Short Father of the Groom Speech (About 2 Minutes)

The speech

Good evening. I'm Saul, Crispin's father. My wife and I want to thank Hollie's parents for this beautiful day, and for welcoming our whole loud family into theirs.

One story about my son.

When Crispin was sixteen he got his license, and on his very first drive alone he backed my car into a mailbox. Not ours. The neighbor's, across the street. Flattened it. He got out, looked at it for a while, and then walked up and knocked on her door before she'd even seen it. Told her everything.

He spent the next two Saturdays with me in the garage building her a new one. She mentioned she'd always wanted a red one, so he painted it red, and he lettered her house number on the side by hand. It's still standing. She still waves at him.

Crispin has never been the careful one. But he has always been the one who knocks on the door.

Hollie, the first time Crispin brought you home, you knocked a full glass of grape juice onto my mother's white tablecloth. Before anyone could say a word you were up with the salt and the club soda, and then you asked my mother to show you how she does it, and the two of you spent twenty minutes at the sink. She still talks about it. My wife and I looked at each other across the table. He'd found the other one who knocks.

Please stand and raise a glass. To Crispin and Hollie, and to every mailbox you'll fix together.

Why it works: One small disaster shows who the groom is, and a second small disaster shows the bride is the same kind of person. The toast calls back to the first story in a single line.