You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column ‘Planning Your Happily Ever After’ with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds.

In honour of Father’s Day, I rewatched a few wedding movies that threw the spotlight on the relationship between father and daughter. No matter how many times they’re watched there’s always a new takeaway. I particularly enjoy the fact that wedding-themed movies are able to capture all the joys, anxieties, funny and sentimental moments felt on a wedding day.

It’s only natural that when a father is asked to speak at his child’s wedding, he wants his toast to be as perfect as possible; not only one he’ll be proud of, but also one that the newly-weds will cherish forever.

One classic wedding movie that is related to the relationship a father has with his daughter and the emotions experienced when planning a wedding is the classic Father of the Bride. Here are some of my favourite quotes from it:

“I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That’s getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition. I know. I’ve just been through one. Not my own, my daughter’s. Annie Banks-MacKenzie. That’s her married name: MacKenzie. I’ll be honest with you, when I bought this house 17 years ago it cost less than this blessed event in which Annie Banks became Annie Banks-MacKenzie. I’m told that one day I’ll look back on all this with great affection. I hope so.” — George Banks, played by Steve Martin

In the final wedding scene, Steve Martin begins to reflect on what it’s like for a father to watch his daughter get married: “I realised at that moment, that I was never going to come home again and see Annie at the top of the stairs, that I’d never see her again at our breakfast table in her nightgown and socks. I suddenly realised what was happening: Annie was all grown up and leaving us. Something inside began to hurt.”

It’s important to note that in modern weddings, both fathers may be asked to make a speech, if not on the wedding day, then on another wedding-related event. About Time is a British movie with an endearing father character, the father of the groom makes a toast. In the character Tim’s dad’s speech at the wedding, offers this great counsel:

“I’d only give one piece of advice to anyone marrying. We’re all quite similar in the end. We all get old and tell the same tales too many times. But try and marry someone kind. And this is a kind man with a good heart. I’m not particularly proud of many things in my life, but I am very proud to be the father of my son.” — James Lake, played by Bill Nighy

With a bit of effort, you can make sure that, as a father, your speech is something to be remembered. Conclude your speech with a toast to the married couple.