Speech by Bill Johnson

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Bill Johnson
Speech Date: 23/06/2014 12:31:48

My Speech for Tammy & Mike's Wedding

7th June 2014 – By Bill Johnson

(Ting, ting the glasses with a spoon or whatever you have to hand and when it goes quiet…say “WELL, BEFORE WE HIT THE BEACH…IT'S TIME FOR MY SPEECH..OKAY, WE'RE REALLY NOT GOING TO THE BEACH!!”

A very Good Afternoon, ladies & gentleman; for those of you who may not know me, I'm Bill and I'm Tammy's Dad. As Father of the Bride, I have the pleasure of making the first speech and also being the ‘warm up’ act; thereby, paving the way for the ‘star turns’ the Maid of Honour, the Groom & the Best Man and… I just know they can't wait to get up!!

According to tradition, there are 4 areas I should cover during my speech and these are:

To welcome everyone to our ‘Do’; to say a few words about the Bride…in a loving & balanced way; to give a few words of Wisdom to the happy couple and finally, to propose the first Toast of the evening to the Bride & Groom!!

Well, what can I say… so far, it's been the perfect day and what beautiful, stunning surroundings, we're in! So, on behalf of my lovely wife, Pxx, along with Mike's parents, Sxxxx & Rxx; it is with great pride that I welcome each and every one of you here today and to also thank you for taking the time to join with us to celebrate Tammy & Mike's very special day.

We know that many of you have made long journeys to be here and your presence shows your friendship and love… It also brings even greater joy to this wonderful day!  We hope you all have a fabulous time tonight…I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a special welcome to Kenzo, our Honorary ‘son’ who has flown all the way over from Japan with his girlfriend Ryo just to be here with us today….Kenzo…we're so happy that you're here!

I just want to take a special moment to remember Pat's mum, Tammy's Nan who we sadly lost, several years ago, when Tammy was just seven. How lovely it would have been, if she were still with us today; she would have been so, proud of you, Tammy; how amazingly beautiful you look today and of all that you've achieved over the years; she loved you so much…and we know, in our hearts that she is here, in spirit and looking down on you today (Look at Tammy when you say this)

Pause……

Well, ladies & gentlemen…on the xx December 198x our beautiful little girl was born and right from an early age, it became apparently obvious that she knew her own mind.

I remember…. “Get me off this sand!!!”……for reasons unknown to us, you seemed to hate the stuff! …and It doesn't seem that long ago, that you was screaming blue murder at us to remove you from the beautiful, sandy beach at Gt. Yarmouth when you were just two years old…we have a most charming photo at home to prove it!! Sorry, Tammy…I just couldn't resist that one!!!

I remember.… having to play pirates with you, in the laundry basket which, doubled up as your ‘Ship’; this being the only way we could get you to wear the prescribed patch in order to correct the squint in your eye when you were just six!!

I remember.… pretending to love the endless hair do's… and facials you insisted on giving me and not to mention the examinations I endured while you practised at being a doctor with your Medical Kit!!

I remember.… Christmas…Yes! How we always looked forward to Christmas, especially during those ‘little’ years… Tammy loved Christmas too, didn't you Tammy? (Look at her when you say this!) …In fact, she loved it so much; the thought of all those presents to open made her feel so excited, to the point that every single Christmas Eve, just before bedtime, she would throw-up … Yes, it's true… Wasn't a pretty sight!!

Our endless attempts to avoid this happening only worked some six years later, when we decided to put Christmas Day forward by one.  That Christmas Eve we gently convinced her that it wasn't Christmas Eve at all.

A very puzzled little girl asked… “Are you sure?” –  “Yes, of course we are, today is the 23rd of December!” was our swift reply! We weren't totally sure if it was the shock of her thinking she was just about to be sick on the “wrong” day or what? But for whatever reason, we were amazed that our psychological scam had actually done the trick because she wasn't sick that night and consequently, she never threw-up ever again on Christmas Eve!!! We were delighted and of course, we told her the truth the next morning; well, it was after all really Christmas Day!!

Pause….

And…I remember.… that she always loved school and no matter what, she'd never have a day off, even if she felt ‘under the weather’ but that's Tammy for you! She had this incredible self-discipline within her; this made her strong… she'd never give up on anything; always remained focused and determined to succeed in everything she wanted to achieve. Constantly striving to be the best she could be and this became evident from such a young age; even to this present day her thirst for knowledge never ceases to amaze!

After completing a 3 year Business Management degree course at University, she then went on, just one year later, to qualify as a Primary School Teacher. Throughout all her growing-up years and as busy as her life was, she still found the time to help Dxxx, her brother, with his school work too. With her inspirational support & encouragement, and having a big sister to ‘look up’ to; we truly believe she helped give him the confidence he needed to also succeed…and at nearly 23, Dxxx is, in so many ways just like his sister, focused, determined and incredibly hardworking and he's doing just great!

Pat & I feel we are truly blessed to be the proud parents of two simply wonderful children.

Pause… And we move on……!!

Well, it was five and half years ago on 10th January 2009…when Tammy met Mike.… At first, she hardly talked to us about him and she didn't really appreciate us showing an interest in him; whenever we did enquire after him, her response was “I'm not dating…I'm just seeing someone…..!!”  (Say this with expression!) But after just a few short weeks… it was “Mike this, Mike that, Mike did this Mike said that!!!” I think it was then we realised…that HE just may be THE ONE!!

I'm sure he must have inspired her too because it wasn't so long after meeting him that she decided to move on up and begin a new chapter in the next stage of her career and this year, just a couple of months ago, for those of you who don't know, she has now qualified as an Accountant and once again, has made us feel immensely proud of her …… just like today.

Of course, fathers are naturally biased where daughters are concerned, but in Tammy, I see an independent, intelligent, beautiful young woman, a daughter to be truly proud of. A daughter who, throughout her life, has always been ready to face a challenge and win! And… someone who can also be a right pain in the ANADIN!!! too….sometimes!!

So…..my beautiful Tammy…..I want you to know how proud I felt walking you down the Aisle today…our little glances at one another.… moments I'll never forget and I will always treasure these memories forever…you looked amazing.

Tammy, you are without doubt, a very special young lady and as your dad, I feel so honoured to be here today and giving this speech. From Mum & I, thank you so much, just for being you!

Pause….

MIKE, our new son-in-law! It is my great pleasure and an honour to officially welcome you into our family today; although we do feel that you've already been part of it for a good while now… we have every faith that you will continue to make Tammy happy. We don't feel that we've lost a daughter but instead, we've gained a son.

You're hardworking, talented and ambitious. You are kind, funny and attentive… You have all your 8 fingers & 2 thumbs and I find you to be well mannered, reliable, sensible and considerate… You are clearly a man of vision…Occasionally blurred…Sometimes double…But nonetheless a vision that has enabled you to find and win over Tammy's and our hearts.  

I can however, say that I haven't totally figured you out though…because despite all your very positive attributes you still claim the colours of Arsenal… Just joking!!

Mike, if I can give you just one piece of advice, it would have to be this… A great philosopher once said: A man who gives in when he is wrong is a very wise man and a man who gives in when he's right is “married”..!

Advice for you both; success in marriage is not about finding a person that you can live with… It's about finding the person that you can't live without…

Love does not only consist strictly of gazing at each other…But looking forward in the same direction…

A happy home is one in which each spouse grants the possibility that the other may be right even though neither believes it so…

The best way to get rid of kitchen odours is to eat out…

Try your best never to go to sleep on an argument  

Pause….

It is NOW my pleasure to propose the first Toast of the evening:

So everyone… please have your glasses at the ready…but don't stand just yet…….!

Here's to the Groom with Bride so fair…Here's to the Bride with Groom… so rare…

As you walk together along the path God has for you…May you bless and enrich each other's lives…even as you bless and enrich the lives of others.

May you always have enough sunshine to keep your attitudes bright no matter how grey the day may seem.

May you always have enough happiness to keep your spirits alive and everlasting.

May you continue to enjoy the blessings of family and friends to see you through all of life's challenges….

And may heaven bless you both with many, many happy days…

And here's wishing you both a wonderful & happy honeymoon and Tammy…I hope your toes wriggle happily in the warm Hawaiian Waikiki Beach sand!!

Thank you all for your patience, and get ready Jxxxx, you'll be on in a minute!

PLEASE BE UPSTANDING, ladies & gentlemen & raise your glasses:

To the Bride & Groom… Tammy & Mike, the new Mr & Mrs Xxxxxxxxxx….x.

Jxxxx'S TURN NOW!!!