Plenty of dads want to keep the speech short. Some hate speaking in public, and others know the best man has a long set planned and would rather say a few words and sit down. Both are good reasons. A short speech still has to do the main jobs, which are to welcome everyone, say something real about your daughter and her partner, and raise the toast. You can do all of that in two minutes.
What a short speech needs
Strip the speech back to these parts, in this order:
- Who you are and a welcome to the guests
- A welcome to her partner's family, by name
- One story or detail about your daughter
- One thing you like about her partner
- A sentence to your daughter, then the toast
If someone important has died or can't be there, you can add a single sentence after the welcome. Anything more than that is optional. The full list of things you could include is in what to include in a father of the bride speech.
A two-minute speech
Dave is a retired electrician from Norwich. His daughter Laura is a vet and is marrying Ben. The speech is about 280 words.
Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Dave, Laura's dad. I've been told to keep this short, and for once in my life I'm going to do as I'm told.
Thank you all for coming, and a warm welcome to Ben's family. Carol and Phil, it's been lovely getting to know you, and we're very happy to be sharing today with you.
I'd also like to mention my dad, Laura's grandad Ron, who we lost two years ago. He'd have been at the bar by now, telling anyone who would listen about his granddaughter the vet.
Laura has always done things her own way. When she was ten she brought a hedgehog home in a shoebox and kept it in the airing cupboard for a week before her mum found it. At sixteen she told us she was going to be a vet, and then she went and did exactly that. Every stray cat in Norfolk seems to know where she lives.
Ben, you've been coming round to ours for five years now. You've never once turned down a second helping of Sue's crumble, and you've always looked after our girl. Welcome to the family.
Laura, your mum and I are so proud of you.
Would you all please stand and raise your glasses. To Laura and Ben.
The hedgehog story does the work of a whole section about her childhood. The line about his dad takes ten seconds and means a lot to the family.
A three-minute speech
Kwame manages a bus depot in Croydon. His daughter Efua is a barrister and the eldest of three. She is marrying Daniel, whose family is from Sheffield. The speech is about 400 words.
Good evening, everyone. My name is Kwame, and I'm Efua's father. On behalf of my wife Akosua and myself, welcome, and thank you for coming. Some of you have come all the way from Kumasi, and I know a few of you are still recovering from the flight.
Janet and Paul, and everyone who has come down from Sheffield, you are very welcome. It has been a pleasure to get to know Daniel's family this past year. I'd also like to thank my sister Ama, who has been cooking jollof for three days so that none of you go home hungry tonight.
Efua is the eldest of our three children, and she has always behaved like it. When her brothers were small, she used to line them up by the front door before school to check their ties. They are grown men now, and she still does it. I watched her do it this morning.
She was a serious little girl. She read her way through most of Thornton Heath library, and at eleven she told me she was going to be a barrister. I said it sounded like a lot of hard work. She said she knew. She was called to the bar four years ago, and her mother cried from the start of the ceremony to the end.
Daniel, the first time you came to Sunday lunch, you ate everything Akosua put in front of you, including the pepper soup, which I have seen grown men leave the table over. I knew then that you were serious. You are a calm man, and you are very patient with our daughter, which is a skill I have been trying to learn for thirty years. Welcome to our family.
Efua, your mother and I love you very much, and we are very proud of the woman you have become.
Now, would you all please stand and raise your glasses. To Efua and Daniel.
There is one story about Efua as a child and one about her as an adult. The pepper soup gives Daniel's welcome a smile, and the line about patience gets a laugh from everyone who knows Efua.
How to cut your speech down
If you have already written something and it runs to six or seven minutes, here is how to bring it down without losing the parts that matter.
Shorten the thank-yous
You don't need to thank every supplier by name. The couple will usually do that. Keep your thanks to the guests, her partner's family and anyone who has paid for or given a lot of time to the day.
Pick one story
Many first drafts walk through her whole life, from the hospital to the engagement. Choose the one moment that shows best what she is like and cut the rest. If you can't choose, ask her mum or her sister which one they would keep.
Cut anything that needs explaining
If a story needs two sentences of background before it makes sense, it will probably lose half the room. Stories that work in a short speech can be told in three or four sentences.
Take out the general praise
Lines like "she's the most wonderful daughter a man could wish for" take time and don't tell anyone much. The story you've kept already shows what she is like, so one plain sentence of pride at the end is enough.
Read it aloud and time it
Your speech will take longer on the day than it does at the kitchen table, because people laugh and you pause. If it runs to two and a half minutes at home, it will be close to three at the wedding. The timings table in how long should a father of the bride speech be? will help.
If you're keeping it short because of nerves
A short speech is a good plan. For a shy or nervous dad has more on practising, reading from paper and getting through the first minute.
Getting a short draft written
If you would like a starting point, Speechmade writes a speech with AI from your answers about your daughter and her partner. You can choose a short length and read the opening before you decide. You can then change any of it so it sounds like you. The longer examples are worth a read too if you want to see how a five-minute speech is built.
Common questions
Is a two-minute father of the bride speech too short?
No. As long as you welcome everyone, say something about your daughter and her partner and raise the toast, two minutes is enough. Guests are usually glad of a short speech.
How many words is a short speech?
At a steady pace of about 130 words a minute, a two-minute speech is roughly 260 words and a three-minute speech is roughly 390 words. That fits on a single side of A4 in a readable font.
What should I cut first if my speech is too long?
Start with long lists of thank-yous and any story that needs a lot of explaining. Then trim the chronology of her childhood down to one or two moments. Keep the welcome, the part about her partner and the toast.
Will people think I have made no effort if I keep it short?
Not if the speech is specific. One good story about your daughter shows you have thought about what to say. Guests will be glad of it, and so will the best man.