To give a funny father of the bride wedding toast, is an honor and a scary thought at the same time. There is no doubt how proud you are of your daughter as you walked down the isle, and you gave her away to your new son in law.

The bridal shower is over, the batchelor party is long forgotten and the big day is here.

The blushing bride and groom are now looking forward to their honeymoon, while you on the other hand are stressing over your speech you will give later in the day.

So lets go through a checklist and give you a couple of tips to ensure that your the man for the job, and that when you get to the reception yours is one of the speeches people won’t forget in a hurry.

Wedding toasts are one the special times that you need to do a little preperation work for, don’t worry you won’t have to be like Tony Robbins, but some simple steps put in place will guide you through your speech smoothly.

As I am writing this article, it reminds me of a traditional irish wedding I attended where the relationship between the family and other guests was at first cold to say the least. the brides family sat on one side and the groom’s family sat on the other, but after the humor, warmth and jokes from the speeches, the atmosphere was lifted and a great time was had by all.

The bad news is that yours is the first of the wedding speeches, the good news is that it will be over and out of the way, leaving you free to enjoy the maid of honor and best man playing their part.

Most people will tell you to just have a few drinks and just say what comes to mind, don’t even think about it when you stand up in front of all those people your tiny little brain will switch off, and in an instant you will stand there a stuttering wreck.

follow these quick guidelines

The etiquette of your speech is important and your first job is to welcome the grooms family and other guests and thank them for attending the marriage of your daughter to your new son in law.

You will then welcome the groom to your family and ask him to look after your daughter, and care for her the same way she has been cared for all her life.Its also a good idea to mention the grooms parents and give them a special mention.

Then its time to get emotional about your daughter, telling a funny story from her childhood, or silly arguments between her brother or sister, but that deep down they love each other, try to get the message across of how happy she was. And now that she is all grown up, she’s a bit heavy to be still bouncing on your knee.

throw in some classic quotes like these

I have heard that there are 3 rings to a marriage, first is the engagement ring, then the wedding ring, and then the suffering - that will get a few laughs

or how about this

In the car on the way to the church as the brides father you felt it was your responsibilty to give some advice for a long and happy marriage

Ask her to remember that men only have 2 faults - everything they say, and everything they do.

Then you raise your glasses and toast to the future health, wealth and happiness of the bride and groom, remember the business of wedding speeches does not have to be torture, one of the chief aims is being prepared and the rest will follow

with these tips you wont need to search for answers to what to say, it will flow automaticly and that means laughter and applause from the guests - fantastic.

Tell the happy couple to live long and happy lives, and that by the time their first anniversary comes round they will have built a solid foundation for a successful marriage

write down bullet points ona 3×5 card - dont read your speech it sounds awful, just have some pointers about what you want to say, and most of all enjoy

yes you will have nerves, to overcome them talk a little louder and slighty faster than you normaly do, refer to your bullet points and knock em dead.