Example 1: Heartfelt with a few laughs, about 4 minutes
506 words · about 4 min spoken
Good evening, everyone. On behalf of Bisi and our family, I want to thank you all for joining us here in our backyard tonight. We’re especially grateful to those who traveled far—Daniel’s parents, Gary and Denise, and his sister Erin, all the way from Oklahoma City. Also, a special thanks to Funmi’s friends from the hospital, who came straight off their night shift. And let’s not forget Bisi, who has been cooking for three days just to make sure no one leaves hungry. She even let me chop onions, but only under supervision.
Tonight is the first time both our families are together under one roof, so to speak. To Gary, Denise, Erin—you’re family now. There will always be a seat for you at our table, even if it’s sometimes squeezed between birthday balloons and leftover pepper soup.
Funmi, you’ve always had a way of making things lively. As a little girl, you were the busiest, bossiest person on our street in Houston. You asked ‘why’ about everything, and if I didn’t know the answer, you dragged me to the computer to look it up. By the time you were nine, you’d turned our kitchen into a science lab, launching a volcano with so much baking soda it hit the ceiling. There’s still a faint stain up there, and I plan to keep it forever as a warning to other parents.
Today, you’re just as determined and just as kind. You work twelve-hour night shifts as a pediatric nurse and still remember every cousin’s birthday. Organized, stubborn, and kind—always in that order.
And then Daniel came along. The first time we met, he survived my pepper soup test—a bowl so spicy it makes grown men cry. He sat there sweating, finished every drop, and even asked for seconds. After lunch, he stayed behind to help me scrub the big pots without anyone asking. That’s when Bisi looked at me and said, “That one is staying.”
I’ve watched Funmi and Daniel together, and what I admire most is how they balance each other out. Funmi is a whirlwind, and Daniel is calm. When she comes home exhausted, he makes her laugh. And thanks to Funmi, Daniel now owns a planner. That might be her greatest achievement yet. Every Sunday they cook together—sometimes jollof rice, sometimes something a little less ambitious. But they always do it as a team, and that’s what matters.
We wish Funmi’s grandmother, Grandma Abike, could be here tonight. She always told Funmi to marry a man who eats well and laughs easily. I think she’d be very pleased with Daniel, who does both, usually at the same time.
So here’s my advice: keep cooking together, even when the wedding planning gets overwhelming. If you ever go to bed angry, wake up early and make the other one breakfast. And Bisi and I cannot wait to dance at your wedding.
(Raise your glass) To Funmi and Daniel—may your life together be full of laughter, good food, and many Sunday afternoons in the kitchen. Cheers!
What the writer told Toastful to get this speech
- Speaker
- Kayode, father of the bride
- Childhood
- Funmi was the bossiest, busiest little girl on our street in Houston. She asked 'why' about everything, and if you didn't know the answer, she'd make you look it up with her.
- Personality
- Today she's a pediatric nurse who works twelve-hour night shifts and still remembers every cousin's birthday. She's organized, stubborn and kind, in that order.
- First impression
- Daniel came to Sunday lunch two years ago, and I tested him with my pepper soup, which makes grown men cry. He finished the whole bowl, sweating, and asked for seconds. Then he stayed behind to help me scrub the big pots without being asked. My wife Bisi looked at me and said, 'That one is staying.'
- Stories
- When Funmi was nine, she built a volcano for the school science fair and insisted on testing it in our kitchen the night before with a whole box of baking soda. It hit the ceiling. There's still a faint stain up there, and I've refused to paint over it.
- The couple
- Daniel is calm where Funmi is a whirlwind. He makes her laugh when she gets home tired from a night shift, and she has him organized for the first time in his life; he owns a planner now too. They cook together every Sunday, and Bisi is teaching him to make jollof rice, slowly.
- Welcome
- Daniel's parents, Gary and Denise, who drove down from Oklahoma City, and his sister Erin. This is the first time both our families have been together in one place. We want them to know they're family now and there's always a seat at our table.
- Remembering
- My mother, Grandma Abike, who passed away last year in Lagos. She always told Funmi to marry a man who eats well and laughs easily.
- Thank-yous
- Everyone for coming to our backyard, especially Funmi's friends from the hospital who came straight off their shift. And my wife Bisi, who has been cooking for three days.
- Wishes
- Keep cooking together on Sundays, even when the wedding planning gets busy. If you go to bed angry, wake up early and make the other one breakfast. Bisi and I can't wait to dance at your wedding.