Speech by Brian Hawthorn

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Brian Hawthorn
Speech Date: Oct2005
Ladies and gentlemen, as father of the bride, it's my privilege to make the first speech, and I'd like to start by saying what a pleasure it is to welcome you all to Karen &amp Peter's wedding.

I want to welcome Peter's parents, Pauline and Alan, and all the relatives and friends of both families, and to thank you all for coming, especially those of you who have travelled great distances to be here today. It's really great to see you all.

Today, we on the top table are surrounded by most of the friends and family who have been important to us during our lives. And by your presence today, you show your friendship and love, and bring even greater joy to this wonderful day.

Unfortunately, we are missing two very important people however – Karen's Nanna and Grand-dad, who were unable to make the trip due to Grand-dad's ill health. We will be making a special journey north tomorrow to show them Karen in her wedding dress, and take them some pictures of the day and some cake. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you will raise your glasses in their honour –
to Nanna &amp Grand-dad. Thank you.

I'm also pleased to formally welcome Peter into the family, although, as far as we're concerned, he's been part of the family for ages. During the time that we have known Peter, we have come to realize just how special he is to Karen – anyone can see that they're made for each other. I'm sure you'll agree they make a great couple.

A lot of effort has gone into making this the special day that Karen and Peter deserve, and I'd like to make particular mention of a few of the people concerned. Peter's parents, Pauline and Alan have made a big contribution towards the success of today, and I'd like to thank them for all their efforts. Also, Karen and Peter themselves have worked hard, and with great enthusiasm to make the necessary arrangements, especially for the honeymoon, which seems to have been a bit of a priority!

I'd also like to thank the staff of the Parsonage for helping to make this such a special day.

And there's another person who has worked tirelessly over many months to create the handmade invitations, the Orders of Service, and the menu cards, which I'm sure you'll agree were fabulous. Also, her talents extended to preparing all the table decorations that you see before you. She would say that it was a labour of love, and I know how much Karen and Peter appreciate her efforts, but I'd like add my thanks and propose a toast – to the mother of the bride – to Susan.

I am really fortunate that my daughter has met her Mr. Right. Of course, marriage isn't just about finding the perfect partner, but also about being one. Karen has made such a success of her life and career so far, that I'm sure her marriage to Peter will be just as successful.

Susan and I have been looking forward to this day for a long time…not because we want to hand over responsibility for our daughter, but because it's a proud day for us to see Karen so happy, and so in love – and looking so beautiful today.

But handing Karen over to Peter reminds me of that well known theory about marriage:

If you love something, set it free
If it comes back, it was, and will always be yours.
If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.
And if all it does is sit in your house, mess up your stuff, spend your money and use the telephone all night…….… you either married it or gave birth to it.

Marriage is a funny thing though. Did you know that in a recent survey carried out to establish whether married man live longer than bachelors, they found that actually there's no difference. It just seems longer when you're married!

Peter made a real impression on me when he first came into Karen's life. It was about two in the morning, and he was lying in the gutter outside our house next to a speed bump singing ‘Angels’ to Karen, with Andy trying to shut him up. Pity Karen wasn't at home that night to appreciate it.

But Peter's a great lad, only problem with him is he's an Arsenal fan, but even Gooners deserve a chance in life……… and marrying into a Chelsea family gives him a chance to see the light before his life is totally ruined.

Peter will know by now that Karen's not the shy, retiring type – she likes to be the centre of attention. That's probably why she took to dancing from an early age – she joined a dance school at the age of three and I didn't see her again until she was18, still, it kept her out of trouble.
But she was never a problem to us, although she did go through a bit of a difficult patch between the ages of 2 and 19.

She's also very strong willed, as Peter will have found out, and we've had many a battle of wills over the years. Susan reckons that's because we're too much alike, but I think she takes after her mother.

Seriously though, I'm sure that Karen and Peter will be as happy as Susan and I are and can look forward to many happy years together.

Karen is a very caring and loving person. She's my only daughter, and I love her and I'm proud to have her as my daughter.

Please join me in raising your glasses in a toast to the happy couple – Karen &amp Peter.

I'd now like to hand over to my son-in-law – Peter.

Wow, what an emotional wedding – even the cake's in tiers!