Speech by Dan

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Dan
Speech Date: 20/08/2015 09:09:58

Steve, thank you for a great speech and your kind words, I'm saddened to see you couldn't have the projector and powerpoint slides you wanted but it was fantastic nonetheless!

On behalf of my wife and I I'd like to welcome everyone to the wedding, I think it goes without saying that Em and I are very grateful so many of you could make it especially considering some of you have had to travel a fair way to get here. It's great to see everyone and I can say without a doubt it wouldn't be the same without you although giving a speech to an empty room would have been considerably less stressful! I hope that so far everyone has enjoyed and continues to enjoy sharing this special day with us.

Naturally as is custom there are various people that need to be thanked and I appreciate many people are looking forward to the food and so I'd like to ask for your patience and to make sure your glasses are all topped up!

First of all I would like to thank both our families as without them we wouldn't be here nor would we have become the people we are today.

To Steve and Denise, this is normally the part where I thank you for welcoming me into your family however that seems odd to me considering that you've made me feel welcome since the very first time I met you both all those years ago. I feel very lucky to have you as my in-laws; you are both kind and genuine people and let's face it there are not many people that could look past their daughter's boyfriend spilling a wonderfully bright shade of chicken tikka on their nice white rug! But really, we'd like to thank you for all your help and support with today and I would personally like to thank you for raising such a beautiful daughter.

We hope you'll accept these gifts as a token of our appreciation.

Mum, I couldn't possibly do this speech without thanking you! I really couldn't have asked for a better mum, you singlehandedly raised me to be the man I am today and I feel proud to be your son. You taught me manners, you taught me to appreciate the little things, and most of all you taught me that when I'm wrong I should admit it and when I'm right I should keep my mouth shut! It's a valuable lesson that has saved me many times over the years! You have always been there for me through the good, the bad and the numerous hospital trips! You have always encouraged me to be the best I can be and I hope I can continue making you proud.

Em and I hope you'll accept these flowers as a thank you for all your help and support.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen please raise your glasses to Steve, Denise and my mum Louise, to Family.

To, Stu, Mat and Tom, thank you for all your help today, you've done a phenomenal job getting everything organised, helping people and sorting the wedding music. For that we thank you. I'd like to extend a special thank you to Mat and Tom, as Em's brothers you could have very easily made my life difficult when we first started dating but you chose not to and for that I am thankful, although Tom your humorous efforts at scaring me still haunt me to this day so cheers for that!

Naturally I have to thank my best man Tom. Even though for the past year he has been travelling around Asia in some very remote places, he never failed to find both the time and the internet connection to get in touch and see what needed to be done, I just want you to know it meant a lot! I'd also like to thank you for helping me make it home in one piece from the stag do. I must say It was a relief to awake in my bed rather than strategically attached to a lamppost!

I would like to note that unfortunately on his travels Tom picked up a terrible habit of embellishing the truth so please this condition in mind for his speech and thank you in advance for humouring him!

Em and I would like to say thank you to the bridesmaids, ladies you look fantastic today. You've both done a brilliant job of helping make today special and of being great friends. I know I can't thank you enough for the advice you've given Em leading up to this day and of course for keeping her calm and collected! Knowing Em she'll have been getting herself worked up about everything today so I'm glad she's had you both to put her mind at ease.

On that note Ladies and Gentlemen, please raise your glasses to the Groomsmen and the Bridesmaids, to the wedding party

I'd also like to point out to both the Groomsmen and the Bridesmaids that you should have had a gift on the table when you sat down, we hope you'll accept these as thanks. If for some reason you can't seem to locate yours please let me know later on!

Finally to Em, my gorgeous wife. This is my favourite part as I get to tell you all how amazing she is and she has to sit there and listen! I'm sure everyone will agree with me when I say you look absolutely stunning today and I have to say I was speechless when I saw you walking up the aisle. Looking back on it and at myself now I get the feeling I'm getting the better end of the deal!

I still can't believe we've been together nearly 9 years now and I will never forget the slightly stubborn but beautiful young girl with the purple and black gloves standing in the school doorway with earphones in and heavy metal playing that I fell in love with. The same girl who was reluctant to even hold my hand now sits beside me as my still slightly stubborn and still beautiful wife and I cannot begin to tell you all how good that feels.

In all seriousness I feel blessed to be able to call you my wife, you never fail to make me smile and you always manage to bring out the best in me. You are patient, caring and selfless and one day I hope you'll agree with me when I say you are an amazing woman. You are more than just my wife you are my best friend and I want to thank you for agreeing to marry me and making me the happiest man in the world.

I hope you don't mind but I'd like to share a reading with you called “The One” by an unknown author that I discovered while researching for this speech. Yes it's a little cheesey but I found it fitting.

When the one whose hand you're holding  Is the one who holds your heart  When the one whose eyes you gaze into  Gives your hopes and dreams their start, When the one you think of first and last Is the one who holds you tight, And the things you plan together  Make the whole world seem just right, When the one whom you believe in  puts their faith and trust in you, You've found the one and only love You'll share your whole life through.

I look forward to the many, many happy years I know we'll have together and I cannot wait to begin our married life in our home.

I would also like to take the time to say that naturally (and sadly) there is no such thing as a wedding that organises itself, the planning for this day has been going on for a couple of years now and whilst I like to think I contributed, it was Em that did the majority of the work that has made today the celebration it is and so for that I would like to thank her.

Ladies and Gentleman, I'd like to ask you to raise your glasses and join me in a toast to the woman that made this all possible, my new wife, my stunning bride, to Em

That's enough from me now, I would like to once again thank you all and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening. It now gives me great pleasure to hand over to Tom.