Speech by Andy N

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Andy N
Speech Date: 08/09/2014 21:26:01

I would like to welcome all of you to Ally's & Andy's wedding celebration! If you don't know me I'm Andy, Ally's dad, and next to me is my better half, Leanne, some that know us well would say, much better half, and I would be extremely foolish to argue…but more on that later.  Leanne is allowing me to do all the speaking because we all know that she cannot hold back the tears on this happy occasion!

We want to take this opportunity to welcome all of the Schwartz family relatives and friends as well as all of our friends & relatives that have traveled both near and far.  Having all of you here is a true testimony to the love that is in this room tonight!  The guests in attendance truly form the foundation of who we are and ultimately…responsible for Ally and Andy getting together as they center their beliefs on many of the same values that we all share!

A quick note on a few special people that are missing, our mom/grandmother, Elizabeth.  Many of you knew her and for those that didn't she would have been “one happy camper” to see her oldest grandchild getting married.  She loved a good party!!  I know that she is here with us and would love Andy!!  We are also missing Don Kneeter who came into Ally's life later, but would have loved to see her as the grown woman that she is today (of course, happily married to a golfer)

Also, we want to mention Nancy and Brian Lee, our sister/brother in law who have an anniversary today…so let's lift our glass/take a sip or two to honor them!!  We are happy to be hosting their anniversary bash and thank them for sharing their day with all of us.

Thank you to Edy, my sister, for officiating at the wedding.  It is obvious that you have played a special role for Ally and Andy and we are grateful that you were able to fulfill this dream for them.  What an honor to be an integral part to this joyess event!

A special note to Betsy & Bob for their numerous contributions for the weekend…we've had a blast spending time with you and getting all the wedding plans together. This has been a major joint effort between Ally, Leanne, and Betsy… sorry Bob….we only helped a little bit when given explicit instructions as to the task we had to accomplish with timelines included.    We truly enjoy your company and think we need to continue getting together even without Ally & Andy.  Of course, if they invite us for dinner, we will include them!  You hear horror stories about the parents of bride & groom not getting along, but we think you know how we feel about both of you!!  Thanks for raising a great young man as he has made our daughter the happiest we've ever seen her.  It's been 9 years since they starting dating and the more we get to know Andy, the better we like him!! GREAT JOB!!  Finally, we know that Ally feels extremely comfortable & loved in your presence and we can see how you all interact and how much you all care for each other!!  Many thanks for taking her into your family!!

As the parents of the bride it is our hope that everyone has a great time, so please have a drink (or two), dance and talk to the other guests to your hearts desire.  Please don't let us down!!

Now some words on our beautiful, intelligent, driven and newly married daughter, Ally. That blows me away!! As the parent it seems logical that you should be more mature/responsible than your child…well that is not the case here.  Ally always has been more responsible than me and while the gap has lessened (maybe) it's still true to date.  I like to tell the story about homework in the Nathan household.  I'd ask each child if their homework was done, knowing that Ally probably had her homework done for the next 7-10 days.  I just wanted to make sure that Kevin & Dana could hear me asking Ally so that when I asked them I wasn't singling them out.   Another issue that most parents have is with curfews. but not Ally… she never had a curfew from middle school all the way through high school.  At the end of HS Ally came to us and asked us why she didn't have a curfew while all her friends did?  We told her because she was NEVER in trouble and extremely responsible we didn't feel the need to limit her, she was taking good care of herself @ 13 years old!!  Sad to say…but my parents could never have said that about me!

Now onto Andy.… It can be a problem figuring out who is who when we are together…Since we have the same first name, we tried discriminating by using the titles of big Andy and little Andy, but since he is bigger than I am and I am obviously older, it is still a bit confusing.  We may need to come up with some nicknames.   Any suggestions? Remember this is a family event…

We remember the early months/years of dating when Andy wasn't sure of what to make of me and my crazy sense of humor. He couldn't figure out if I was serious or sarcastic.  Andy was quite reserved around me for a while as he was very proper and not sure of what to think of our family.  Fast forward to last month on a Saturday as I get home from playing golf (where else would I be?) and there are no cars in the driveway or garage so I walk in thinking no one is home.  Once I get inside, I notice that the TV is on, already thinking who I should blame for leaving the TV on…not unusual for our family.   All of sudden I hear Andy say hello.  He's laying on our sectional couch where you can lay out fully extended and watching TV and he has MY iPad and is playing a game on it…and he says welcome home.… I guess he feels comfortable now!!

Andy is special younger man, for those of you who don't know Ally is considered the cradle robber, as he is one year younger.  He is hard working, smart, conservative, ambitious, has the same values as Ally.  If you ever need a loan, they are the couple to ask.  Amazingly, they have been dating for 9 years and for as long as we can remember we have always thought they would be together. Andy you have already been a MAJOR part of our family for many years so we want to OFFICIALLY welcome you into the family but we don't think anything will change.  Kevin & Dana also consider you part of the family and are happy to have you as their new brother.   You take great joy in taking care of Ally (when she allows it) and the only advice I can give you in regard to Ally is DO IT HER WAY.… Luckily, she sees you as her rock and can view everything in perspective!

There is one major issue that is causing us some sleepless nights.  It's probably not proper to bring this up in front on ALL the people that we love!!  But…well maybe I should just keep my mouth shut…many of you that know me well realize that is not going to happen…Oh well here goes…this is an extremely delicate issue that could force the newly congealed family to separate into factions..kind of reminds me Hatfield's & McCoy's as they are always fighting…this issue has to do with the how the kids are raised…..and I'll do this alphabetically,  Cubs or Sox….now most of you might think this as a non-issue but the Schwartz family are avid Cubs fans with Betsy also being employed by them.    On the other hand, I always say the best day from a sports perspective is when the Sox WIN and Cubs LOSE….We really need to know which team you will have your children root for!   Let's settle the score now…Which will it be?

Andy, I hope that all the current cubs prospects turn into major league stars…ok that was hard now back to hating the cubs!!

Now for some advice…marry someone like Leanne and you won't have any problems. Sorry I am getting sidetracked, but later this year, Leanne & I will have our 30th anniversary!!  WOW I still can't believe it's been that long.  It's been an unbelievable journey that I wouldn't trade for ANYTHING in the world, not even playing Augusta!! I am the luckiest person in the world to have married my sweetheart!!  I hope that you and Ally will have the same happiness in your journey together.  

A few words on MARRIAGE.  Marry the right person for the right reason. Success in a marriage is not about finding a person you can live with BUT a finding THE person you can't live without!  I think you guys already know this!!

Finally We want to leave you with a quote that says everything about marriage and love…A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person! Enjoy each other and the unique qualities that you bring to your marriage at every phase in your lives.  And for us, as It is written, when children find true love, parents find true joy. Here's both to your joy and ours from his day forward.

Let's raise our cups and toast Ally & Andy, I mean Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Schwartz, may all your dreams & wishes come true…we love you both with all our hearts!!!