By tradition the father of the bride hosts his daughter's wedding. The
tradition was also that he paid for the reception too, though this cost
os often shared around today. In keeping with that custom, the bride's
father is often expected to host the wedding reception.
For some weddings a professional master of ceremonies is engaged,
especially for society weddings. At many weddings the bride's father is
will give an opening speech and propose the toast to the newly married
couple at the start of the wedding reception, and continue to act as MC
for the following proceedings.
There are five essential steps to a father of the bride speech.
The first item is to say some welcoming words to set the atmosphere and
create a celebratory mood for a memorable wedding reception. The primary
goal is to help the guests to relax. A good way to achieve this is to
discuss the wedding ceremony, how beautiful the bride looks, the
location chosen for the reception or even the weather -- things that all
the guests will have an opinion about -- and how much you are excited
about meeting everyone and sharing the reception with them.
Secondly, as the host, the bride's father offers a welcome to all of the
guests. It is usual to introduce any special guests, especially the
groom's family and those who have made a special effort to get to the
wedding. Absent guests are often mentioned at this stage also,
especially those with close links with the bride or groom who have been
unable to get to the wedding. A much loved grandparent or favorite aunt
who has recently passed away is often mentioned at this point.
The third stage of the speech is to create some excitement about what to
expect during the reception. The highlight of the best man's speech and
any entertainment planned for during the reception, and plans for
events afterwards, might be mentioned. Your guests will relax more when
they know what is about to happen.
As a fourth step in their wedding speech, most proud fathers want to say
a few heartfelt words among friends and family about the bride, their
daughter. Finding the right words to say is often the most difficult
part of the speech to prepare for fathers. There is not just one way to
express your love for your daughter. Telling stories, possibly funny
stories, about your daughter meeting the groom and quoting poetry are
popular approaches, among many others.
Finally, to place the attention of the wedding reception firmly on the
newlywed couple it is usual for the bride's father to call for guests to
join him in a toast to the bride and groom. Choosing the right words
for the toast is an important step in preparing the speech.
Every father of the bride will add his own style of presentation, humor
and feelings into his speech around this or a similar simple five step
speech framework.
Few fathers will have much experience speaking at their own daughter's
wedding. Most will find a professionally prepared wedding speech guide
is very helpful. Speech outlines or templates, and examples of father of
the bride speeches, can be downloaded, along with checklists of things
and people that should not be overlooked. Time saving resources, such as
popular wedding toasts, jokes, quotes and poems are available to select
from. Not only do such resources save time preparing the father of the
bride speech - they also lift confidence.
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