Speech by James Elliott

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: James Elliott
Speech Date: Dec2006
I'd like to thank Ashley for his kind and generous words. Both you and Ailsa have welcomed me into your family from day one, and have looked after me ever since and I don't think I've ever said a proper thank you for that so thanks you for accepting me into your family. I hope I can be everything you want from a son-in-law. As long as you'd don't want a 25 stone son-in-law, which you might well get the way Ailsa keeps feeding me up!!

Now onto my parents. Marilyn and Peter. You have always been there for me when I needed you. Thanks for all your love, support and guidance over the years which have made me the person I am today so thank-you,
And to everyone else, you can blame them!

Seriously though, I hope today that I have made you both proud to call me your son.

I'd also like to thank both sets of parents for all their help with the preparations for today and for helping us to have the wedding that Ayshea has always dreamed…., I'm sorry that myself and Ayshea have always dreamed of having. As a token of our appreciation for our wonderful mums and dads, for all their hard work in the build up to today and for the years they've suffered with us as terrible teenagers, we've got you both a small gift

[gifts to mums and dads] Lets have a round of applause for them.

Both mums looking beautiful today I think you'll all agree. The dads don't look too bad either!

I'd just like to say a quick thank you to my Grandma and Granddad who have also helped us with today, we got a little something for you as well.

[gifts to granddad and grandma], give em a clap

Now for everyone else! Welcome to our wedding reception. Thank you for your presence, in both senses of the word. Incidentally, John Lewis also send their appreciation. One of the most important things for me and Ayshea was that we share today with as many of our family and friends as possible and you've not disappointed us. It's great to see so many of you, all here together. We've got Lawrence and Sharon from Wiltshire, Steven and June from Scotland, Phil and Julie from Wales, Graham and Sue have come down from Newcastle, Andy from over in Sheffield – we really appreciate you all making the effort. But however far or short your journey was, a sincere thanks from both of us for coming. I can honestly say that you've made our day almost perfect, if you'd all brought a packed lunch and you own drinks then it would have been absolutely perfect!!

Give yourselves a round of applause for making the effort today, you deserve it.

Just briefly I'd like to mention the people who, for one reason or another couldn't make it here today. I'd like to make a toast now to our absent friends and the people we have known and loved who are looking down on this celebration today. Ladies and Gentleman, would you please raise your glasses? “Absent friends and loved ones”.

And now onto my stunning new wife. Ayshea – you look absolutely gorgeous today. I expected you to look wonderful, but nothing prepared me for what I saw as you walked up the aisle. Never have I seen you looking so beautiful. I was overwhelmed to say the least. I think everyone will agree that Ayshea looks absolutely stunning.

Ayshea, my wife………you have made today the best day of my life. I never dreamt I'd be so lucky as to find a woman as special as you. You're my best friend and I love you with all that I have. I hope that I can make you as happy as you make me.

I feel I have to mention Vicky and Heather at this point and thank them for introducing us. It seems like a long time ago we were in an empty club in Leeds chatting like we'd known each other for years. Ayshea enjoyed it so much that she chose to phone me at 6.00 in the morning the following day claiming she meant to telephone a taxi instead. Which all seems rather ironic giving the amount of taxi-ing about I do for her nowerdays.

On a serious note I would like everybody here, especially my new bride, to know how lucky and proud I am to be standing here speaking to you as her husband. I've loved the last 3 years we've spent together and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you as my wife – so I'd like to propose a toast the beautiful bride. If you do enjoy today then its completely down to Ayshea who has planned everything to perfection, so well done for organising a great do!

Now a couple of special people we'd like thank, firstly where's the youngest person in the room? I'm looking for Lexie Horrocks our beautiful flower girl. Actually I don't think I've ever seen a cuter flower girl, you've been great today Lexie – come up here we've got you a little prezzie – give her a round of applause.

[gift to Lexie]

Now then, theres probably only 1 person in this room who spent just as much time on this wedding as myself and Ayshea. Any ideas who that is? We let me give you some clues, did you like the lovely invites you received for today, hand made may I add? What about the orders of service they were nice, and the menus and the table plan, the list goes on. Well ladies and gentlemen these we're all designed and made by a very talented designer and a very good friend of ours Andy Watson. Andy we really appreciate all you've done so if you'd like to come up here we have a gift for you, give him a round of applause.

[gift to Andy]

We're planning to renew our vows every year from now Andy so we're hoping you'll help us with the invites again. I don't think Andy wants to see another wedding invite in his life!!

Now then, our ushers. Ayshea and I would like to say a big thanks for all you've done today, you've been on call whenever we've needed you and we really appreciate that. We'd also like to quickly apologise to anyone who has been sent to the wrong seat! Thanks a lot for today lads, it means a lot to us. We've got you each a small present to say thanks, so lets have a big hand for Glen, Adam, the other Adam, Phil and Austin.

We never planned on having so many ushers but when they all heard that the ushers got to dance with the bridesmaids they wouldn't stop pestering me!

Now before I get onto the bridesmaids – hold on that sounded wrong!! Before I talk about the bridesmaids Ayshea has prepared something for me to read out about her hen do –

Firstly thanks to all the bridesmaids for doing such a fantastic job arranging a hen do for a control freak – I know that can't have been easy!

By all accounts it was a memorable do. Some of Ayshea's favourite memories include:

– Abigail ”I'm doing it because I can” Horrocks… Anyone who doesn't understand this will get a full demo whether they like it or not if they buy Abby a couple of white wines later!
– Getting through a full weekend's drink in one night!
– Being a member of the best female quad bike team ever known to man Now, Ayshea assures me that's true, but I somehow suspect that they say that to all the girls!

Apparently there was some sort of competition over the weekend for biggest medical emergency.… In fourth place with a sliced finger was Moira, closely followed by Vikki's midnight asthma attack stroke hospital visit, in second place was Aunty Shirley who tore 3 ligaments in her ankle, but most frighteningly for everyone was Ayshea's cousin Laura who snapped not one, but two nails during the assault course!!!!!

All in all, it sounds like a great time was had by all, so thanks so much to everyone involved!

Now, the bridesmaids… I would like to say how lovely the bridesmaids look and thank them all for doing such a wonderful job today and for all your efforts with the hen night! It's not easy shopping with Ayshea and my thanks go to you both for sharing that burden with me during the run up to today. You've really helped with everything and are great friends.
Again we have a small gift for you both as a token of our appreciation. A round of applause please for Abby, Bernie, Sam, Lyndsay and Vikki.

And so I would like to propose a toast, to the bridesmaids!

Finally I'd like to thank my best men, Simon. That's the relaxed looking guy on the end over there. I had a tough choice picking a best man but in the end there's no one I'd rather have had by my side today. No matter what's been going on in his life Sie has always been there for me, he was even there on the night I met Ayshea. You probably don't how much that means to me Sie but it means a lot. He also organised not 1 but 2 great stag do's which were both fantastic.

So we've got a little something for you to say thank you
[gift to Sie]

I've just got one last request, Sie will say some things during his speech today – we know they're not true – things to make you laugh, probably about me. Please just humour him and laugh and clap. Unfortunately I've never done anything embarrassing so he's had a really tough job!

So thanks very much for you attention, enjoy the night and I'll hopefully see you later on for a drink.