Father of the Bride
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The brides father has his role to play on the wedding day, although where the brides father is unable to perform these duties, many of the duties can be taken care of by other people.
In this section
Father of the Bride Duties
- The father has the very important role of supporting his daughter on her wedding day.
- He must try and keep her nerves under control.
- Help her in and out of the wedding transport without crushing her dress.
- Get his daughter to the church on time.
- Ensure other members of the bridal party get their wedding transport on time.
- Walk her down the aisle.
- Give his daughter away to her groom.
- Traditionally pay for the wedding reception, although more and more couples are choosing to pay for all aspects of the wedding themselves.
- Traditionally welcome the guests in a formal line to the wedding reception, although the bride and groom, the catering manager or the Master of Ceremonies are more commonly taking on this role.
- Have the honour to make the first of the speeches after the meal at the reception.
What should a bride do if her father is unable to fulfill his duties?
A bride can ask her brother, uncle or a close family friend to take on the responsibilities.
Father of the Bride Speech
There are traditionally three wedding speeches conducted in the following order:
- Brides father
- Groom
- Best man
Top tips for making knock out speeches
- Start thinking about the speech six months before the wedding. That way you can be writing down material you can use.
- Remember to include the following in your speech:
- How well the wedding has gone so far.
- Thank all the guests for coming.
- Comment on how you’ve watched your daughter grow up and change into a mature beautiful woman, and that you are pride of her and what she has achieved.
- Mention how you were introduced to your son-in-law and what your first impressions were, and how you have seen the relationship he has with your daughter evolve.
- Say how you feel about your son-in-law, without saying the old cliché, I haven’t lost a daughter but gained a son.
- Make a copy of your speech in case you lose the original.
- Be positive, the audience has been waiting to listen to your speech.
- PRACTICE your speech in front of close friends and record it. This allows you to get feedback from people and you can judge your pace.
- Make eye contact with one person at a time during the course of your speech.
- If you are telling an anecdote set the scene so all guests can relate to the story, but keep it brief.
- Smile, and your audience will smile with you.
- Most importantly be YOURSELF, if you try to be somebody you are not, the audience will not be as forgiving.
- If you forget a line, just apologise and laugh it off and the audience will laugh with you.
- Etiquette states you should end with a toast to the health and happiness of the bride and groom.
