The first thing the father of the bride has to remember when preparing his speech is that you are addressing an audience that has something in common. The audience will either know the groom or the bride or even both. The advantage the father of the bride has is that he has the audience on his side and that is a big plus. They really want to hear what the father of the bride has to say in his speech. The father of the bride is generally one of the more senior members of the wedding festivities and the audience is expecting a very good speech from him.
The first thing the father of the bride needs to work out in his speech is how long the speech is to be. In most cases a brief but concise speech is the best. If the father of the bride drags his speech out too far he will loose his audience after the first ten minutes. Conversely, a two minute father of the bride speech will not work at all because your audience needs to hear all the good things about his beautiful daughter and maybe a few funny things about his new son-in-law. Fidel Castro would sometimes speak for half a day but we doubt his audience was listening after the first 30 minutes. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln's address at Gettysburg lasted no longer then five minutes and went down in history as one of the greatest speeches of all time. The father of the bride speech should be within a time frame that is comfortable but covers the main ingredients.
Humour creates a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and is the essential ingredient in any wedding speech, formal or informal. A word of caution, however. Use humour in moderation. Nothing becomes more tiresome or rings as false as a constant stream of one-liners or bad jokes. Also, avoid jokes that may cause embarrassment or hurt to anyone present. Remember, as the father of the bride, you are there to flatter the bride and groom, not to boost your own ego by displaying a spiteful wit. Bear in mind too the ages of the guests. A prim eighty year old grandmother will not appreciate a smutty joke about the bride and neither will many others. In fact, sexual innuendoes should be avoided as they are usually tasteless and fall completely flat.
Once you have prepared your speech, practice, practice, practice and rehearse. Never race through your speech as though you can't wait to finish it. Make a conscious effort to go slow. Take a breath between sentences and where there are natural pauses. Remember that it only seems slow to you and that a slower speech adds emphasis. If you discover when rehearsing aloud that your voice sounds monotonous, try varying it by giving emphasis to certain words. You may even mark key words in your speech. All this may sound phony to you but it will keep the guests interested in what your are saying and it sounds a lot better then a dull drone.
A lot of preparation is required by the father of the bride to give the perfect speech. We have taken a lot of the preparation out of the process for you. Follow the link below and you will find the right advice and guidance to enable you to give that perfect speech.
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