The father of the bride wedding speech at a wedding reception is usually the first of the formal speeches, and culminates in the speaker proposing a toast to the newly wed couple.

The toast to the bride and groom has two main purposes.

First, it is a best wish for the future from the bride's father, on behalf also of the bride's mother. Most fathers find this occasion to be quite emotional, as it marks the end of an era in their family life as their daughter moves on to make her own way with her chosen partner. Making this toast to his daughter and her new husband can be a heartfelt experience.

The toast has a second purpose, in that it invites all those present to join in the best wishes, and in doing so focuses their attention for the rest of the reception on the newly wed bride and groom, now a married couple. While there will be food, drink, entertainment and other diversions during the reception, it is an important symbolic reminder as to why the reception is being held.

The toast is usually proposed by the speaker inviting the guests to join him in his toast to the newly weds. In response, the guests stand up and raise their glasses in a salutation to the couple, who alone remain seated. The speaker then offers a few carefully chosen words as his wish for their future, and everybody joins in saying something like "To the newly wed couple" or "To Sally and Brian", and will often touch glasses with their neighbors before taking a sip and sitting down.

The key to the success of the toast lies in the few carefully chosen words, and through the ages speakers have refined the art of the toast in many subtle ways. For most fathers all that is needed is a couple of sentences expressing his and everyone's sincere best wishes that they will enjoy a long and happy marriage. For others, it is an opportunity to add some wit in a pithy line or two that will cause much laughter and be remembered for many years.

Witty toasts can venture into dangerous areas, with double meanings, and fathers writing their speech notes need to be wary of saying something hurtful.

The danger is perhaps greatest when the parents of the bride have endured an unpleasant marriage break up themselves, and it may be too easy for the wrong thing to slip out and be said at the wrong time if the father and mother are both present with their new partners. The wedding reception is to celebrate the special day for the bride and groom, and the temptation to drag up old unpleasant memories and poison the atmosphere needs to be carefully avoided.

Toasts can be thoughtful or humorous, poetic or serious, and many clever ones have been written over the years. Here are a few of the more simpler and popular examples:

A thoughtful toast: "Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married."

An old wedding toast: "May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past."

A toast from the father's heart: "I raise my glass to honor my daughter and her new husband on this her wedding day. She was a wonderful daughter, and I am sure she will make a wonderful wife. I feel joy at the happiness I see in her eyes this day, and wonder at the miracle of seeing our tiny baby grow from a little girl to the beautiful bride we see before us."