Speech by Adam Temple

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Adam Temple
Speech Date: Oct2004
It's a long time since I had a microphone in my hand and for those of you that weren't at Brighton pier for the karaoke evening a couple of years ago on cricket tour, you'd better hope that this time is better !

Now, Sally and I have had the privilege of being invited to a fair few weddings over these last few years @ the advantage of having such a big group of friends is that I have been able to listen to lots of other grooms’
and best man's speeches and I can now shameless steal the best lines from all of them without too many people knowing – so to those whose hard work I've borrowed – and you'll know who you are @ thank you !

So, it makes me very happy to say @ I've been dying to say it for the first time, my wife and I –– anyway, my wife and I would like to thank you all for coming here today to share our special day. It's really great to see everyone. It was definitely worth putting free bar on the invites !

Sally's been very relaxed in the build up to the wedding – we both have – the planning, the decision making, all of the organisation has been very well co@ordinated – as you'd expect from Sally. Reviews on Sunday evenings, list and checklists of things to do for the week ! I'd like to think that we're starting as we meant to go on @ we've done most of the things together and then Sal's done the girlie things like flowers and I sorted the beer and the cava – just about ! The one thing that I know that she's been really nervous about is this speech.

Now, tradition dictates that the groom's speech is kind and polite about the bride, comments on how beautiful she is and what a great wife she will be.
You'll notice today however that we've done things a little differently – a little bit unconventional.…

So Sally'll be glad to hear that I'll be sticking to tradition in this area though ! Gone are the plans for an interactive audio visual speech with projected pictures on the wall. In fact, given that I had been proposing a donkey derby, pig racing and karaoke as entertainment, I think that she'll find it positively restrained. I promise not to embarrass her – I can't promise not to make her cry – but hopefully for all of the right reasons

I had prepared a really good speech for you today, but unfortunately, now that I am married, @@I've been told to read this one instead. Everyone that has given me advice, most of it to keep it brief – that was certainly Sally's ! I went on the internet for a bit of inspiration about the speech – isn't it amazing what you can find on there – unfortunately, most of it isn't useable here. One bit I liked best was to &quottreat the speech like a mini skirt&quot i.e. short enough to keep everyone interested and long enough to cover the bare essentials. So here goes.…

A few of our friends and family could not make it today….I'd like to make special mention to my granddad who will be very proud of us and is sorry that he can't join us. I am very proud that my granny who will be 98 this year is still in fantastic health and has been able to join us – that means a lot. Thanks John for making it 3 days after the birth of your daughter Robyn – our best wishes go to you, Robyn and Jo who's now recovering ! Our thoughts also go out to Bill and Jayne who say they are expecting their second child imminently – I think they mean soon, rather than the name – I'm not sure. Angela and Harj, Lyn and Mark who can't make it because they get married this week too – our congratulations to them. I'd like to thank Andy O for saving my neck when on Thursday night at 10pm he explained why I couldn't get all of the music that I had copied on my PC to work on the music system. Andy, believe me, I was so relieved that I felt like marrying you instead ! Ailsa and Justin for plant sitting whilst we're away – I trust that the lounge looks better than after the hen night – please ! ‘d like to say a big thanks to my sister Nina and husband Owen who have made the long trip over from San Francisco where they are building their married life together – I know that you kinda had to be here but we do appreciate your presents – and being here as well.

As most of us have all seen the Olympics, rather than make another long list of awards and thanks, I'd like to say quickly – thank you very much to Heather who I am sure you will agree, not only looks fantastic but also did us proud with her singing – may this be the first of many awards. Nina, likewise, for a beautifully reading, thank you. For the groomsmen or ushers, dad and Dave, a quick round of applause please – great job boys ! They've already had their presents but please do have a look at their cufflinks ! To my mother and mother in law – I was going to say old mum and new mum that doesn't sound quite right ! Thank you for your support and advice – not only over the last few months but for the last umpteen years as well !

There are also some people more behind the scenes – please say thanks to the caterers in advance, the food's going be great ! To Elizabeth and Timothy whose fantastic venue this is – we stayed here last night and believe me, it's lovely and they've made us feel very welcome. Last but certainly not least, a very big thanks to Timmy and Janet without whom, this would have been a much bigger job and a lot more stressful ! Really @ Thank you guys

Now some people thought that we had timed our wedding so as not to clash with major sporting events – and I'm not just talking about the end of the Sandridge cricket season so the guys could be here which is true. Birmingham postponed their game just so Simon could come @ Matt, Villa are playing today but don't worry, we saved you 㿊 watching them lose.

I promised Sal that I would keep this speech short, however I'm now married and these are probably the last words I will ever say for myself, so I'm going to carry on. But I will try not to make it funny and tell jokes.
Everyone knows that my jokes tend to go on for a while and aren't that funny anyway but give me a little support @ just laugh politely and remember who's buying the drinks ! Or have another one if they're that bad !

The trouble with weddings, so I've been told, is that the day flies by and you never have the time to say how much you appreciate seeing everyone so I'm going to speak for both of us when I say how much we feel about you all taking the time to be here today. We will be circulating later and hopefully have the chance to talk to all of you but, if we don't @ we're really pleased that you could make it.

Some of you may know that I don't believe in doing things by half – although they do normally end up half finished. Not only will we be starting a new life together as husband and wife when we get back but I will also be starting a new job – with Orange – Hertford's just a little closer than Bracknell. Before you get worried about no more cheap TVs and HiFis, I can assure you that I still have the contacts !

Now, today is 5 years to the day that we went on our first date. For those of you that don't know, we met in that most romantic of places – the sandwich queue @ I started talking to her and she wondered who this strange chatty person was. Some things don't change. Anyway, thank you for agreeing to marry me. I realise I'm getting the best of this deal, because all you get is me. I know that today is the result of the best decision I have ever made, and I'll try my best make sure you can say the same thing.

We've had some fun preparing the wedding – some of it's been fun, some of it a little stressy but Sally's always been there for support and guidance – normally, there, do it ! I know that it wouldn't be half the day without all the work that you've put into it and I'd like to thank you for that.
However, not that it's here, I don't expect to see any more endless lists of tasks for me to do ! OK ?

They say, ‘To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.’ It works for me.

I'm going to finish with a little poem which I'd like to claim are my own words but they're not – but they are ‘My thoughts exactly !

There are so many things I love about you

I love your childlike quality,
Your sense of wonder,
Your enthusiasm for life and love
I love the way you understand me
Better than anyone I've ever known
The way you're always thinking of things To make me happy I love the fun we have together The way you can always make me laugh Just when I need it most And I love the way I am when I'm with you I see things more clearly Through your eyes and your touch Makes me feel everything more deeply I love discovering the inner you That other people never see And the more I discover, the more I find to love I love you Simply because you are you And I've never felt the way I do for you That's why I know for the rest of my life I will always be in love with only you

Now, I'm going to drink my own private toast to Sally later, however I'd like to propose another toast, this time to you, our guests………Cheers everyone!

Sally and I had talked at length about departing from the traditional order of wedding speeches. Personally i wanted to make the final speech. But she didn't want me to get use to having the final word

So, that's enough from me @ it now gives me very great pleasure to hand over to my best man –– he's a guy that I've known for quite a while, in fact all of my life and I can honestly say that without him I wouldn't be here today.
His support and advice has been invaluable over the years. He's a fantastic role model and someone that I'm very proud to call my Dad. I'll like to ask him now to give him the best man's speech – and given this great build up, I appreciate it if he would take it easy on me. My dad !