Speech by Graham Everitt

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Graham Everitt
Speech Date: apr 2003
Ladies and Gentlemen, Family and friends, On behalf of My wife and I would like to thank you all for making the effort to join us on our wedding day I know that some have travelled considerable distances, and have a distance to go home.
Thank you Fred for your kind words and would like to say that it is a privilege to be welcomed into a family that is even more diverse and complicated than my own. I believe that every one of the ten years that have known Vicky, another distant relative has appeared from the woodwork. Trust me I thought that explaining the Everitt's to Vicky would be difficult, but when her sisters and brothers extend from nine years old to 40 something, I just took it as read that I would never meat them all. It is good however to see so many of them here today that I recognise, at least by face if not by.name I am told thought that there are still more hiding that I have not met. A scary thought All of the sides of Vicky's family have made me welcome over the years. There has been their tests though. I seem to remember that on three consecutive night meeting three different relations. They all served me spaghetti, and by the third night I was wearing a black shirt
Vicky and I have been together for a while now. It was about ten years ago when I stumbled into the local church in the darkest depths of Yorkshire. I think that I have a certain churchwarden to blame for that fateful meeting. I will never know how or why out of the group of 7 young ladies that I was introduced to, Vicky was the one that took me under her wing. Since then we have meandered through our relationship with its good times and its excellent times. We have been through births and deaths, marriages and divorces, getting jobs and loosing jobs, living at opposite ends of the country and opposite sides of the world. For some reason we have stuck together. Maybe it was her stubbornness, or just my good fortune. Admittedly it has taken me a few years to get around to finding the right ring for Vicky to wear, but it only took an instant for her to realise which finger that it was meant for The truth is that even though we have a been a long way apart at times, I have felt that Vicky has always been there with me, and that is why I have eventually got around to doing the decent deed. Whilst it is the biggest commitments that I have ever made, it was one of the easiest. Vicky is not just my partner and now my wife, but also my best friend.
Today has been only possible for the generosity of our families and friends. And I would like to thank a few of them now.
Firstly to thank my mother and mother in-laws for the advice. The baby sitting and the general encouragement from them all to get on with it. I believe that we have some flowers for you.
I need to also thank Fred for the use of his boat for the transport from the Church to the reception, and I believe that we have a small something for the journey home. I also need to thank my father for, well being my father. It seems that the times that I have some momentous news in my life, it is communicated, via cryptic answer phone message and anxious return calls. Fortunately he is hear today to see it first hand
Jan and Malcolm North also need a special mention. Malcolm for getting Vicky to the church, nearly on time, and allowing me not to sweat too long and Jan, for the absolutely stunning Cake which I believe that we will be cutting later. Again we have a small gift for you both. I would also like to thank Jan's Mother who for years since I was best man at Simon's Wedding has been quizzing and asking us at every possible occasion for the date of our big day.. Typically the one time that we wanted her to ask, she didn't.
Alison , Stephanie and Jonathan thank you for today, I know that the latest addition to the Everitt family is not always the easiest, but I believe that tonight you will hopefully find some of the joy that James has bought to our lives. I think you will find that he will give the most joy at about around 1 am, 2 am, 3 am, 4am, and then might sleep through until about 6ish. Here is a small gift to help you to get over today and tonight, I think that you will find the grand parents phone numbers attached to the front.
I need to also put a special mention into Paul and Dreck who owns and runs the 2 Brewers, our local, for allowing us to monopolise their pub for the day.
And so to Rob, Doctor Smith. My best Man Rob and I go back a good few years. We were at school together and over the years have had an infinite number of good times , some of which I am sure that you will hear about presently. Rob has been a rock in both Vicky's and my own lives and his kindness goes hand in hand with his generosity. I recall the time that I went to Zimbabwe for six months and asked him to occasionally keep in touch with Vicky. On my return I found that he had not only rung her once in a while , but had taken out shares in British Telecom. Rob I have a small gift here for you. I will give it to you now in the understanding that the changes I instructed have been made to the speech that you are about to give.
When researching this speech I came across a website that had a series of questions for the brides to be on it. There was one in particular which caught my eye. The question was :- If your groom did not turn up, would you as tradition dictates, marry the best man.
According to the results, 80% said no, 12% said yes and 8% said that given half a chance they would have married the best man in the first place. Vicky has had ten years to choose and I am so glad she made the choice that she did.
And so to my final thank you
Vicky Thank you for marrying me. I have so much to thank you for. I love you with all of my heart. You have given me a wonderful and perfect son. I am devoted to you both, You look absolutely stunning today, like you do everyday. It been a long road but we have got there in the end, an I know that whatever the future holds, we will face it happily together
This of course does not explain why it has take quite so long for us to get married. Well a couple of weeks ago I was taking to a colleague at work. Someone who appreciated the finer things in life, and was told that it is all about maturity. I was told that men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes and it is a woman’ job to stamp on them and keep them in the dark until they turn into something that you would like to have dinner with.
Fortunately ladies and gentlemen Vicky only appreciates the finest wine the money can buy. Her tastes are for dark, rich and full bodied. Well two out of three isn't bad, as my lottery numbers are yet to come in
Ladies and gentlemen thank you again for Sharing in this special day with us both..You have all helped in making it the most memorable an happiest day of our lives.
Before I hand over for the real entertainment of the evening to come from my Best man
Please raise your glasses in a toast
To the Bridesmaids for their Stirling work and keeping Vicky sane though out today.
The Bridesmaids
Thanks again Graham Everitt (and sorry Its taken so long to get to you)