Speech by Gary

Speech Type: Best man
Speech Creator: Gary
Speech Date: 12/09/2015 15:50:40

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming on this special day to celebrate my Uncle Richard and Sharon's wedding. For those few folk that don't know me, mainly on Sharon's side because if any of Uncle Richards side don't know me then where have they been hiding the past 26 years? My names Gary and I'm Uncle Richards's nephew and just for today his Best Man. I would like to thank everyone who helped get everything ready for today and helped make this day really special for the happy couple. Firstly thank you to Rebecca and the bridesmaids who look lovely today for helping Sharon get ready and made sure she got here. Thanks also to my Uncle Peter for helping myself and the groom to get ready for today which did include trying to get in and out of a TVR with kilts on which I've got to say is not easy. I have to say Sharon, you look amazing today. Uncle Richard, well I can only work with what I'm given, I mean I'm only the best man I'm not fashion guru, Gok Wan. Joking aside, just to reiterate thank you to everyone who was involved in making this day what it is. I'd also like to thank all the lads who made it to the stag do last week. We had a great day go-karting with laughs, tears, tantrums and dodgy driving from people that will remain unnamed until after I've had a drink. Let's just say I've been in a car with Uncle Richard and his driving of go-karts isn't much better. I'm not going to say much about the race results as neither me nor Uncle Richard won. We were all shown up the bride's brother in law, so thank you Andrew for that. I've known my Uncle for 26 years, and let me tell you those were some long years. Don't get me wrong he's a great Uncle but he can be a right pain in the neck at times, all I can say Sharon is good luck. In all honesty he's like any Uncle, he loves his family in many ways and I can tell you this from experience Sharon, he'll treat you the same way he treats all of us. He'll love you forever but don't expect him to be nice all the time, as you will have already found out, if he can pick on you for something, he'll do it, just ask any member of his family.  In all honesty, when Uncle Richard asked me to be his best man, I was speechless. When I first heard he was getting married, the thought did cross my mind that he might ask me but when he did ask me, I was honoured to do it. If anyone knows more about him than he does, it's his own family. I know that it's the best man's duty to embarrass the groom on his special day but in all honesty, just wait till he starts dancing and he'll save me a job. But then if everyone's watching him dance and I use that term loosely then that means no one will be watching me dance which isn't much better. There's one story I want to tell about my Uncle and it's one that means a lot to me as it showed me that after all the cheek and getting picked on and under that belly of his there is a caring individual who just wants to look after his family. Just over 4 years ago, I was involved in a car accident and my car got written off. I won't go into detail about it but what happened was a day or two after that Richard came round to see how I was and he wasn't judgmental, he didn't have a go at me or anything. He made sure I was ok and then he offered to help get me back on the road by offering me a loan to get another car. The next day we went round the garages and eventually found the car I liked, he paid for it and I paid him the money back over the next few months. I was so surprised by all of this that I don't know if I ever did thank him properly for this so for that help I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Right that's the soppy story out the way; let's get to the embarrassing ones. To be honest, there aren't many embarrassing stories I can think of. With him being out of the country so many weeks at a time, it's not easy to remember the stories. If you mention Uncle Richard and embarrassing it's usually something to do with when he was younger and his dodgy beard and haircut which looks slightly more mature nowadays in that it's now grey instead of pure black. Nowadays if you went on a ship with hair like he had back then, people would probably start singing “In the Navy” which of a matter of fact is his favourite song and a little bird told me it's the first dance song as well. Only kidding, from what I've heard it's Queen's “I want to break free”. Moving on before I get thrown out, ever since Uncle Richard and Sharon met. I just knew they were going to end up getting married. I could tell from the way he looked at her just how much he loved her, I should know, I have had that same look on my face when I look at my fiancée. And the look on Sharon's face that said she couldn't do any worse and he couldn't do any better. To be fair to both of them, they are made for each other and they both drive each other crazy in both good and bad ways. I've got two more stories that I want to finish with before I end, anyone who knows Uncle Richard will know that he loves his cars. If I was as old as he is and that's old, I would have probably owned the same number of cars as he has. In all honesty, he loves his cars and every car that he has owned that I have seen has always looked in brilliant condition. Which kind of brings me on to a slightly embarrassing story which I'm sure will please him; look at the worry on his face folks. Firstly has to be when he took his Westfield Kit car round Knockhill racing circuit on an open track day and managed to spin the car into the gravel. There is video evidence of this on YouTube. I have seen this and it is hilarious. The other car related story has to be when he and Sharon went up to Stirling one weekend. I've already mentioned how Uncle Richard can be generous when he wants to be but this short story also shows you how tight he can be. They were in Stirling and decided to go up to Stirling Castle, however they never got past the front gates as Uncle Richard refused to pay the £14 ticket price to get in. To make this story even worse when they got back he told me he was getting his car done to take it back to showroom condition which I thought fair enough because as I said he loves his cars. This is the best bit though, when he told me how much it was to get it done, I just thought this is the same man who wouldn't pay £14 to get into Stirling castle but will spend a daft amount of money on basically getting his car cleaned. Thing is, it's just the way he is and I wouldn't change him for the world. Anyway folks, that's enough from me. I'd now like you all to be upstanding and join me in raising a toast to the happy couple and wish them all the best in their future together. Ladies and Gentlemen please rise and raise your glasses to the new Mr & Mrs Inge.