A Father of the Bride Toast To Remember Forever

So how DO you write a good father of the bride toast, anyway? Well, it's true that the best speeches always include the same few qualities.

In order to make a big splash, you'll need to draw on past experiences from her childhood. Try to think of moments when the two of you bonded, and make it into a story. Remember when she was daddy's little girl sitting on your lap. Remember the really hilarious moments.

Describe all of the values you tried to teach her as she grew up. Give an example of how your daughter, as an adult, is living her life by the same values you instilled in her during her childhood.

Of course, it is essential that you mention the groom and his parents. Perhaps you could joke about how you felt like grabbing the shotgun when your daughter first brought him home. But always end the story by expressing your gratitude that she has chosen a true gentleman, and that you accept him and his parents into the family with open arms.

Chances are, when you really think of all of your memories and past experiences, you will find that you have way too much to fit into one father of the bride toast. Don't try to stuff too much into it. Concentrate on two or three really touching and funny anecdotes. If you talk too much and for too long, eventually your audience will start getting bored, and they'll be ready to move on.

Keep your father of the bride toast short and sweet, but of course not TOO short. Around five minutes or so is probably a good estimate. If it runs longer than that, make sure that the quality of your speech is good enough to keep everyone interested.

Remember-- your speech is probably going to be the first out of a whole bunch of speeches for the night! Yours will be followed by the best man's speech, the maid of honor's speech, the groom's speech, and more. Don't hog the stage. Make sure you allow lots of time for the everyone else to talk as well.

You also need to think about the delivery of your toast. Are you aiming for a really funny speech that will leave the audience in stitches? My advice is that funny toasts are great, but don't try to make it seem like you feel the wedding is all one big joke. End with a serious statement about your love for your daughter and how proud you are that she has reached such a huge milestone in her life.

Also, avoid mentioning anything too overly embarrassing about your daughter. It may seem entertaining to everyone else, but you definitely don't want to hurt or anger a bride on the most special day of her life!

If you want to give a serious, emotional, and tear-jerking father of the bride toast that will leave everyone reaching for their kleenex... just remember that this is meant to be a HAPPY occasion. If you mention tragedies, personal hardship, death of loved ones, etc., make sure that you end your toast on a positive note. You're at a wedding, not a funeral!

In my opinion, the best father of the bride toast offers a good bit of humor BUT also draws on memories and past experiences to illicit a tear-jerking, bittersweet feeling in your audience. Use your intuition and common sense when writing your toast-- you know your family, and you should try to determine which kind of toast they would love to hear the most.

How do I know all of this? Well, I had to give my own father of the bride toast late last year, and fortunately I managed to keep everyone entertained, laughing, and tearing up. I definitely didn't wing it, though!

When I learned my daughter was getting married, I kind of panicked because I'm not great at public speaking, and I really had no clue how to keep an audience entertained and interested in what I had to say.

So I did a quick search on Google and found Father Bride Speeches, a great resource that helped me write a fantastic father of the bride toast that I can honestly say I am very proud of! It also offers 20 pre-written father of the bride toasts that you can use and personalize.

I HIGHLY recommend Father Bride Speeches.

Please believe me when I tell you, your father of the bride toast is the most important toast on the most important day of your daughter's life! Don't wing it and try to come up with something at the last minute!