Speech by Alex Dakiniewicz

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Alex Dakiniewicz
Speech Date: Sep2004
Ladies and Gentlemen, as Father of the Bride, it is my privilege to make the first speech, I'm only going to speak for a couple of minutes because of my throat;

…if I go on too long my wife Yvonne, has threatened to cut it.
I will start by saying that Yvonne and I, and Dales’ parents, Sandy and Barry, would like to welcome the relatives and friends of both families to this very happy occasion. I would like to thank all of you for coming here today, (special thanks from me go to my cousins Ineke and Helga who have arrived today from Holland, and to Emma's grandma, who has had to battle through long periods of ill health, and being warned by Emma ‘You will be here for my wedding, won't you grandma’, She I'm sure, is proud and delighted to have made it here today).

I hope that you will all enjoy sharing Emma and Dales’ special day with them. How much you enjoy it, we will all be able to see, when the wedding video is circulated afterwards. You have been warned !!

Yvonne and I are the proud parents of three wonderful children, Emma, Kate & Tomas, and today, we are especially proud of Emma our eldest, on her and Dale's wedding day . Being the eldest Emma has always considered it as her job, on behalf of her brother and sister, to test us with the many challenges that parents have to face, first sleepless night, first tooth, first day at school, first boyfriend, first of many jobs, and, I hope that all those of you who have known Emma as she has grown up, will agree that …

Emma has always brightened our lives ……..usually by leaving all the lights on !
and that she has always had plenty to say………nearly always on my telephone.

I'm only joking Emma, you are very special to us, and we, and BT love you dearly.

Emma is affectionately known to us as ‘Moaning Emma’, as her mum is usually always the first to know if something is wrong, or if Emma is not well, even if her mum is away for the weekend with Emma's grandma at Blackpool, or Emma and Dale are on holiday in Spain……The phone will ring, and we hear the words ‘Mummy, I'm not feeling very well’. However, I am delighted to say that Emma has grown up, and blossomed into the beautiful and intelligent young lady we see before us today.

I would like to congratulate Dale, on being brave enough to ask Emma to be his wife, and to be his chosen partner, to face life's ups and downs together from now on. We knew it was love when we saw Emma, who hates sport and exercise; at the side of a football pitch; trackside at a race meeting; and going to the gym 3 times a week. Dale be warned, although her love for you is genuine, and hopefully long lasting, her love for sport and exercise probably isn't.

Since Yvonne and I have known Dale, one of the bonuses we've found for us is, if you want a job doing, or, if you want something fixed, if Dale can't do it, like the AA advert used to say, ‘He'll know a man who can !!’ What more can you want from a son-in-law ??

And, as Hannah pointed out to Emma on her hen night, another benefit in marrying Dale, is that Emma will get a much shorter surname; instead of being, Emma Dakiniewicz-I'll- spell-that-for-you. (35 letters), she has now become Emma Dixon (9 letters).

During the time we've known Dale, we've come to realise how special he is to her; and anyone can see, that they are very happy together, and made for each other! I hope that Dale will look after her, love and protect her, and be as proud of her as we are…… Dale, welcome to the family.

I'm sure that now, you would all want to join Yvonne and I, in wishing the happy couple well, I therefore ask you to be upstanding and raise your glasses ……(Pick up glass for toast)
Ladies and Gentlemen the toast is ‘The Bride and Groom’