Speech by Mark Simms

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Mark Simms
Speech Date: 24/06/2015 20:49:13

Sam & Jonathan Wedding 20th June 2015

 Part 1 Introduction

Well what an emotional wedding, even the cake is in tiers!

The old ones are the best even though the cakes got no tiers.

 For those who don't know me or haven't guessed I'm Mark, Samantha's father and on behalf of my wife Linda and Jonathans parents Peter & Bee I would like to say what a pleasure it is to welcome you to the wedding of Samantha & Jonathan.

A special thanks goes out to those of you who have travelled a long distance to be here to celebrate with us today

Phone rules, anyone picking up their phone during the speeches has to pay for the whole meal,

It falls on me to make the opening speech, just think of me as the warm up act.

This is the part of the day you all enjoy the most, 3 men, making fools of themselves making a speech that none of them are really happy to give.

The best man has to make you laugh,

The groom has the boring thank yous

And I have to try to make you go arrr.

Well Jonathan/Nickers our guests will only remember our speech's until the next wedding & I have another one in 6 months’ time so I have a second chance & my speech will be forgotten soon,

I'm not so sure about yours.

You will have to forgive me for looking down at my notes as I will never remember what I want to say, plus I might need a few deep breaths, sips of water and a tissue for tears as I go along.

I was going to do a power point presentation, with excel sheets, pie charts & graphs, bride & groom coming in from left & right, all Wi Fi connected to small screens on your tables with an App for your phones

Now what couple does that sound like?????

Making a father of the bride speech for any dad is very emotional; I have a brother in law in the room who I think will agree & maybe one or two others fathers as well

The internet says a speech should be no longer than 10 minutes otherwise you get bored, so if I can stop crying long enough I might just make it.

Samantha & Jonathan had a very definite plan on how they wanted their special day to be and with a little help this morning from their friends to finish things off; I think you will agree there efforts have been rewarded.

I now turn to Samantha or Sam as most of you know her

Now it's my time to speak, and for once Samantha has to sit quietly and can't answer back,

This part might be a bit troublesome.

She hasn't stopped talking since she was about one, so how she will manage to sit quietly, even for 10 minutes I'm not sure.

What I do know is how beautiful she is, today, and every day.

When preparing this speech I got a little sentimental and decided to look at some old photos of Samantha.

One stood out to me,

Samantha lying on a rug, dribbling and pointing at the camera.

How lovely she looked trying to stand up on her wobbly legs….

I will never forget her 18th birthday

 Breathe OUT

I was very proud to walk Samantha down the aisle (I'll) to give her away, with her looking beautiful in her stunning dress

I'm not too happy to have to give her away; I like value for money & something in return

Jonathan we are both getting a right bargain, in exchange for her we are also getting a great son in law.

You know where the beer fridge is & now fetch's my beer as well as your own

As I mentioned earlier Samantha started talking from a very early age

I recall when she was 18 months old not just talking to a waitress on holiday but ordering the food she wanted, but then she always known what she wants & is seldom swayed away from it,

Her sister Grace has tried at length to sway her away from some things, oh the joy of listening for an hour or two……sisters telling each other they are wrong.

As a child she was a little demanding and once moaned on and on to go the cinema to see the Little Mermaid,

Linda very conveniently couldn't go, Grace to look after apparently.

So we queued to get the tickets,

Queued up and bought very expensive sweets,

& then took our seats 20 minutes before the start of the film,

We ate all the sweets 

& then the lights went down,

Pearl & Dean came on telling us we still had time to go & buy more expensive sweets,

Then all the trailers for upcoming films came on.

Finally the film started – Little Mermaid certificate U.

The opening scene shows the Mermaid wanting to make a deal with the sea witch (who is in the form of an Octopus) so she can become human.

One sight of that Sea Witch was enough for Samantha who burst into tears and we had to walk out,

What a lovely way to bond with your daughter for three hours.

Breathe OUT

Her first day at school was interesting in her shiny new uniform & shoes

She just took the teachers hand and walked off as if we weren't there leaving Linda sobbing

She went through school in all the top sets, getting top marks, as Grace would call her “a right bodder”!!

Parent's night was a little embarrassing;

All the teachers said was she was top of the class & when they all said it we had no idea how to respond other than saying very proud we were.

After A levels she said she wanted a year off, they all want this year off & she came to work with me,

She was running the office within two weeks & telling me what to do,

So I had no peace at work or home.

After this year off she then went off to York University to do her degree in PPE, Philosophy, Politics and Economics getting a 2/1 Politics and Economics

After her degree she had another year off!!

I was just thinking she would go to work & pay me some board money! No chance

Prior to this year off we had a lot of worries as she went travelling to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia & America

Again she walked off just like she had as a child on the first day of school, leaving us both sobbing again!

We needn't have worried as with all the things she does, she does them with a lot of thought and care

She followed me into accountancy, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant something we are immensely proud of,

Brains & beauty are a great combination.

How she fitted in playing hockey each week, working part time, mentoring younger children during her A levels, working with the Student Union and then becoming Chairman of the accountants association plus all the socializing, and there was plenty of that, I don't know.

As her Nan says she just takes it all in her stride.

Breathe Out

Finally we come to today, where we end up with an independent, attractive, intelligent young woman, who is single minded, she never gives up, Jonathan I think you already know this.

Now I come to Jonathan Breath OUT

Linda & I love our girls very dearly,

I never tell them this,

Too much of my macho dad in me to be all soppy but I know I should tell them both more often than on their wedding day.

Today we have to cut another apron string and let Samantha take another step in her life.

We are both very happy that she is making this step with Jonathan.

We thought he was the right one when he travelled half way round the world to see her on her second year off

Jonathan, welcome to our family.

They say if you want to know what your bride will look like in future years, take a look at her mother,

I can testify you picked a good one in Samantha,

Like most fathers I never thought anyone would be good enough for either of my girls

Or that anyone would put up with them.

However somehow Samantha has managed to find a man who is loving, caring, thoughtful and extremely patient and who we are proud to call our son in law.

We know she will be very safe in your hands & let no harm come to her.

Today we are not losing a daughter, but gaining the first son we never had.

You know I'm too old for Hockey, but I'm sure we will share many 18 holes of golf together in the coming years,

And finally

You have suffered me & my tears for long enough,

I may have missed parts of my original speech, or not said them correctly but I will finally sit down & let Jonathan bore you with thanks and Nickers entertain you with a few tales.

I can see they have been sitting there like a coiled springs raring to go.

And so ladies and gentlemen we have a radiant bride and we have a handsome groom, could you all be upstanding, raise your glasses & join me in a toast to the bride & groom Samantha & Jonathan the new Mr & Mrs Phipps.