Every father of the bride speech covers roughly the same ground: a welcome, some thank-yous, stories about the bride, a few words about her partner and a toast. What makes one speech better than another is the detail. The examples below are about made-up families, and each is written in a different voice so you can see how much room there is to make the speech your own.
If you're still working out what to put in, start with what to include, or use the template to build yours section by section.
1. A heartfelt speech (about four minutes)
Steve is a plumber from Stockport. His daughter Hannah is a children's nurse, and she is marrying Josh, a primary school teacher. Steve wanted something warm with a few light moments, and he wanted to mention his wife's mum, who died the year before the wedding.
Good afternoon, everyone. For those who don't know me, I'm Steve, Hannah's dad. I've been told I have to do this bit before anyone gets their dinner, so I'll try not to keep you too long.
On behalf of Julie and myself, thank you all for coming. I know some of you have travelled a long way. Josh's Auntie Carol has come over from Perth in Australia, which makes the drive from Macclesfield that some of you were moaning about look quite small. Pat and Andy, it's lovely to have you and all of Josh's family here. We've had a lot of fun planning today with you over the past year, and a lot of Pat's lemon drizzle.
I'd also like to say a word about Julie's mum, Nana Joan, who we lost last spring. She bought her hat for today eighteen months ago and kept it in a box on top of her wardrobe. She'd have loved every minute of this.
Hannah was born at Stepping Hill on a very wet Tuesday in March. Twenty-four years later she started working there as a nurse on the children's ward, which I think tells you a lot about her. She has always looked after people. When she was six she ran a hospital for teddies in the airing cupboard, and her brother Liam had to queue on the landing to visit them.
She's also stubborn, in the best way. When she was nine she decided she was going to swim a full length at Grand Central before her birthday. We went every Saturday morning for three months. I'd be stood in the shallow end freezing, and she'd say, "One more, Dad." She did it a week before her birthday, then asked if she could do another one.
Most of you know that Hannah and I have a thing about County. I took her to Edgeley Park when she was seven and she's had the seat next to mine ever since. We've sat through some shocking afternoons together, and a couple of brilliant ones, and I'll never forget her face the day we got promoted. Josh, I'm sorry to tell you that County are now your problem as well.
Now I'd like to say a word about Josh. The first time Hannah brought him home, he came for Sunday dinner, ate three Yorkshire puddings and then helped me fix the side gate that had been hanging off for a year. Julie said to me afterwards that she liked him. I said I liked him too, mainly because of the gate. That was four years ago, and I like him a great deal more now. He is patient with Hannah and he makes her laugh more than anyone I know. He teaches Year 4 at St Thomas's, so he spends all day with nine-year-olds, which I think is good practice for marrying into our family.
Josh, you've been part of this family for a while already, but it's lovely to make it official. Welcome.
Hannah, watching you walk down the aisle this afternoon was one of the proudest moments of my life. You've grown into a woman who works hard and looks after everyone around her, and who still rings her dad every Sunday night to talk about the football. Please don't ever stop doing that.
So would you all please stand and raise your glasses. To Hannah and Josh.
What makes it work: the details are all real places and real habits, from Grand Central pool to the Sunday phone call. The mention of Nana Joan is short and comes early, so the speech can move on to happier things. The gate story welcomes Josh with a smile and then says plainly that the family likes him.
2. A funny speech (about four minutes)
Raj is a pharmacist in Oadby, near Leicester. His daughter Anjali, a structural engineer, is marrying Chloe, a paramedic from Newcastle. Raj wanted laughs, and nearly all of them are at his own expense.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Raj, Anjali's dad. My wife Meena has asked me to keep this under five minutes, and she has a stopwatch running on her phone, so if I stop halfway through a sentence you'll know why.
Thank you all for coming, especially those of you who have flown in from Mumbai and Nairobi. And a special welcome to Chloe's family, who drove down from Newcastle this morning and still look more awake than I do. Sue and Martin, thank you for raising such a lovely daughter, and for being so patient with my family, who are very large and very loud. By the end of tonight you'll have been introduced to about forty aunties, and they will expect you to remember every one of their names.
I have been a pharmacist for twenty-six years. In that time I've learned a great deal about medicine and nothing at all about talking to a room full of people. So I asked Anjali for advice. She said, "Dad, whatever you do, don't mention the satnav." So I won't tell you about the time I drove the whole family to Skegness when we were meant to be going to Scarborough. And I definitely won't tell you that Anjali, who was eleven, noticed about an hour before I did.
Anjali has always been the most organised person in our house, although the rest of us haven't made it hard for her. When she was eight she drew up a rota for feeding the goldfish. I am still on that rota. The goldfish died in 2004.
Meena and I tried very hard to get her to be a doctor. She became an engineer instead, so she now designs bridges for a living, and her father still can't put up a shelf. Meena will happily tell you about the shelf in the downstairs toilet. Please don't ask her.
Chloe came into our lives four years ago, when Anjali brought her home for Diwali. That is a brave choice for a first visit. Within an hour she had been fed by three different aunties and had agreed to go to a cousin's wedding in Wembley. She's kept coming back ever since, so we must be doing something right. As she's a paramedic, I've found it very reassuring to have her here tonight, because you haven't seen me dance yet.
What I've noticed most about the two of them is how they look after each other. Last winter Anjali was working all hours on a job in Manchester, and every Friday night Chloe drove over with a curry from our favourite place on the Golden Mile, because she knew Anjali wouldn't eat properly otherwise. Meena turned to me the first time it happened and said, "That's the one." She was right, as she usually is.
Chloe, welcome to the family. I'm sorry about the aunties. They will never leave you alone now, and I promise you that's a good thing.
Anjali, you have always been cleverer than me and far better organised, and today you look more beautiful than I have ever seen you. Your mum and I are so proud of you.
Before I sit down, I'm told the dance floor opens at nine o'clock. I'd like to apologise to Chloe's family in advance.
So please stand and raise your glasses. To Anjali and Chloe.
What makes it work: every joke is about Raj himself, so nobody else is embarrassed. The satnav story works because he pretends he won't tell it. The funny part stops before the part about the couple, and the curry story shows what Chloe is like without any fuss. There's more on this in funny father of the bride speeches.
3. A short speech (under three minutes)
Alasdair is a joiner from Inverness and a man of few words. His daughter Kirsty, a physio, is marrying Callum from Fort William. He wanted to say his piece and sit down.
Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Alasdair, Kirsty's dad. I'm not one for speeches, so I'll keep this short and let you get on with your dinner.
Thank you all for coming. It's grand to see so many of you here, and a special welcome to Callum's family, who have come up from Fort William. Fiona and Donnie, it's been a real pleasure getting to know you. I'd also like to thank my wife Isla, who has organised every bit of today with Kirsty. I was mostly asked to carry things.
Kirsty was always outdoors. When she was small she followed me round the workshop with her own wee hammer, and she built a bird box that's still up on our back fence. It's squint, but the blue tits don't seem to mind. By the time she was twelve she'd been up more hills than I had. These days she's a physio at Raigmore, and she tells me off about my back every time she comes home.
Callum, I remember the first time you came to the house. Kirsty had warned you I'd be quiet, so you talked to me about shinty for two hours and I hardly had to say a word. You've been welcome ever since.
Last spring he came to find me in the workshop on a Saturday morning. He stood about for twenty minutes talking about sanders before he got round to asking if he could marry my daughter. I'd guessed by then, but I let him get there on his own. I said yes, of course. You're good for her, Callum, and I've never once heard you complain when she drags you up a hill in the rain.
Kirsty, your mum and I are very proud of you. You've always known your own mind, and you've picked a fine man.
So would you all please stand and raise your glasses. To Kirsty and Callum.
What makes it work: it is under 400 words and every paragraph does one job. The bird box and the workshop story tell you a lot about Alasdair and Kirsty without him having to say much. For more like this, see short and simple speeches.
4. When the bride's mum has died (about three minutes)
Gareth is a mechanic from Morriston in Swansea. His wife Sian died six years before the wedding. Their daughter Megan, a speech and language therapist, is marrying Ollie from Bath. Gareth wanted to include Sian without the whole speech becoming sad.
Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Gareth, Megan's dad, and I'd like to thank you all for being here. Richard and Helen, you've made us so welcome over the last couple of years, and I see you've brought half of Bath over the bridge with you today. We're very glad to have you all.
Before I go any further, I want to say a few words about Megan's mum. Sian died six years ago this October, and she'd have been in her element today. She'd have been up at six doing everybody's hair, and she'd have been crying from the moment the car pulled up. Megan is wearing her mum's pearl earrings today, the ones Sian wore when we got married at St Mary's. I know she's in all our thoughts. That's all I'm going to say, because Sian would tell me to get on with it and talk about our daughter.
Megan was a noisy baby and a noisy toddler, and she has never really quietened down. When she was five she sang the whole of Joseph in the back of the car from Swansea to Tenby, twice. By the time she was fifteen she was in every show going at school, and her mum and I sat through three separate productions of Grease.
When Sian died, Megan was in her second year at university in Cardiff. She came home every weekend for a year. I kept telling her she didn't need to, and every Friday night she'd turn up anyway with a bag of washing and a takeaway from the Chinese on Woodfield Street. It was a while before I realised she was coming home to look after me. I don't think I ever thanked you properly for that, Megs, so I'm thanking you now.
She works with children in Neath Port Talbot now, helping them with their speech, and she's very good at it, which won't surprise anybody who has ever heard her talk.
Megan first brought Ollie home on the day Wales played England in the Six Nations. I thought it was going to be a long afternoon. England lost, Ollie took it very well, and afterwards he helped me with the washing up without being asked. He's been at every Sunday dinner he can get to since. He's steady and he's kind, and I've not had to worry about her once since she met him.
Ollie, you're part of our family now. I hope you know that.
Megan, I'm very proud of you, and I know your mum was too.
So please would you all stand and raise your glasses. To Megan and Ollie.
What makes it work: Sian is mentioned near the start, with one specific detail, and Gareth says clearly that he is moving on. That gives the room a moment and then lets everyone relax. She comes back once, in a single line at the end, which is enough. The story about the washing and the takeaway is the emotional centre of the speech, and it is about Megan.
Talk to your daughter first
If someone close has died, ask the bride how much she would like you to say and where in the speech she would like it. Some brides want a toast to absent family, some want a single line and some would prefer nothing at all on the day.
Using these examples
Read them out loud and you'll notice they are simple. Most sentences are short, and each one says something specific. That's what you are aiming for. Take the shape of whichever example feels closest to you, then fill it with your own family. If you're a step-dad, there is a separate example in step-father of the bride.
If you would like a first draft to start from, Speechmade will write one with AI from your answers about your daughter and her partner, in the tone and length you choose.
Common questions
Can I copy one of these speeches?
You're welcome to borrow the structure or a line you like, but a speech copied word for word won't sound like you and won't be about your daughter. The details are what make each of these work, so swap in your own stories.
How long are these example speeches?
The first two run to about four minutes, the third to under three and the last to about three. Timings assume a steady pace of around 130 words a minute, and pauses for laughs will add a little.
Are these real speeches?
No. They were written for this page about made-up families, so nobody real is being quoted. They are based on the things dads tend to talk about and the way UK wedding speeches usually run.
What if my daughter is marrying a woman?
The speech follows the same shape. You welcome her partner and her family in the same way, and the toast is to both their names or to the happy couple. The second example below is for a wedding with two brides.