A father of the bride wedding welcome speech should welcome and thank the guests for attending the wedding ceremony, share a brief anecdote about your daughter and express love and happiness for the bride and groom.
Take this father of the bride wedding welcome speech as an example:
Guess what? That is the tone you will typically find in a father-of-the bride’s wedding welcome speech.
To be honest, that’s what most dads say in their welcome speeches. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But, here’s the thing. They have become tired expressions as they are no longer as effective as they used to be.
But, you can still take it from there by giving it a creative flip so you can build a rapport with the audience, make them feel welcome and special, and also set the stage for an unforgettable night.
As a professional wedding speech writer, I want to help make your father of the bride wedding welcome speech one to remember.
So, please bear with me for a while and I will share with you proven tips and ideas that will make your father of the bride welcome speech very memorable.
Let’s get started by first looking at this:
How To Write A Father Of The Bride Wedding Welcome Speech
Let me start by saying that a heartfelt wedding welcome speech should be a reflection of who you are and the values you hold, what you would like to say, and the impression you want to leave on the audience.
Below, are well-crafted father of the bride speech welcome examples and ideas that hinge on those essential guidelines.
Let’s take a look at them.
Father Of The Bride Speech Wedding Welcome Speech Examples
First, you can start your father of the bride wedding welcome speech with a nice little story like this one:
Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s event reminds me of this short story I first heard a few years ago.
After completing college, Alex and Dean, ended landed very stable, high-paying jobs.
Alex felt he was still too young to start a family. But, Dean decided to give it a shot anyway. Luckily for him, he found a very beautiful girl, Martha, and things got off to a nice start.
Three years later, he got down on one knee and proposed marriage. Their engagement party was quite lavish. Given their large families, they had a big engagement party.
Unfortunately for them, a few days shy of their wedding day, the weatherman warned of a significant snowfall on their wedding day.
Despite the unwelcome weather forecast, they chose to move forward with their plans showing that their love and dedication to each other is stronger than any other obstacle.
They reasoned that they would be fine if a few friends and family showed up. Their wedding plans had been delayed twice before and they were not going to let anything stop them this time.
Ladies and gentlemen, in case you can’t figure out who this couple is, then it’s Dean and my daughter Shelly.
They were forced to find a new wedding location as their original venue was no longer an option. But, you still made it against all odds and we are grateful for your act of love and kindness.
Enjoy yourselves and always remember that love always prevails. I guess it’s probably safe to say that the weather forecast didn’t quite predict the perfect t storm. Tonight promises to be a night you will always treasure. So, welcome and get ready for a truly unforgettable experience.
Second, you can bring some humor to the table.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am wearing two hats tonight. I am the father of the bride and my job is to keep an eye on the bride and the groom which is why I keep back and forth like a very happy rat in a professional chef’s kitchen!
My other job is to welcome a very special VIP to tonight’s event’.
Please join me in a standing ovation as we welcome …(pause) the most important personality…Guess who our VIP is? It’s you, the wedding guests.
Wow! I am glad you are all here. Now, my job is to speak for just 2 minutes and yours is to listen for only 2 minutes as well.
So, if I go overboard, remind me to stop and I will fly away like a kite soaring high.
Well, if I don’t, then know that this old mind is losing his sanity!
That being said, it’s my absolute joy and honor to honor to welcome to you my special VIPS to the eating, drinking, dancing, speech making, and photo-taking aspect of the wedding!
So, I am honored to welcome you with a grin. Let me take a moment to thank the guy who invented weddings!
God did, right? As the father of the bride, I have the honor of savoring the first sip of the evening. Just so you know, that was to quench my thirst. It’s water! Not whisky. (Music plays in the background…welcome song fills the air in the background )
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the wedding party and I am out of here!
Third, you can spring into action by infusing your opening remarks with a bible verse if you are devoted Christian.
Here is an example.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s first welcome the Holy Spirit into our presence as we can’t do this without him. Psalm 100:4–5 reminds to enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Let’s thank God for uniting our hearts in love. Each one of you is special to us and I want to remind everyone how much God loves and cares for you. We love you too and you are welcome to the dining and wining aspect of this beautiful wedding.
Fourth, you can start off with nice welcome quotes. You can use any of these quotes:
· Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” — Og Mandino
· ‘’Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.” — The Comedy of Errors
· People just showed up and were always made welcome. To stay less than an hour was an insult, and there was always a meal.” — Womenfolks: Growing Up Down South, Shirley Abbott
· ‘’Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.’’ Henri Nouwen
·
‘’Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.’’ Garrison Keillor
Here’s how you can make good use of the last quote:
Ladies and gentlemen, you are welcome to the wedding celebration of Amanda and Steve where all the women are strong and pretty, all the men are good-looking except for this old man and where all the little ones are obsessed with sweets. I have just dispensed 50 candies to eager hands!
Fifth, to make it fun, you have to make the wedding guests a part of your father of the bride wedding welcome speech.
Here’s how it can be done.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Let’s have a little fun before the fun really kicks off. Are you ready to start? I will utter two words. I will say the first word and you will say the next word. Is that ok?
Ok, I will chant the groom’s name, and you will follow suit with the bride’s name. I am Glen, father of the bride. I was invited to a party and I saw this happy couple: So, when I say Amy, you say John.
Let the music roll.
Amy…….. (crowd John)
John……….(crowd Amy)
Amy…………(crowd John)
Well, I am Amy and John’s pro bono spokesperson and the unfortunate father of the bride who is on the verge of a wedding-day meltdown. I have tasked by ….let me call them the love birds…to welcome you to their wedding reception. So, thank you for coming. Your presence is a gift.
Sixth, you can play with words to make your welcome remarks fun and memorable. Imagine doing that with an acronym of the word ‘’welcome’’
W- Warmly
E- Embracing
L- Love
C- Cherish
O- Our
M- moments
E- eternally
Can you use that acronym to make your remarks humorous? I bet you can do it. Just give it a try.