Speech by Mike Peacock

Speech Type: Father of the bride/groom
Speech Creator: Mike Peacock
Speech Date: May2007
As father of the bride, it is my privilege to make the first speech.
At least I thought it was a privilege, until I realised that I'm actually just the warm up act, for the groom and the best men!

First of all, on behalf of Kate &amp myself,
Welcome to Glyn and Andrea, their family and friends, and to our family and friends who join us in celebrating Amy and Glyn's very special day. Just to let Glyn's family know, when I say Glyn, I mean Wes! – Its all very complicated!!

It is lovely to see so many people here – family and friends are very important to us, AND to Amy and Glyn. Amys friends from school, Becky , Emma , Hannah Becki and Dani are as close now as ever, even though they went their separate ways through Uni etc not that many of them actually ever stayed away for more than a week at a time!!. Many of GLYNS friends from school and Uni are here, -2 of which are the best men and probably feeling really sick right now!! And even though many of them live away, they all keep in contact with each other. Amy and Glyn – all of your friendships remain important right through your life together – Kate &amp I hope you will have as strong a group of friends as we have, when you are our age

Also a big Welcome to Glyn as a fully fledged member of our clan! – We could not have asked for anyone better for our first born. And you have allowed Amy AT LAST to have a different surname! – She has been waiting for years for this!

Glyn and Andrea have done a great job of bringing their son up – he is their pride and joy –we all think the world of him, he is a young man to be very proud of.

When we first met him it was all we could do to understand what he was talking about – I'm still not convinced he doesn't speak in a foreign language sometimes!! Within a short time he was joining us at mealtimes – for some strange reason I didn't have the biggest meal anymore and on a Wednesday it was always “whatever Glyn likes”, we ate!
We were a bit concerned about his suitability when we heard that when he was young, he had given up playing football!!

–To play the trumpet in a brass band wearing a yellow shirt with a dickie bow!!! – but Andrea informs us he was very good at this!! I don't know which was more worrying – the brass band or the dickie bow and shirt!

When he came to ask if he could marry Amy – he looked frightened to death –probably in case we said Yes!!

We realised as soon as he came round that he was going to ask for her hand in marriage. I remember thinking “I hope he picks the hands which keeps dipping in to my pocket! We let him worry about it for a bit – it was quite funny watching him rock back and forwards on the chair for &#188 of an hour!! But we couldn't have been happier.

He then proposed to Amy at Epcot in Florida – he went down on one knee as the fireworks went off at midnight on New Years Eve with 50000 people standing around the lake – Amy had no idea what he was doing, so being bossy as usual, told him to hurry up and get up as he was missing the finale !! as soon as she realised he was proposing, the tears flowed big time!!!-

Were we sick of seeing that ring by the end of the holiday!! And the phone bill home was enormous!

Then I started thinking about organising this wedding! I was quite worried about getting everything right but actually I have found it all very easy!. I spoke with Glyn ………….and we agreed to sit back and let everything happen ….and it did as if by magic! Joking apart, I am sure you will all agree that the hard work by Kate and Amy has paid off with fantastic consequences – NOW we can just copy it all for Hannah and Liam's!! – Easy.

All I DID ask was “How Much???”

And we made the odd suggestion like “we could have had the working men's club for 50 quid”

But I just got that look from Amy ……I'm sure Glyn has found out about that look by now.

I can just about remember our wedding day, snow on the ground, clear blue sky

The 3 tier cake made by Kate's granny, having a mind of its own starting to lean and was caught just before it toppled over.
“O” and yes I mustn't forget Kate who I was so proud of and still am.
And Kate and I are so proud of you Amy

You look so beautiful today, absolutely stunning.

I can tell you that she is a daughter to be MORE than proud of…………..She is such a special person, caring and loving to all that know her. Amy, you are OUR pride and joy and we love you dearly
Yes, I know fathers are biased!
Yes I know she could never do anything wrong in my eyes. Well almost
Amy has always brought brightness and NOISE into our lives and I am sure this will continue into Glyn's too.

I must say I'm pretty relieved that in the church for the first time in her life Amy managed to say “I do” without questioning it.
She does have a mind of her own, as I dare say Glyn has discovered by now.

Looking back I clearly remember, 12.30 a.m. 17th February 1982
Stepping Hill Maternity Hospital. I had gone nearly 24 hours with out food!!!! Oh yes and then I was handed a 6 &#189 lb baby girl, my first words were

“She looks like Yoda” from Star wars – and “why is her head that shape” to which the nurse replied “if you had been on her journey you would be that shape”. And it has been a journey with both of my girls ever since they were born. – Those 2 days were the proudest days of my life.

Amy was quite a tom boy when she was little which is hard to believe now. She always wanted to climb the highest rock and the biggest tree – and ended up with quite a few injuries along the way – including breaking her leg at 3 and having a full plaster cast on for her 4th birthday party!
She has always loved travelling. In her early teens in Portugal she was allowed out at night for the first time with her cousins to celebrate Laura's gcse results! – OH DEAR!! What a disaster – Peter and myself ended up carrying her home from lying in a gutter in Alvor. She was almost unconscious, she and her friends had been banned from a bar in town as she was sick all over it! and them! She has never drunk Bacardi since then! This resulted in her 1st hangover – well the first we knew about! – But she did the drunk bit in style – with lads who went to school with Prince William!! Whenever we go to Alvor now it is like a pilgrimage visiting Amy's gutter!

It was clear early on that the caring of children was Amy's career goal and she has steadfastly pursued this even though she hated the majority of her time at Uni. and is now teaching our next generation – God help us and them!

She has done really well at her job though we do question her intelligence sometimes! Only earlier this year she phoned us whilst the commonwealth games were on, wondering where the USA were!! She was adamant, and I think secretly still is, that the USA used to be in the games – and where were they this year?!!

She is sensitive and gets emotional at just about everything – particularly soap operas and sad films! In fact when Amy, Hannah and Kate are watching together I could almost drown!!
Everything seems to have gone so fast – Birth, School, Holidays, University and Work

And now Marriage!!

According to the internet's guide to wedding speeches this is the moment where I give Glyn advice on the subject of marriage on which it has been said it is a 50/50 partnership, but whoever said that knew little about women and even less about fractions

Now that you're married, Amy will always have the last word in any argument – any word that you say afterwards is by default, the start of the next argument!
There is no challenge in a marriage that can't be overcome by one or more of the following:
I was wrong!
You were right!
Yes Dear
I love you!
And always remember that just before you take her out the answer is
“No! Your bum doesn't look big in that”.
Another word of advice Glyn, never go to bed in the middle of an argument – Be a man, stay up and fight

You've lost anyway so you might as well get it over with.

It is somewhat traditional to say at weddings something like I hope their married life will be as happy as my own.

But I will add to that.

I'll say I hope your married life will be as happy as my wife has made mine.

For it's a good woman that makes a good marriage and a good woman is just what Glyn has managed to find.

Finally Ladies and Gentlemen a short verse, that sums up my thoughts and feelings today.

Coming together is a beginning, Staying together is progress and Working together is success. When children find true love, Parents find true joy. Here's to your joy and ours from this day forward.

You have all heard enough from me, and I see Glyn is ready to say a few words before he has any more to drink!!

But before that let me propose a toast

Here's to the past for what you have learned
here's to the present for what you share together
here's to the future for what you look forward to together
here's to love, laughter, and happiness
Here's to my fabulous daughter and son in law

Glyn Westley &amp Amy Kate Davies