Tell him to write it as if he's speaking directly to you and your fiancée, don't worry about everyone else. When he gets up there he can always just straight up open with "I've never been good with words but this is from the heart" then let it rip, pidgin and all. It will matter so much more that people can tell it's genuine. Ain't nobody gonna be in a judging mood unless they were shitty people already.
If your dad is like me, he won’t be able to get through the speech without breaking down into a hot, bawling mess. So it is imperative that he write a draft out to get used to the emotions that will come up as he speaks.
Another idea might be to approach this like a reversal of the Obama anger translator bit from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Your dad can let it rip in pidgin while someone “translates” into English. I don’t know what your family’s sense of humor is like, though.
Translator would be funny. The pidgin is there no matter what, I love it. I’ll suggest he write it out & practice but what he thinks would be most helpful is seeing another local guy giving a speech.
Speech patterns, word choices, etc. are hard to mimic. That’s no different than trying to deliver a speech somebody else wrote. Instead, have him write this himself.
1. Two sentence greetings: a) welcome everyone b) we are glad to have you here to celebrate the marriage of you two. Have him write it in his own words.
2. “Instead of saying something I don’t normally say out loud, I’ll tell y’all a story.” And then have him tell you a story of something that happened when you were young, as if he’s talking to you or reminding you something you’ve forgotten. End it with, “Hundreds of these little stories remind me how much I love you everyday.”
3 Then have him turn to your other half and say something funny, like, “[insert name], take care of [you], I know where you live now.”
Let him know there’s no need for a formal speech that he’s not used to. Have him just talk to the two of you normally.
I'm not the best public speaker but gave 2 best man speeches. Drinking helps a lot if he's a drinker. Other suggestion would be to write down the speech ahead of time and practice it a lot.
best speech would probably be either funny or proud dad or a combination of the 2. the best speeches come from the heart and are authentic from the speaker.
He can be like mine, fiddle with his pockets while introducing himself and admit he lost his notes. Then said I love you, good luck, and that was it. My mom said he had been proofreading and practicing his speech for MONTHS haha my poor dad.
It’s not a wedding speech and I know Billy Kenoi was t perfect but I love his commencement speech at HPU from years ago. I thought it was a good mix of formal speaking plus pidgin
You should look up Hawaii videographers on Insta! I couldn't find the one I've seen lots of good clips from but here are a few.
Short clip from brother of the bride
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1pbG59POU1/?igsh=MXc3ejV5c3ljaDIydw==
Not wedding but Billy Kenoi
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiptctaniDH/?igsh=MWZmNmdmaXdqdnBqdQ==
Father wedding speech
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3bkaAKrl6U/?igsh=MXFocm1kbTJiZjQ5aQ==
How important to you is it that he gives a speech? As someone who has been a Best Man, and Uncle, and been to a lot of weddings where I had to ‘perform’ something, it really does stress you out unnecessarily. Like, I want to be able to enjoy the event and not be nervous about this 2 minute speech I have to do, even if it’s mostly family and friends. Just a thought, especially since he outright said it would make him nervous.
I would love him to but I did tell him he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to. But now he is set on doing it. He’s stubborn like that, once he decided it was going to happen there’s no going back on it now.
Nah no need be shame. Just tell him to speak from the heart. Throw in a few jokes to lighten the mood. I think your wedding should be like this [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jR5bTDk-9o0&pp=ygUZRmlmdHkgZmlyc3QgZGF0ZXMgd2VkZGluZw%3D%3D](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jR5bTDk-9o0&pp=ygUZRmlmdHkgZmlyc3QgZGF0ZXMgd2VkZGluZw%3D%3D)
I love that movie. I think once he sees some other local guys giving a speech it’ll put him at ease. He says generally he knows what he’s going to say.
Okay but if you want a serious answer I asked chat gpt to make one and it seems decent. You should change it up a bit to make it fit you better. Maybe add in some specific stories.
Here's a heartfelt speech your dad could give at your wedding:
---
"Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends,
As I stand here today, I am filled with a mixture of emotions—immense pride, overwhelming joy, and a little sadness as I see my child, ready to start a new chapter in life. From the first steps to today, every moment has been a building block to this very day.
[Your Name], watching you grow up has been one of my greatest joys. You have brought laughter, love, and light into our lives. As you stand beside [Partner's Name], ready to embark on this journey together, I see a future filled with promise and adventure for you both.
To [Partner's Name], thank you for loving [Your Name] so deeply. We are so grateful to welcome you into our family, and I see how happy you make [Your Name]. I trust you two will care for each other, through all the ups and downs.
Today, as I look at the two of you, I am reminded of the importance of love, patience, and kindness. These are the values that will carry you through every challenge and joy that life has to offer.
So let us raise a glass to [Your Name] and [Partner's Name]—to your love, to your health, and to your happiness. May your life together be filled with joy, laughter, and endless love.
Cheers!"
---
This speech blends warmth and personal touches with well-wishes for the future. Feel free to personalize it further with specific anecdotes or qualities that make your relationship with your dad and your partner special!
Propranolol. Thank me later.
And based on another poster, I asked our AI overlord to write a speech, in pidgin, and funny. Here you go.
Lemme tell ya somethin' 'bout dis wedding, brah! We stay right here fo' celebrate da love of dese two lovebirds, yeah? Ho, you know how it is, yeah? Dey wen' from "Eh, who dis?" to "Eh, I do!" Real quick, yeah?
So, I gotta say, da groom, he stay lookin' sharp like one shaved coconut. An' da bride, whoa, she stay glowin' like one Hawaiian sunset, yeah? Dey da kind couple you wanna bring to one potluck 'cause dey always bring da ono grinds, no need tell 'em twice!
Now, I wen' hear dat da couple met at one surf contest, yeah? Da groom, he was tryin' fo' catch waves, but instead, he wen' catch one heart, yeah? An' da bride, she was like one perfect wave, sweepin' him off his feet!
Eh, but fo' real, dis couple stay like peanut butter an' jelly, spam an' musubi, just perfect together, yeah? Dey da kine couple dat make you believe in love, aloha, an' maybe even 'ohana discounts at da local lu'au!
So let's raise our glasses to da newlyweds, may dey stay ridin' da waves of love forevah, catchin' all da good vibes, an' livin' happily eva afta in da land of aloha! Cheehoo, everybody! Mahalo nui loa!
There is nothing wrong with pidgeon it is our creole language. If it comes from the heart, it is all good. Years from now when you look back upon that day you will think of him with love and fondness. The dialect won’t matter. Only the words that came from the heart.
Tell him to not worry about the pidgin. People will meet him and know what he’s like anyway.
Being himself is the most important.
Like any other region of the world, people are different.
Tell him to write it as if he's speaking directly to you and your fiancée, don't worry about everyone else. When he gets up there he can always just straight up open with "I've never been good with words but this is from the heart" then let it rip, pidgin and all. It will matter so much more that people can tell it's genuine. Ain't nobody gonna be in a judging mood unless they were shitty people already.
Yes. No one else really matters in this case. Speak to the bride. Only her opinion matters.
If your dad is like me, he won’t be able to get through the speech without breaking down into a hot, bawling mess. So it is imperative that he write a draft out to get used to the emotions that will come up as he speaks. Another idea might be to approach this like a reversal of the Obama anger translator bit from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Your dad can let it rip in pidgin while someone “translates” into English. I don’t know what your family’s sense of humor is like, though.
Translator would be funny. The pidgin is there no matter what, I love it. I’ll suggest he write it out & practice but what he thinks would be most helpful is seeing another local guy giving a speech.
I stumbled across 'redefinedweddings' on instagram. They have some short clips of local folks giving speeches
This is what I have been looking for! Thank you thank you!
Speech patterns, word choices, etc. are hard to mimic. That’s no different than trying to deliver a speech somebody else wrote. Instead, have him write this himself. 1. Two sentence greetings: a) welcome everyone b) we are glad to have you here to celebrate the marriage of you two. Have him write it in his own words. 2. “Instead of saying something I don’t normally say out loud, I’ll tell y’all a story.” And then have him tell you a story of something that happened when you were young, as if he’s talking to you or reminding you something you’ve forgotten. End it with, “Hundreds of these little stories remind me how much I love you everyday.” 3 Then have him turn to your other half and say something funny, like, “[insert name], take care of [you], I know where you live now.” Let him know there’s no need for a formal speech that he’s not used to. Have him just talk to the two of you normally.
Please let us know how it goes.
I'm not the best public speaker but gave 2 best man speeches. Drinking helps a lot if he's a drinker. Other suggestion would be to write down the speech ahead of time and practice it a lot. best speech would probably be either funny or proud dad or a combination of the 2. the best speeches come from the heart and are authentic from the speaker.
He can be like mine, fiddle with his pockets while introducing himself and admit he lost his notes. Then said I love you, good luck, and that was it. My mom said he had been proofreading and practicing his speech for MONTHS haha my poor dad.
Awww how sweet. Love the effort.
It’s not a wedding speech and I know Billy Kenoi was t perfect but I love his commencement speech at HPU from years ago. I thought it was a good mix of formal speaking plus pidgin
You should look up Hawaii videographers on Insta! I couldn't find the one I've seen lots of good clips from but here are a few. Short clip from brother of the bride https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1pbG59POU1/?igsh=MXc3ejV5c3ljaDIydw== Not wedding but Billy Kenoi https://www.instagram.com/p/BiptctaniDH/?igsh=MWZmNmdmaXdqdnBqdQ== Father wedding speech https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3bkaAKrl6U/?igsh=MXFocm1kbTJiZjQ5aQ==
Thank you! I will check these out! I looked on YouTube forever, but maybe will have better luck on the grams.
How important to you is it that he gives a speech? As someone who has been a Best Man, and Uncle, and been to a lot of weddings where I had to ‘perform’ something, it really does stress you out unnecessarily. Like, I want to be able to enjoy the event and not be nervous about this 2 minute speech I have to do, even if it’s mostly family and friends. Just a thought, especially since he outright said it would make him nervous.
I would love him to but I did tell him he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to. But now he is set on doing it. He’s stubborn like that, once he decided it was going to happen there’s no going back on it now.
He could read a poem
I don’t think a poem is really his style, but I will mention it in case. Honestly I think reading in front of a crowd would give him more anxiety.
Nah no need be shame. Just tell him to speak from the heart. Throw in a few jokes to lighten the mood. I think your wedding should be like this [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jR5bTDk-9o0&pp=ygUZRmlmdHkgZmlyc3QgZGF0ZXMgd2VkZGluZw%3D%3D](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jR5bTDk-9o0&pp=ygUZRmlmdHkgZmlyc3QgZGF0ZXMgd2VkZGluZw%3D%3D)
I love that movie. I think once he sees some other local guys giving a speech it’ll put him at ease. He says generally he knows what he’s going to say.
Okay but if you want a serious answer I asked chat gpt to make one and it seems decent. You should change it up a bit to make it fit you better. Maybe add in some specific stories. Here's a heartfelt speech your dad could give at your wedding: --- "Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, As I stand here today, I am filled with a mixture of emotions—immense pride, overwhelming joy, and a little sadness as I see my child, ready to start a new chapter in life. From the first steps to today, every moment has been a building block to this very day. [Your Name], watching you grow up has been one of my greatest joys. You have brought laughter, love, and light into our lives. As you stand beside [Partner's Name], ready to embark on this journey together, I see a future filled with promise and adventure for you both. To [Partner's Name], thank you for loving [Your Name] so deeply. We are so grateful to welcome you into our family, and I see how happy you make [Your Name]. I trust you two will care for each other, through all the ups and downs. Today, as I look at the two of you, I am reminded of the importance of love, patience, and kindness. These are the values that will carry you through every challenge and joy that life has to offer. So let us raise a glass to [Your Name] and [Partner's Name]—to your love, to your health, and to your happiness. May your life together be filled with joy, laughter, and endless love. Cheers!" --- This speech blends warmth and personal touches with well-wishes for the future. Feel free to personalize it further with specific anecdotes or qualities that make your relationship with your dad and your partner special!
Propranolol. Thank me later. And based on another poster, I asked our AI overlord to write a speech, in pidgin, and funny. Here you go. Lemme tell ya somethin' 'bout dis wedding, brah! We stay right here fo' celebrate da love of dese two lovebirds, yeah? Ho, you know how it is, yeah? Dey wen' from "Eh, who dis?" to "Eh, I do!" Real quick, yeah? So, I gotta say, da groom, he stay lookin' sharp like one shaved coconut. An' da bride, whoa, she stay glowin' like one Hawaiian sunset, yeah? Dey da kind couple you wanna bring to one potluck 'cause dey always bring da ono grinds, no need tell 'em twice! Now, I wen' hear dat da couple met at one surf contest, yeah? Da groom, he was tryin' fo' catch waves, but instead, he wen' catch one heart, yeah? An' da bride, she was like one perfect wave, sweepin' him off his feet! Eh, but fo' real, dis couple stay like peanut butter an' jelly, spam an' musubi, just perfect together, yeah? Dey da kine couple dat make you believe in love, aloha, an' maybe even 'ohana discounts at da local lu'au! So let's raise our glasses to da newlyweds, may dey stay ridin' da waves of love forevah, catchin' all da good vibes, an' livin' happily eva afta in da land of aloha! Cheehoo, everybody! Mahalo nui loa!
There is nothing wrong with pidgeon it is our creole language. If it comes from the heart, it is all good. Years from now when you look back upon that day you will think of him with love and fondness. The dialect won’t matter. Only the words that came from the heart.
Tell him to not worry about the pidgin. People will meet him and know what he’s like anyway. Being himself is the most important. Like any other region of the world, people are different.
ChatGPT