Speech by Colin Dawes

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Colin Dawes
Speech Date: sep 2003
This is the highlight of your day – listening to these pearls of wisdom.
I was going to begin by using the formal address of ladies and gentlemen but I want this to be a more personal occasion. So I'll begin with “distinguished guests, mother, mother-in-law, siblings, brothers and sisters-in-law, Uncles, Aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, friends old and new, the unwashed, the unemployed and the unemployable”. I think that's it, Oh and Ron<my older brother>. Welcome to Jonathon and Catherine's wedding reception.

Today I am the proudest man in the whole world. Seeing your daughter looking so happy and radiant is a truly amazing experience, but it is tinged with a little sadness. For those who know me well, being generous does not come natural to me. It phased me a little in the ceremony when I had to give her away.

Catherine was a very happy and outgoing child. She came into our lives in 1976 coincidentally the same year that Concord started a passenger service between London and Bahrain. This coincidence is amazing because not only was Catherine's first full time job working in the airline industry in the Middle East, concord actually bows out of service this year, the year of her marriage. She did well at school travelling to both Germany and Canada as part of the school band.

As far as I was concerned Catherine was born, I went to work and when I finished in industry in 1993 I realised Catherine was a grown up young woman off to University. She had met Jonathan at this time and it was obvious to Christine and I that he would one day become part of our family. So I formally welcome Jonathon into the Dawes family and I do this with great fondness, knowing you as I do. To us you are a second son, but Jonathan you are charged with the duty of looking after and protecting our precious daughter.

It is also heartening to know that Terence and Joan, Jonathan's parents have taken to Catherine and welcomed her into their family.

Organising a major event like today is very easy, you just sit back and everything seems to happen. I just ask the odd question like “How Much???” And put forward the odd point for serious debate like “we could've had the village hall for £50, I know one of the parish councillors, and, we could've got the snap from Netto”. But it was always met with “Dad – go with the flow, me and Mum know best”.

Seriously though a tremendous amount of effort and determination has gone in to organising the celebrations today and I wish to acknowledge Christine's part in this. So I would like to propose a toast to Christine. Thank you Christine for today and for the last 35 years and 1 week<since our first date>. I also want to propose a toast to Terence and Joan for the excellent job they have done in moulding Jonathon into the man he is today.

This day reminds me of nearly 31 years ago when Christine and I got married. At the rehearsal Christine got very anxious and Reverend Smith found that she was worried about forgetting the order of what she had to do on the day, so the Reverend told her to break it down into small parts and remember key words. He said when you enter Church you will walk down the aisle. You will face the alter where you'll be married and you will first sing a hymn. Some of the congregation told me later that they were surprised to hear Christine, when walking past their pews, muttering “aisle, alter, hymn.” Here I am after all these years completely unaltered.

Success in marriage is not automatic. Like most things worth having you have to work at it. You will be tempted from time to time – resist that temptation. Sometimes you will be envious of others, you will experience frustrations and you will sometimes each find the other annoying. Get over it; you have made a commitment today that's worth keeping. You will learn to be tolerant, you will learn to give way and see the others point of view. If you are able to do all these things without recrimination redress or rancour then you will have the beginnings of a successful marriage.

To you Jonathon remember 3 very important phases and use them appropriately:
Firstly women like to hear those 3 little words often, “Yes my dear.”
Secondly in a dispute remember and use the words “Of course it's me that's wrong”.
Thirdly before going out to that special occasion remember to say “No! your bum doesn't look big in that”.

To Catherine – Never go to bed in the middle of an argument – stay up and fight but be diplomatic and magnanimous when you let him have your own way.
If you want something from Jonathon ask for it – remember he is a man, Hints don't work.

To you both you will find that Catherine will make all the minor decisions whilst you Jonathon will make all the major ones, but Jonathon you will find that all future decisions will be of a minor nature. When Jonathon asked me for Catherine's hand in marriage I asked him what he expected out of this union and he told me he wanted love, friendship and someone to help share the cost of a house close to the City ground.

A few weeks ago I asked Catherine what she wanted out of this marriage and after thinking carefully for a short while she said she wanted love, a family and bless her little cotton socks she got her words mixed up. What I think she wanted was a coffee percolator but what she actually said was a perky copulator.

Finally would you be upstanding for the toast.

May you live as long as you want but never want as long as you live
May your joys be everlasting and all your pain be _____champagne
May you grow old together___ on the same pillow

CATH AND JON.