WEDDINGS

Father of the groom speech examples

These five speeches are made up, so take their shape and leave their stories. The guests want to hear about your son from someone who knew him before most of them did.

A chatbot can hand you a father of the groom speech in seconds. It doesn't know the story of your son's first job, and it won't be the one standing up when the room goes quiet. Below is a template, then five example speeches: a welcome for the rehearsal dinner, a toast for the reception, a short one, a funny one and one you give with his mom. After them: when you speak, how long to talk, what to leave out and how to give it.

A father of the groom speech template

All five examples follow the same five beats. Fill in the blanks, then read it out loud and change anything you wouldn't say to your son's face.

Welcome everyone and say who you are: "Good evening, everyone. I'm ___, ___'s dad. On behalf of ___ and me, thank you for being here." If you're hosting the rehearsal dinner, thank the people who traveled and the people who helped plan it.
Tell one story that shows who he is: "When ___ was ___, he ___."
Say what you saw when he met his partner: "The first time he brought ___ home, ___."
Welcome them to the family and say what you wish for the two of them: "___, welcome to our family. I hope you two ___."
Give the toast: "Please raise your glasses. To ___ and ___."

Spend most of your time on the story. The summer he spent building a treehouse tells the room more about him than any list of his good qualities. To learn the beats and rehearse them, see how to practice your wedding speech. For the bride's side, see father of the bride and mother of the bride speech examples.

5 father of the groom speech examples

The names and stories are made up. The longest is under 200 words, about two minutes out loud. If your son is marrying a man, change the names, the pronouns and words like "daughter." The beats stay the same.

1. At the rehearsal dinner

If you're hosting, open with the welcome and the thank-yous. Ask the couple whether this is your main speech or a short welcome before another toast tomorrow.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Tom, Daniel's dad. On behalf of Susan and me, welcome. Thank you all for coming tonight, and thank you to everyone who traveled. Laura's grandparents drove all the way from Tucson.

When Daniel was ten, he decided to build a treehouse. He drew the plans on graph paper and saved his allowance for the wood. He spent the whole summer on it. It leaned a little, and he slept in it every night until school started.

That's Daniel. When he cares about something, he builds it himself, and he sticks with it.

The first time he brought Laura home, he took her out back to see it. She climbed right up, sat down and asked him what he wanted to build next. I don't think anyone had asked him that since he was ten.

Laura, welcome to our family. Mike and Karen, thank you for raising a daughter who climbs right up. Daniel and Laura, I hope you keep building things together. Tomorrow's the big day, so I'll stop here.

Please raise your glasses. To Daniel and Laura.

2. At the reception

If the bride's parents are hosting, thank them before you start your story.

Good evening. I'm Robert, Chris's dad. Thank you all for being here. Paul and Linda, thank you for a beautiful day.

When Chris was sixteen, he got a job washing dishes at a diner on Route 9. One night it snowed so hard the owner closed early. The cook had no way home, so Chris waited with him until the plows came through. Then he drove him home in my car, at fifteen miles an hour.

He's still the one who stays.

After his first date with Megan, he called me from the parking lot. He said, "Dad, she stayed to help them stack the chairs." The restaurant was closing, and she'd waited tables all through college.

Megan, welcome to our family. Chris and Megan, I hope you two always stay for each other, whatever the weather.

Please raise your glasses. To Chris and Megan.

3. Short and sweet

Under 80 words, less than a minute with pauses. It fits a night with a lot of speeches, or a couple who asked for short ones.

Good evening. I'm Greg, Ben's dad. Thank you all for coming.

Ben learned to cook at twelve, because he was tired of my spaghetti. The first time he cooked for Hannah, he called me twice to ask how long to boil the pasta. He'd never once asked me for cooking advice.

Hannah, welcome to the family. Ben, I hope you two keep cooking for each other.

Please raise your glasses. To Ben and Hannah.

4. Funny

Good evening, everyone. I'm Frank, Jake's dad. For those who don't know me, I'm the reason Jake can't dance. He gets everything else from his mother.

Jake has never thrown anything away. He has the ticket stub from every game we've been to since he was seven, sorted by team. When he moved out, he took four boxes of clothes and eleven boxes of ticket stubs.

So the first time he brought Olivia to the house, I warned her. She said, "I know. He showed me the spreadsheet." That's when I knew he'd met his match.

Olivia, welcome to the family, boxes and all. Steve and Carol, thank you for a wonderful day. Jake and Olivia, I hope you fill your home with things worth keeping.

Please raise your glasses. To Jake and Olivia.

The jokes stay on a harmless habit of Jake's and on Frank himself. Olivia only gets kind lines, and the speech turns sincere before the toast. Before you tease your son about anything, ask him if he minds.

5. With his mom

Split the beats between you and practice the handoffs out loud, together. Agree on who says the first line and who gives the toast.

Mark: Good evening, everyone. I'm Mark, and this is Ellen. We're Sam's parents, and we're so glad you're here.

Ellen: We promised Sam we'd keep this short. Mark has already broken that promise twice in rehearsal.

Mark: When Sam was seven, he decided to learn every state capital. He quizzed us at dinner, and whoever got one wrong did the dishes.

Ellen: I did a lot of dishes.

Mark: He still asks a lot of questions, and he still remembers every answer.

Ellen: The first time he brought Maya home, he barely asked her anything. He just listened to her talk about her work for an hour. We'd never seen him so quiet.

Mark: Maya, welcome to our family. Ray and Denise, thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter.

Ellen: Sam and Maya, we hope you never stop being curious about each other.

Mark: Please raise your glasses.

Ellen: To Sam and Maya.

When does the father of the groom speak?

Traditionally, the groom's family hosts the rehearsal dinner, and the father of the groom gives his speech there. He introduces himself and thanks the guests. Then he says something about his son and the couple, welcomes his new son- or daughter-in-law to the family and proposes a toast (The Knot on the father of the groom speech).

He may speak at the reception too. In the traditional reception order, the groom's family follows the bride's hosting parents (The Knot's guide to speech order). Couples change the order and who hosts what, so ask them when they want you to speak.

A week or so before the wedding, compare notes with the best man and anyone else giving a speech. That way two of you don't tell the same story.

How long should a father of the groom speech be?

Ask the couple how long you have. If nobody gives you a number, keep it under five minutes. Time it by standing up and saying it out loud, so the count includes your pauses.

If it runs long, cut a whole story rather than a few lines from each.

What to leave out

His exes, and anyone either of them dated before.
Stories he'd rather his new in-laws never heard. Bath time, his teenage band and the night he dented your car can stay at home.
What the wedding or the rehearsal dinner cost, even as a joke.
Ball-and-chain jokes about marriage. The person he's marrying is right there, and so is their family.
Marriage advice longer than a sentence or two.
A long list of thank-yous. Thank the people who traveled and helped plan, then get to your son.
Inside jokes. If half the room would need the backstory, cut it.
Someone who has died, unless you've asked the couple first. Some couples want a moment for them, and some would rather keep the day light.

How to give it

Learn your first two sentences and the toast word for word. Keep the five beats on a card for everything in between. How to memorize a speech has a method.
Bring a card instead of your phone. A phone can lock, or light up with a text in the middle of your story.
A rehearsal dinner may have no microphone. Stand where the back tables can see you and wait for the room to go quiet. Keep your voice up to the end of each sentence, since that's where the names and the punchlines land.
If there is a microphone, hold it just under your chin, and keep it there when you turn toward your son.
If your voice catches, stop and take a breath. Then pick up at the next beat.
After a joke, wait for the laugh to finish before your next line.
For the toast, look up and say the couple's names last. Then stop talking.

For a day-by-day rehearsal plan, see how to practice your wedding speech. If your voice tends to shake, see how to stop your voice from shaking.

Rehearse your speech with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing a father of the groom speech. Say it out loud one chunk at a time, like the welcome, the story or the toast. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, so end each chunk where you'd wait for a laugh. You hear the take played back, then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

If there won't be a microphone, Train has a drill for the ends of your sentences. Grounded Volume, in the Presence track, hands you a line like "I stand by my recommendation." A take passes when you say at least half the line, including its key word, and your last word comes out less than 3 decibels louder or quieter than the take's average volume. It opens once you reach 50% on The Declarative in the same track. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, Speak and Train need Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

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FAQ

Does the father of the groom give a speech?

Often, though he doesn't have to. Traditionally he speaks at the rehearsal dinner, which the groom's parents host, and he may give one at the reception too. Ask your son what the couple has planned.

When does the father of the groom give his speech?

Traditionally at the rehearsal dinner. If he speaks at the reception too, the groom's family traditionally follows the bride's hosting parents. Ask the couple who speaks first, and when.

How long should a father of the groom speech be?

As long as the couple asks for. If nobody says, keep it under five minutes, and time it by saying it out loud.

What should the father of the groom say in his speech?

Welcome the guests, tell one story about your son and say what you saw when he met his partner. Then welcome them to the family and give the toast. The template above has a line for each.

What should a father of the groom not say?

Skip his exes, stories that would embarrass him, the cost of the wedding and ball-and-chain jokes. Keep any marriage advice to a sentence or two.

Can the groom's parents give a speech together?

Yes. Split the beats between you and rehearse the handoffs out loud. Example 5 above shows one way to do it.

How do you start a father of the groom speech?

Say who you are and thank everyone for coming. If you're hosting, thank the people who traveled. Then go straight into your story about your son. For more ways in, see how to start a speech.

How do you end a father of the groom speech?

Welcome your son's new spouse to the family and say what you wish for them both. Then ask everyone to raise a glass and say the couple's names last. How to end a speech has more on toasts.

Can a father of the groom speech be funny?

Yes. Aim the jokes at your son's harmless habits or at yourself, and run them past him first. Wait after each joke so the room can laugh. Then give one sincere line about the couple before the toast.

More practice guides

Updated November 2, 2026.