Speech by Ady.

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Ady.
Speech Date: 23/10/2014 16:25:59

Father of the Bride Speech.

Good afternoon Ladies, Gentlemen & Children.

When Emma was born I didn't just think what a beautiful daughter we have got, I also thought OH NO someday I will have to make a father of the bride speech, so please forgive me now if I make a mess of it. I have been practising out loud in various places such as the local park where I have had some very strange looks, in the fields on the moors with just sheep as an audience which I hasten to add that they ran away, so I hope that I don't scare you away.

On behalf of Helen & I & all the family, I would like to welcome you all and thank you all for coming to this special occasion to celebrate the marriage of our daughter Emma to Matt, it is a day that we have been looking forward too for such a long time. Escorting Daddy's Girl, or should I say Emma, down the aisle today has made me feel like the proudest father alive it was such a joy, even thoughI am surprised we are here and not at Matt's 1st choice place, Anfield, but the boss got her own way, and also we didn't want to upset any Arsenal fans that are here.

Emma, I am not going to embarrass you in the speech today I shall save that for the dance floor tonight as I have done so on numerous occasions where you have gone into hiding and pretended not to be with me, so after a few drinks tonight, Emma might be going into hiding again as I have been practising the father of the bride dance, but I have not perfected it so I shall have to apologise for that now.

There was a time when you embarrassed us at your 21st birthday party, and it is probably the only time I have been pleased to have hearing difficulties when you took over the Karaoke stage, nobody else got a chance to have a go, so no karaoke tonight, mind you we could make an exception as it is your day so you could be the backing singer for Matt.

Helen, myself, and everyone else on this table would like to say thank you to both the families and friends that are here today some of you have travelled many miles from places such as, London, Newcastle, Leicester, Hull, St Helens and some have even travelled from as far afield as Holmfirth to be here at this wonderful venue. (The wedding was at Holmfirth).

There are some relations and friends that are'nt here today and I am sure that they will be wishing for you to have a really happy day and a long and very happy and successful marriage.

Helen and myself would now like to thank them and thank you all for being part of both Emma & Matt's lives because you have helped create, mould and influence them, because without you they wouldn't be the people that they are today, you are the make-up of them.

It is also because of the love that Emma and Matt have for each other that has brought us all together here today for this celebration.

We should also say big thank you to Emma and Matt for going to such great effort and planning and probably having sleepless nights to make this such a wonderful and successful day, they had definite thoughts and ideas as to what they wanted, didn't you Emma, because as you know by now Matt, Emma is a very determined, purposeful, bossy and sometimes stubborn young Lady, but also a joy to be with.

During the time that we have known Matt who is a very smart, polite, kind and courteous gentleman, he is a credit to his family, and we have come to realise how special he is to Emma and also how special she is to Matt, and how happy he makes her, and I am sure that he will be the perfect son in law. And this is the opportunity now to welcome Matt into our family, because now we have also gained a wonderful son.

When Matt met Helen for the first time she said to him what is that in your pocket when they were sat together on the settee, his reply was, I am just pleased to see you! By the way it was his wallet, so I suppose that is what could have attracted Emma to Matt in the first place. But now we can say that we are pleased to see you sat here with Emma on your special day.

Helen & I and all the family are so proud to see her looking so radiant and happy today we have seen her grow and blossom from the cot to the beautiful, kind, caring, fun loving young women she is today, it makes you wonder how I could produce something so beautiful, but strange things do happen in nature occassionally, she has made us all proud in everything she has done and given all of us so much pleasure, joy, happiness and laughter over the last 29yrs, and I am sure she also has given all of you the same, she is the sort of young women that brightens up any room that she walks into and immediately makes friends with anybody that she meets.

Over the years Emma has also given us 1 or 2 moments of worry especially when she had more or less a permanent bed in the A&E department as she was quite accident prone, for example like the time she was in the bathroom which was opposite the staircase and came running out and straight off the top step, then the time she was playing with her push chair with Lindsey the chief bridesmaid and ended up going down the drive sat in the pushchair across the road and hitting the kerb before being thrown out onto the pavement, and also when she went skiing with Jeannette another bridesmaid and ended up breaking her wrist, Jeannette had a similar fate at the same time, anyway I can't stand here all night describing all her mishaps, but now we hope that the next time she ends up in hospital it is not because of an accident, but because it is PLANNED and she ends up in the maternity ward.

The next bit you can read into it however you want.

As you all know they both work in the Bank, so in banking terms, I have been looking at your accounts and these are the statements I have come up with which I hope you don't find too taxing. We know that you have a special bond together, so Matt I shall now loan you some advice, make sure you make plenty of good deposits and no withdrawals and hopefully the investments that you make will be a credit to you, with long term interest, so get a move on and let's see some little Charnocks running around.

We shall excuse you if you both disappear for a while this evening.

Emma has obviously got alot of very happy memories but we can't go through them all, she had many happy times helping John with the sheep that he kept especially in the lambing season when they had to hand feed some of the lambs and also helped when they were giving birth.

Sarah your teddy has a special memory for you, because you your grandma, granddad, Anne and myself spent all 1 weekend trying to win enough tokens in an amusement arcade in Blackpool to win a Teddy that you named Sarah, before we had even tried to win it, which we eventually did. Then walking on the promenade with Sarah safely tucked into the top of your coat with just her head poking out, you, Sarah and your grandma got soaked head to foot by a freak wave coming over onto the promenade, you were just stood there soaked and crying and just saying Sarah's got wet with no concern to yourself or your Grandma. Then we just wanted to get somewhere warm and dry and crossed the road and the first thing we saw was a café called,

Sarah's.

I would like to say now, how beautiful the 7 bridesmaids are, Lindsey, Jeannette, Charlotte, Sarah, Bella, Annie & Gigi and what a wonderful choice they were, but there aren't 7, there are now 8.

SARAH the Teddy is the 8th.

(I then gave Emma her Teddy with an identical bridesmaid dress on that I had made at the same shop that the bridesmaid dresses were made).

Our greatest wish for the two of you is a lifetime of happiness and that through the years your love for each other will deepen and grow and that you will look back on this day as the 1st day of a long and a happy life together.

Here's to the past, for all that you've learned.

Here's to the present, for all that you share.

Here's to the future, for all that you look forward to together.

All that remains for me to say is to ask everyone to have a good time this evening.　

My final duty and very great privilege is to propose a toast to our daughter and new son-in law.　

So would you please stand up and join me in a toast to the bride and groom.

Ladies, Gentlemen and children, I give you, Emma & Matt or should we now say Mr & Mrs Charnock, THE BRIDE AND GROOM.