What Are the Duties of the Father of the Bride? The traditional roles of the father of the bride include travelling to the wedding with the bride, walking the bride down the aisle, 'giving her away' at the altar and giving a father of the bride speech.
For many brides their father is an integral part of their life, but a bride's father often has a minimal role on her wedding day. Traditionally, he has two brief assignments: to walk his daughter down the aisle and to give a toast (which usually follows the best man's) come the reception.
Put succinctly, tradition states that the father of the bride is responsible for paying for the wedding.
What Should A Father Of The Bride Speech Include? A traditional father of the bride speech includes a few key elements such as welcoming the guests, anecdotes and compliments about your daughter, a welcome to your new son-in-law or daughter-in-law, words of advice and a toast to the new couple.
During the reception it is customary for the father of the bride to make a short speech, thanking the guests and those that have helped with the wedding planning, and talking a little about his daughter and new son-in-law. At the end of the speech the father of the bride usually proposes a toast to the happy couple.
While in some families and cultures, the parents do give a tangible gift to the bridal couple, other families and cultures feel the wedding itself is enough. This means it is completely your choice.
Of course, it would be amazing to give your daughter thousands and thousands of dollars as a wedding gift, but not at the risk of making your own financial situation dire. Depending on their relationship with the bride, wedding guests typically give between $50 – $150 when making a monetary gift.
While it is traditional (although not obligatory) for the mother and father of the bride to receive a thank you gift from the newlyweds on the big day, a little memento from the bride's parents to their daughter is also becoming more popular.
Loving fathers who provide praise, support, and unconditional love give their daughters the gift of confidence and high self-esteem. Daughters who have these traits grow into happy, and successful adults. Even better, dads don't have to go to extraordinary lengths to make this happen.
The father of the bride does not need to give a toast. There are many weddings where the bride's father is not present or where there isn't even a bride. You can ask any of your parents to say a few words.
Father-Daughter Dance FAQs
Most brides have the father-daughter dance right after their first dance with their spouse. If you don't want to have it after the first dance, other good times to squeeze it in are following the toasts and before the cake cutting.
"The father of the bride typically walks down the right side of the aisle, having the bride on his left arm (facing the altar)," Jones explains.
As the father of the bride or groom, one of the biggest roles you have on your child's wedding day—besides escorting them down the aisle—is to give a toast. The dad's speech is a beloved tradition that sets the tone for the festivities ahead (whether that's the rehearsal dinner or the remainder of the reception).
At the end of your father of the bride speech, you should congratulate the happy couple on a wonderful wedding, and express your confidence in their future happiness together. Traditionally, your closing should also contain some words of wisdom about life and marriage.
According to a recent survey by The Knot, on average, parents contribute to 51% of the wedding budget, while couples cover the remaining 49% percent.
An easy rule of thumb is to stay within the average range of $75 to $200, but you can adjust the exact amount based on your personal finances, as well as your relationship with the couple.
The groom's parents precede the bride's mother during the processional. Here's a rundown: After the ushers have seated all of the guests, the grandparents start up the aisle, followed by the groom's parents. Then the bride's mother takes her turn.
Its up to you lovely! But generally the bride gets ready with her bridesmaids and mother.
In traditional weddings, the father of the bride walks her down the aisle and hands her off to the groom.
The Father of the Bride speech shouldn't be more than ten minutes long with 6 to 8 minutes being the sweet spot. (For the average speaker that's around 900 to 1,200 words.)
If you are including these, the order should go: father of the bride, groom, bride, bridesmaids/maid of honour, best man. But honestly, you can pick an order for your wedding speeches that works for you!
The father of the bride should traditionally thank guests for coming and participating in the wedding, thank anyone who has contributed to the cost of the wedding, compliments and praises the bride and welcomes the groom into the family and ends with a toast to the newlyweds.