Short Father of the Bride Speech (About 2 Minutes)

The speech

Evening, everyone. I'm Torin, Clio's dad. My wife and I are so glad you're here, and we want to thank Jago's parents for raising a son we would have picked ourselves if anyone had asked us.

I have one memory.

When Clio was fifteen she got her first job, the 5 a.m. shift at a bakery two miles from our house. The first morning I drove her over in the dark. She got out of the car and told me to go home. She'd call if she needed me.

I did not go home. I parked across the street and sat there for four hours with the engine off, turning the heater on every twenty minutes. At seven I went in and bought a muffin, and she sold it to me without a flicker, like I was a stranger. I bought two more before nine. She never called. When her shift ended she walked out, got in the car, and said, "You were here the whole time." Not a question. Then she said thanks and fell asleep before we reached the first light.

That's Clio. She'll tell you she's fine, and she will be fine, and she'll still notice who waited.

Jago, last January we stayed with you two for a weekend. It was eleven degrees. At six in the morning I looked out the guest room window and you were scraping the ice off Clio's car. Then you went back inside for your coffee. Your own car was still white. I didn't need to see anything else.

Will you all please stand and raise a glass. To Clio and Jago, and to whoever is waiting in the parking lot.

Why it works: One morning in a parked car carries the whole speech, and the groom is welcomed for something small he did when he thought nobody was watching. The toast is the story in a single line.