father of the groom speech

Father of the Groom Speech Tips

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A father of the groom speech is an important milestone in your life. There’s no better feeling in the world than watching your son marry the love of his life.

But how do you, as a proud father, capture such raw emotion?

How do you tell family and friends exactly how you feel?

Here are a few tips on creating entertaining and memorable father of the groom speeches. 

(If you don’t have time to read about writing your own speech, get in touch with us on 1300 731 955 or use the contact form on this page.)

Writing a Father of the Groom Speech

When writing a father of groom speech, it’s important to set the right tone: light, heartfelt and entertaining.

Although not traditional like a father of the bride speech, father of the groom speeches – along with a bride speech – have become more popular in recent years, and are typically reserved for the rehearsal dinner.

A father of the groom speech can be a great opportunity to highlight the strong bond between you and your son, and to give people a glimpse into his personality.

Here are a few important things to include in a father of the groom speech:

  • Offer a warm welcome to guests, especially those who travelled a long way to attend the big day
  • Acknowledge the bride’s parents and other family members
  • Make special mention of any family members who were unable to attend the wedding day due to travel restrictions or illness
  • Share a funny anecdotes or heartwarming stories about your son that explains how your son became the man that he is today. You might need to take some time to recall memorable moments and funny stories. 
  • Welcome your new daughter-in-law into the family
  • Thank everyone involved in the wedding planning, including wedding planners, caterers and entertainment
  • Include any additional thoughts from the mother of the groom, (if she has chosen not to make a speech or if you two are no longer together, with her permission)
  • Advice for a successful marriage (keep it short and sweet if you feel comfortable offering advice)
  • Offer best wishes to the bride and groom, and raise a toast to the happy couple.

How to Craft the Best Speech to Your Son and His New Bride

A good father of groom speech comes straight from the heart. But here are some tips to remember when writing a wedding toast:

Keep It Short: The ideal length of a father of the groom speech should be around 3-6 minutes. Any longer, and you might start to lose the crowd.

Don’t Bother Memorising: Wedding speeches, of course, can be incredibly daunting. But you shouldn’t feel under pressure to remember every single word. Print a copy of your speech and practise it a few times so you’re able to make eye contact with the married couple and other guests while speaking.

Keep Thank Yous to a Minimum: It’s impossible to thank everybody in your speech. Instead of listing individual names, thank people in more generalised terms, for example: ‘I’d like to thank the Smith family for all their love and support.’

Good Storytelling: Each story you share about your son should have a purpose – focus on telling stories that are funny or cute, and make sure that they highlight his best qualities. Be playful, but don’t embarrass the young man.

Body Language: Pay attention to your movements as much as your words. Make sure that the mic is close enough so it picks up your voice as it travels with you, but not so close that it smothers your face.

Hire a Professional: Don’t feel confident enough to write your own speech? Get someone else to take down your thoughts so they can mould them into something presentable. A professional writer at Word Nerds can help turn those deep feelings into a speech that your loved ones will never forget!

Funny Father of the Groom Speeches

It’s good to inject a little humour into a father of the groom speech. But in a formal environment, it’s important to keep things family-friendly – avoid making any off-colour remarks or telling inappropriate stories. Not only will this reflect badly on yourself and the rest of your family, but you risk creating tension between the bride’s parents and their new son-in-law.

Stick to lighthearted subjects: Talk about your son’s favourite hobbies or interests. Poke gentle fun at the bride and groom, and talk about how they bring out the best in each other. Offer some fatherly words of wisdom or a hilarious quote. And yes, crack a couple of dad jokes (but not too many!)

If you’re not sure about anything, run it by the bride and groom first.

Example Wedding Speeches for Fathers of the Groom

Although Word Nerds doesn’t offer any templates, there are a number of examples you can use as a guide for writing your own father of the groom speech:

Traditional: ‘Good evening, I’m [your name]. I’m [son’s name]’s father, and I’d like to thank you all for joining us on this special day…’

Brief: ‘Thank you all for coming. To [son’s name], I just want to say that I love you, and seeing you with [bride’s name] makes me so happy. I wish you both a bright and beautiful future together.’

Sentimental: ‘It means so much to me and [groom’s mother] that you’re here to celebrate such a wonderful occasion. I only wish [relative’s name] could also be here with us. [Son’s name], seeing you with [bride’s name] fills me with so much happiness…’

Proud: ‘[Son’s name], as your father, I couldn’t be more proud of you today. I’ve had the unbelievable pleasure of watching you grow…’

Father of the Groom Speeches Australia

Over the years, Word Nerds has written father of the groom speeches for many fathers across Australia and we can write one for you that’s both touching and memorable.

Over the phone or email, one of our writers will ask a few questions to gather a little background information. You can even send through your own draft or notes for review. We will then begin crafting a speech, turning your thoughts and feelings into something special.

For help writing a father of the groom speech, call Word Nerds today on 1300 731 955. You can also get in touch via our at the top right-hand side of this page. 

Learn more about the types of wedding speeches and idea for creating a great speech. These include father of the bride speeches, groom speeches and best-man speeches.

Example of Father of the Groom Speech

Good evening and welcome.

I’m Ian, Greg’s father. I’m delighted to see so many people here to share such an important moment in Greg and Elaine’s lives.

I see several of Greg’s school friends from Yarra Valley College. Welcome, guys, both Christina and Amber who are close friends of my wife Gina.

First, I would like to thank Elaine’s parents, Rohan and Corinne, for hosting this wonderful reception. Thank you, we are all enjoying ourselves.

This evening Jean and I want to welcome Elaine into our family. But perhaps before I do that, I thought she, and you might like to hear a little bit about Greg that you may not know.

Greg is the youngest in our family, with an elder brother James and sister Helen. He’s always been the quiet one. He’s a bit introverted, and normally gives yes or no answers to any questions you ask. He opens up a bit more, however, when he has a beer or two.

Greg has always been a perfectionist. When he was in school, he would send his assignments back to his teachers for marking if he thought they weren’t marked high enough. He would also explain to his teachers why they hadn’t graded them correctly!

When he was fourteen, we lived in a house with a swimming pool. He was outside, and all of a sudden, we realised that it was very quiet out there. We became concerned. Then we looked out the window and saw Greg staggering next to the pool, and we were afraid he was going to fall in. When we went outside to check on him, we realised that he had opened the bar fridge and had been sucking from the cask of wine. That ended his swimming for the day.

I don’t remember when he didn’t have a basketball in his hands. He loves it, and always has been a fierce competitor of the game.

I could probably tell you a few more childhood stories, but I don’t want to embarrass Greg too much, so I’ll move forward. Greg loves to travel. Especially on overseas trips. And I’m sure he and Elaine will enjoy their honeymoon in Asia.

Back when Greg lived in London, he worked in pubs. Hmmm, I wonder – does that go back to his sucking from the cask of wine as a 14-year-old? Today, Greg works as a financial controller. But when he’s not working, he loves to drive nice cars. So much so, that he lost his licence for a month once – just after passing his test. As a Libra, he has to have some balance in his life, so I guess going from spreadsheets to speeding sort of does that.

Greg is very family oriented. He and his mum are very close and that pleases me. He is also very close to his brother John and sister Nina. Greg and John both work for the same company, and they’ve been known to go on holidays together occasionally – mainly snowboarding.

Well, that is a little bit about the groom, what about the bride?

Elaine is a Scorpio, which is right next to Libra on the Zodiac. When I look at Greg and Elaine, I see a perfectly matched couple. Elaine is a beautician who runs her own business. Like Greg, she works hard and enjoys her career.

So now, Greg and Elaine, as you begin your married life, I have one bit of advice to give to the two of you, which if you follow it, will provide you with lifelong happiness, and that is – always spend less than you earn!

And with that, I congratulate Greg on finding such a special, wonderful bride and to Elaine, I say, welcome to our family.

Raise your glasses please (pause) – to the bride and groom!