Below is the full speech, laid out the way it would appear on cue cards: one beat per card, each with a short heading so you can see where you are at a glance. Read it through once for the shape, then use the notes underneath to make it yours.
The speech
Good evening, everyone. On behalf of Helen and myself, welcome. Thank you for joining us to celebrate Sophie and Alex. Some of you have flown in from overseas, some have driven for hours, and one of you came straight from a night shift. We are grateful to every one of you.
A special thank you to Alex’s parents, Ruth and Peter, who have been generous and wonderful to plan with. To the staff here, who have made today look effortless. And to Helen, who has organised this wedding with the calm of an air traffic controller. [SMILE]
When Sophie was six, she decided to run a lemonade stand. She made a sign, set out cups, and charged nothing. When I asked why, she said, “Because people are thirsty.” [PAUSE] She lost money on every glass. She also made friends with every neighbour on the street.
That six-year-old grew into a teenager who argued with me about everything, usually correctly. Then into a nurse who works long nights caring for strangers, and who still calls her mother every Sunday. She has always given more than she takes.
Sophie, I am so proud of you. Proud of your kindness, your stubbornness, and the way you stand up for people who need it. You have made your mother and me better people just by being yourself. [LOOK AT HER]
Alex, the first time you came for dinner you washed every dish before I could stop you. Helen decided right then that you were staying. You have been patient, kind and very good with a tea towel ever since. Welcome to the family, officially.
I won’t give a long list of advice. Just this: keep saying thank you to each other for the small things. After thirty-two years, I still thank Helen for the coffee, and she still pretends it is no trouble.
Would you all please stand and join me. To Sophie and Alex: may your home always have a lemonade stand out the front, and people to share it with. To the bride and groom!
Open this speech as cue cards to edit it, change the text size and print it.
Make it your own
- Put the thank-you list on its own card so nobody is forgotten.
- Pick one childhood memory that still describes your child today. That link is what makes the story land.
- Look at your daughter for the “proud of you” card. Slow down there.
- If you are the host, check the running order so you know who speaks after you.
- Mother of the bride, or parents together? Change the “I” lines to “we” and split the cards between you.
Work through the cards in order. For each one, ask what job it is doing (introducing you, showing a trait, thanking people, asking the room to act) and write your own version that does the same job. Keep each card to one idea. If a card gets too long to glance at, split it in two.
How to deliver it
Rehearse out loud at least three times, standing up, holding the cards you will use on the day. The first run is for finding the awkward sentences, the second for timing, and the third for looking up. Try to say the first line of each card while looking at the audience, then glance down only to find the next prompt.
Slow down more than feels natural, especially after a punchline or an emotional line. Cues in square brackets, such as [PAUSE], are reminders for you, not words to say. Number your cards, hold them at chest height, and move each finished card to the back of the stack. If you are using a microphone, hold it in one hand and the cards in the other.
For more on this kind of speech, read the father of the bride speech guide, or go back to all speech examples.