

Your children are very special to you and you never stop worrying about them.

So this is the bit where I get Jenny worried about me embarrassing her.

When Jenny was tiny I remember she had a little knitted boots and a special little walker seat we sat her in.

It was round with casters on the bottom and she used to scoot round the house in it with those little knitted boots on trying to get whatever she wanted be for she could even walk. So she earned my loving nickname of Scoot Boots.

Then she started to grow up. I remember watching Jenny trying to climb up the stairs on her little wobbly legs struggling on every step. Worried that my little girl might fall I went over to her and said you want some help Scoot. She was just about able to talk at this stage. She said noooo I can do it dad. Just hold this glass of vodka for me.

They grow up so quick don't they.

Well my little Scoot Boots has not flown the nest but has scooted off into another man's arms, the arms of a man she has chosen to help hold love and support her up and down the staircases of life.

Over the time we have got to know Chris we realise how special he is to Jenny. He is a real genuine nice guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and loves and cares for Jenny. They are both so happy together. As a son in law I couldn't have asked for better.

Don and Sue, your son Christopher is an absolute credit to you both.

If I try and put my emotions into words, I cannot express enough how I am the proudest father in the world today. Seeing my daughter all grown up looking so beautiful, happy and radiant is such an amazing sight.

Jenny and Chris I know you will both be very happy and forge a great life together. Enjoy and remember this moment forever. You are amongst people today who love and care about you very much. Gill and I will always be there for you.

Finally I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple, and I know everyone here will want to join me in raising your glasses in a toast to a very long healthy and happy future together.

You can read the full speech here. 

So, there's your complete guide. Now, if you want to add some extra sentiment to your speech, here's our selection of emotional father of the bride speech quotes and toasts for you to use.