Speech by Basil Sprigg

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Basil Sprigg
Speech Date: Aug2004
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

GOOD AFTERNOON

MY NAME IS BASIL AND I AM THE FATHER OF THE BRIDE

To be honest, I did try to memorise this speech @ but forgive me if I resort to my notes every 5 seconds. I asked for an autocue to be set up in front of me. Apparently, the wedding budget doesn't stretch that far… and neither does my eyesight.
As Father of the Bride, it is my privilege to make the first speech, and, I would like to start, by saying what a real pleasure it is to welcome, on this very happy occasion, Sandra and Barry, Harry's parents. It has been really good to meet them and become family@in@laws and friends, together with relatives and friends of both families. Some of whom have travelled thousands of miles to be here, to make such a journey to be at the wedding shows how much you love and care about Sarah and Harry, although a bit premature, may I on behalf of both families wish you a safe and pleasant journey back home.
Others are many miles and worlds away but I'm sure they are with us in spirit.
For those of you who don't know, Sarah is our ONLY daughter. She was a PERFECT daughter … well, she IS a perfect daughter. What I'm really trying to say is that, as a child, she was SO PERFECT a daughter we vowed NEVER to have another.
I was telling Sarah the other day that, because I was worried about
choking up, I wouldn't be able to say nice things about her today. She put
her hands on her hips and said: &quotWell somebody had better say something
nice!&quot

We are very proud today, to see Sarah, looking so beautiful, finally married to Harry.
Just a few words to Sandra and Barry, I know how much you love and care about Sarah, and have taken her to your hearts, and I believe that she is now your daughter, in fact as well as in law.
There's something about a daughter getting married that touches the heart of a Dad. As a Dad I have tried endlessly to get it right and there was a time in Rachael's mid teenage life when I was failing miserably BUT if there's one thing we as a family have always done and that's talk. Rachael and I fought like cat and dog at one period, I was concerned that I would lose her, drive her away but Ann became the umpire, the referee and Sarah and I developed a wonderful friendship. She even came to work with me for 2 wonderful years and I was so proud of her. This was something I could never have imagined at one point, I love her today more than words can say
Having spent the last twenty in computer sales, I have to say it was a bit of a shock to be told I had to give Sarah away. &quotSell&quot I understand but &quotgive away&quot is not a phrase I normally use.
Of course before you can sell something you have to be able put a value on it and if Ann and I had been able to do that, this marriage would not have taken place.
No@one could afford the value we put on our daughter, but Harry, you becoming my son@in@law is payment in full.
Now to Harry.
During the time we have known him, we have come to realise how special he is to Sarah, and anyone can see that they are made for each other.
He is really likeable and easy going, and we are very happy to welcome him formally into our family, and I hope that he is now pleased to be a member of the Sprigg clan. It may seem a bit condescending but if I had searched the whole world I could not have found a better person to marry my Daughter.
The first time I met Harry was when one night I arrived home from work to find a young man sitting in MY Chair, where upon he said “ Hello is there football on Sky “. While watching the game I offered him a can of beer, he must have felt at home because he helped himself to a second one,
There's something you'll have to learn and live with Harry, because no man has yet found a remedy for it and that is, the female mind!
The following can sum it up:

A woman bought her husband two ties for his birthday, a red one and a blue one. He was undecided which one to wear at the party that evening, but appeared in the red one. As soon as his wife saw him, she said, “Oh! You're wearing the red tie. Don't you like the blue one?”
Harry, a bit of advice, never go to sleep with an argument unfinished or hanging over you. Be a man and stay awake and fight to the bitter end! You're going to lose anyway, so be a man and go down fighting.
Unfortunately, due to the current situation in the world, Sarah and Harry had to postpone their honeymoon in Borneo. Instead they are jetting off to Canada. They were lucky enough to get one of those bargain late deals that are tailor made for honeymooners@ 4days and 10 nights.
Now to Sarah
We're very proud of Sarah she's always brightened our lives …
mainly by leaving all the lights on! She's always had plenty to say,
usually on my telephone @ I'm only joking of course, she's a lovely girl
and very special to us.
She has always been a strong willed person, she knows what she wants and she goes all out to get it, so Harry you didn't stand a chance.
When she was young her mom took her shopping to get a new coat, going round the shops she set her mind on a pink one, the dearest one she could find, and she stuck it out until Ann had to buy it for her, that was the one she wanted and that was the one she was going to have.
While on holiday in Dawlish one year, we took the kids on a train to Plymouth. We took them to see The Hoe and the Barbican, while walking around the shops Sarah saw a pair of yellow shoes that she liked, but it seemed that had not got Sarah's size only two sizes bigger. They fit perfect she said, and duly bought them. When we got off the train back at Dawlish, the toes of the shoes now pointed north, when I remarked that the shoes now looked funny like that, she promptly replied “ The lady said that's the new look and they should look like that”.

To end this speech:

I hold little or no fear for these two in life as I have watched them over the last 2 years, open new business ventures, buy a new house and organising their wedding, any one feat enough to stress the best of us.

Should NASA ever need an organiser for another lunar landing then they needn't go any further than right here. Point
Marriage is the meeting
of two minds…
of two hearts… and
of two souls.

May you be blessed with happiness that grows…
with love that deepens.… and
with peace that endures.
I wish you fun and excitement for today.…
hopes and dreams for tomorrow.…
and love and happiness forever.
So to compliment the jewel in my crown, she has found her piece of gold.
I give you:
Mr &amp Mrs Boys
HARRY AND SARAH