Speech by Frederick Newley
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Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Frederick Newley
Speech Date: Aug2007
Thanks. My speech is below – delivered 18th August 2007 as Father of the Bride. I'm registered with you as Frederick Newley.
Hello everyone. I'm Mike Only use if not introduced
I had a bit of difficulty preparing this speech.
My wife, Jo, kept chipping in with comments like
You Can't say that – Nobody wants to hear that
And –
Make sure everyone knows Gail has inherited all her good points from me
Well I haven't entirely taken her advice but here we go –
To be honest – & despite all the advance planning – it's actually been a bit of a miracle that we've finally got to this point.
Less than a fortnight ago – Cake hadn't been ordered
Gail's wedding dress still hadn't arrived ! And her last fitting was only 3 days ago. Even on Thursday the readings & music still hadn't been decided upon !
Well thankfully everything has fallen into place.
So it's my very great pleasure to offer a very Warm welcome to you all and to thank you all for coming and sharing this special day with Gail & Haydn
I trust you have enjoyed it so far.
I know most of you here today are friends of Gail & Haydn from their time here in Manchester. However I would just mention we are joined by Megan – one of Gail's oldest friends from their days at the Girl's High School in Wolverhampton
There are, of course, also members of both families, in particular, Haydn's parents, Maggie & Fred.
My wife, Jo & I would like to thank them especially for the generous contribution towards this day.
By a happy coincidence it's Maggie & Fred's wedding anniversary today.
On behalf of us all may I offer congratulations and ask you all to raise your glasses to Maggie & Fred
Traditionally weddings are, or used to be, all about
Father giving his daughter away
Daughter leaving the nest to set up a new home
&
Welcoming the groom to the family
Well it's been nothing like that with Gail
The idea of giving her away is a bit of a joke
– she's not lived at home for exactly half of her life
Gail & Haydn have been living together for nearly 4 years
Finn, our lovely grandson, arrived just over 18 months ago
– surprise is they got engaged before the wedding !!
I remember when, in 2003, not long after she started seeing Haydn, Gail joined the rest of our family on holiday at Woolacombe and was very much on tenterhooks waiting desperately waiting for him to call her. She probably won't thank me for saying this but I'm sure she was looking for assurance that the new romance was going to blossom.
Well it has and, of course, we were eventually introduced to Haydn and immediately took to him so, whilst in the formal sense, I am more than happy to welcome Haydn into the family today, we have in fact regarded him as part of the family for some years now.
I do hope Haydn feels the same way about us.
We have found him to be a sensible, considerate, easy going and a good father to Finn.
I do have one very particular concern about his upbringing of Finn.
Our family, or at least the male side, are staunch supporters of a West Midlands team that plays in claret & blue. Haydn, for some inexplicable reason, supports that team in Salford that plays at somewhere called Old Trafford
What can I say about Gail Turn to Gail & say sorry lost notes you gave me about all the nice things I was to say
Well my first recollection of the day she was born, in what it turned out to be the hottest of the year, is of the midwife throwing me out of the house in the early hours of the morning leaving me to pace up & down the road until she arrived at around 6 o'clock in the morning.
She then proceeded to cry more or less none stop for the next 48 hours !
In her early years she was very, very blonde – much as bridesmaid Sophie, our youngest granddaughter, is now.
As the youngest she had to put up with her brother, Martin, bossing her around for her early years and then winding her up in her teens.
I don't know whether she recalls it but there was an occasion when Martin rescued her.
When she was 8 we were all on a canal boat holiday.
Gail was at the front of the boat and managed somehow to fall overboard but Martin managed to grab hold of her as we sailed past her.
Whilst we were a bit shaken thinking about what could have happened
– Gail's only concern was that she had lost her sun hat.
Whilst at junior school she did show some talent for music, winning a number of awards & prizes for her piano playing in the late 80s/early 90s.
Sadly this fell by the wayside as she moved into secondary education but this is where she really started to develop her interest in art.
This eventually led to Gail setting off for Manchester to get her BA.
One of my last memories of Gail before she left home is when I was awoken at around 2 o'clock in the morning.
Thinking we'd got burglars I jumped out of bed.
Turned out be a bit of a Romeo & Juliet scene with her then boyfriend attempting to climb up to her bedroom window.
As he dashed past the front of the house he made me speechless with the immortal words
“Trouble is you've got no romance in you”
What really upset me is that my wife agreed with him !!!
Clearly all the friends Gail made after first arriving in Manchester were a decisive factor in her deciding to stay here permanently as she started her career as a self employed illustrator
Gail I don't remember you ever being troublesome as a daughter – no teenage rebellion – not so sure about the way you decorated your bedroom but I could put up with the Adam Ant poster!
Think I would sum up by saying you have been a good natured, undemanding, caring & sensitive daughter.
Perhaps a bit indecisive at times – e.g. the planning for today !!
Perhaps frustrating at times – like when I'm trying to help with your tax return & it's like trying to get blood out of the stone for information !!
To be honest I did have some doubts, pre Finn, about you would cope as a mother – perhaps the memory of your sink piled up with all those congealed bake bean saucepans still lingers !! – but you quickly demonstrated that I was entirely wrong. You have, in fact, taken to being a Mum remarkably well.
Decided that, as you've been together for nearly 4 years it's probably too late to give you the sort of advice that's usually proffered on these occasions – like never have a joint bank account !!
Jo and I are very proud of her – hope you all agree looks really wonderful / lovely in her wedding dress.
Sadly Gail lost her grandparents a good number of years today but I'm sure if they could be here today they would feel the same and be very happy for her
Gail, Your Mum and I love you very much
Gail & Haydn, Good luck to you both for a long & happy Marriage
Ladies & Gentlemen, please join me in the traditional toast, I give you . . . the bride and groom.
