Speech by Alan Knowles

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Alan Knowles
Speech Date: Jul2005
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,FAMILY AND FRIENDS,GOOD AFTERNOON. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW ME I HAVE THE PROUD DISTINCTION OF BEING CHERYLS DAD, AND ON BEHALF OF MY WIFE AVRIL AND CARLS PARENTS DAVE AND BERYL, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SHARE CHERYL AND CARLS SPECIAL DAY.

I MAY BE BIASED BUT I THINK YOU'LL ALL AGREE CHERYL LOOKS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL TODAY. SO FAR REMOVED FROM THE PAINFULLY SHY LITTLE GIRL WHO HARDLY SPOKE AND DIDN'T MIX VERY WELL. IN FACT THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME. BUT SHE DID TELL ME ONCE SHE WAS WAITING, HOPING TO MEET AN ARCHAEOLOGIST, BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT AS SHE GOT OLDER, HE WOULD BECOME MORE INTERESTED IN HER.

CAN I JUST SHARE A FACT WITH YOU? SURVEYS SHOW THAT ON AVERAGE MEN SPEAK 3,000 WORDS A DAY. YOU'LL PROBABLY NOT BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES CAN EASILY MANAGE 7,000! THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW CHERYL WILL ALSO KNOW SHE'S MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME NOW! SHE'S NOW ON 10,000 WORDS A DAY AND RISING.

BUT WE KNEW FROM AN EARLY AGE THAT CHERYL WAS RESILIENT. IF I CAN TAKE YOU BACK TO WHEN CHERYL WAS JUST 4 MONTHS OLD, IT WAS A LOVELY SUNNY DAY AND AVRIL HAD PUT CHERYL OUTSIDE THE DOOR IN HER PRAM. WE ONLY TURNED OUR BACKS FOR A MINUTE, BUT THAT WAS ALL OUR 3 YEAR OLD SON ALAN NEEDED,HE MANAGED TO TAKE THE BRAKE OFF AND TRY TO TAKE HIS SISTER FOR A WALK. WE CAME OUT JUST IN TIME TO SEE THE PRAM, WITH CHERYL STILL STRAPPED IN, DISAPPEARING DOWN THE STEEP ROCKERY.IT ROLLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES AND FINISHED UPSIDE DOWN ON THE GRASS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN. WE RUSHED DOWN, FEARING THE WORST,TURNED THE PRAM UPRIGHT AND COULDN'T BELIEVE CHERYL WAS SAT SMILING AS IF SHE HAD ENJOYED THE RIDE.

I DONT THINK I'M ANY DIFFERENT FROM ANY FATHER OF A LOVELY DAUGHTER, YOU WANT THE BEST FOR HER AND HOPE SHE'LL MEET THE RIGHT MAN WHO'LL MAKE HER HAPPY. WELL, CHERYL MET CARL AND EVENTUALLY INTRODUCED HIM TO US. MY FIRST THOUGHTS WERE CARL SEEMS LIKE A GENUINE NICE GUY. WELL I'VE KNOWN HIM NOW FOR A FEW YEARS NOW AND I DONT THINK CARL'S A NICE GUY ANYMORE. I KNOW HE IS! AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU CARL FOR MAKING OUR CHERYL SO HAPPY AND ITS A PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU INTO OUR FAMILY, AS I'M SURE YOUR MUM AND DAD, DAVE AND BERYL, AND YOUR SISTER LISA, WILL WELCOME CHERYL INTO YOURS.

ITS AN ADDED BONUS WHEN YOUR SON IN LAW SHARES SOME OF YOUR INTERESTS, SO WHEN CARL SAID HE WAS A FOOTBALL FAN I WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSED. THEN HE TRIPPED ME UP BY SAYING HE WAS A NOTTS FOREST FAN! FOOTBALL? NOTTS FOREST? I STILL CANT SEE THE CONNECTION, BUT BEING A ROTHERHAM FAN MYSELF, ITS HARDLY SURPRISING.

WELL I THINK I'VE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH NOW BUT BEFORE I FINISH I'D LIKE TO OFFER YOU BOTH SOME WORDS OF WISDOM I'VE LEARNED FROM NEARLY 38 YEARS OF MARRIED LIFE.

CHERYL; IF YOU WANT SOMETHING FROM CARL, ASK FOR IT, DON'T FORGET, CARL'S A MAN, HINTS WON'T WORK !
CARL; NEVER FORGET THOSE 3 LITTLE WORDS A WOMAN LOVES TO HEAR, "OF COURSE DEAR!"
AND FINALLY,
"NEVER GO TO BED ON AN ARGUMENT! IT'S FAR BETTER TO STAY UP AND FIGHT!!

IT NOW GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO PROPOSE A TOAST TO THE HAPPY COUPLE. SO CAN I ASK YOU ALL TO PLEASE BE UPSTANDING, RAISE YOUR GLASSES AND DRINK TO THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM, THE NEW MR AND MRS FENTON, CARL AND CHERYL..