Speech by Kevin Watts

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Kevin Watts
Speech Date: Jan2005
My wife and I…… would like to thank every one for turning up today. We have friends and family from Caerphilly Wales, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle Middlesborough and even overseas from America and then there are those from Crystal Palace (wherever that is!!!!!)

This is a great celebration and we both feel very honoured that each and every one of you has taken time out to join us today.

Raj (Nani) and I would like to remember a few special folk that cannot be with us today, especially for My Auntie Marj, my late uncle Wally .… Rajee's late brother Sunil her late Mum and Dad Surajben and Madhabhai whom I know will be so proud of her today…

So let's make a toast to absent friends and family…….… Raise your glasses please ..To absent friends and family

Most of you know that Rajee and I have been good friends for over 16 years now.

Even at times she was one of my best friends and then we were worst enemies!!!! And then friends again you know how it is..… And it's the biggest surprise in the world when that sort of friendship turns into something as precious as this!

My earliest recollection of Rajee was one particular Saturday morning; a group of us were setting off to a wedding of one of Raj's close friends. We were just about to leave when we received a telephone call from Rajee… she was in an absolute raging panic “It says this wedding is in Harlow but there's no such place as Harlow, it must be a spelling mistake it must be Harrow…..” “And what would make you think that..? We asked her … She replied .… “Because Harlow is not in the A to Z” That was a wedding we never quite arrived at so …

You'll be pleased to know that Greenwich and Wembley for tomorrow are both in the London A to Z.… So there will be no problems there on the navigation front.

Today we have to thank a few special people.… My Mum and Dad for their overwhelming support over the years. It is also their 49th wedding anniversary today ladies and gents, so please raise your glasses….… And toast the Anniversary couple – To Alan and Barbara

Mum and Dad you have been my rock. Teaching me stand on my own two feet. You know I'll never forget at the age of nineteen I'd been to Luton one weekend to look at possibly leaving home for the first time and taking up a new job 50 miles away. When I got home Sunday evening to nervously discuss the options with them I found my bedroom had been turned into a guest room. So that was that…

So Mum and Dad this is a special anniversary present that signifies our appreciation of your love and care for me all these years, I couldn't have asked for better parents and grandparents to our Krishan.

This Bride – My Wife looks absolutely stunning today..… I know you'll agree and her dress is born out of a labour of love from her Sister Sumi.… Sumi please accept these flowers as a big thank you from us both for your support you're the greatest…

Rina and Deepti, the two lovely bridal assistants – You two look genuinely gorgeous today and Rajee and I both want you to wear these lockets as a momentum of our special day.

You know I feel very privileged to have been granted permission to take my lovely bride from this family. ..…

As I have known Rajee for so many years..… I too have known many of her brothers and sisters over the years as special friends. I can even see now Surajben, Raj Nani's late mother, her smiling face nodding at me reverently…welcoming me into her home in those early years. And it felt really great when she laughed at all my jokes. It was years later I found out she couldn't understand a word of English.

As I knew them all so well..… going to ask “the brothers” their permission for Rajee's hand in marriage seemed the easy part. So that's what I did… What seemed like a ten minute stunned silence followed by a “we'll let you know” and then three weeks, three days, eighteen hours and 54 minutes later.… Now that's a reasonable period of time to answer any question don't you think? But in all seriousness as a family in unison..… in giving me your sister, your nani, you have given me the gift of an everlasting love so on that note …..ladies and gents let's raise our glasses to toast the hosts.… The Patel Family

So now to my Best Man Dave. Some of you may know that Dave is actually from Liverpool…… We in the south know it better as Liverpool Nil! Dave I want you to accept this gift for all your support and moreover for behaving yourself.

We have just returned from my bosses Villa in Marbella on a stag weekend. It was a fortress with 12 foot gates to the entrance. Dave being a scouser was seen climbing over the gates to get in, the rest of us simply used the remote key.… and parked outside the Villa we had a choice of cars to cruise around in. An SL Mercedes, a Ferrari, a Z8, then we got the Noble out but that's another story..… So imagine my complete surprise when Dave took the Ferrari for a spin and he actually came back……

On the subject of the stag Simon.… A big thank you from all the boys we had a fantastic time …..… Shaun thought it was smashing weekend. So please accept this small gift for your cinema room as a gesture of our appreciation in letting us use your Villa and your cars and in Tarik and Anna the chez Jordan hospitality.

So finally.… I hope your all enjoying the food and the wine and the ambience of this beautiful hall. There are many icons in their splendour and glory in these surroundings. For example – Horatio Nelson was the last Seaman to be laid to rest in this very hall Until today

For my wife and I – this is where it all began – In these grounds we fell in love And it is in this very special place that we can now sit and celebrate that emergent moment with this banquet and your company. For me the most beautiful icon in this room today is my bride – my wife.
You know I am so proud of her, she looks after me, she can cook, she is a warm affectionate home maker and I know we'll be forever in each others arms… and she's a career woman as well. I'm so proud of her achievements at work. Most recently she has secured her place in the hall of fame for the entire exhibition industry. Working for an exhibition furniture hire company in the midlands she has won contracts world renown – The Farnborough Air Show – Cybos and many more servicing the entire show.Which reminds me after the speeches, if you could drink up and be upstanding for the rest of the night – the tables and chairs have to go back at 9.00pmSo finally, My Rajee, My Bride, My Wife………….I love her dearly – And I think she quite likes me because this is the first time she's ever arrived anywhere on time! This is where it all began This is where we fell in love And all I have left to say …….is to my beautiful bride

Baby, now that I've found you I can't let you go because.… your more than the greatest love the world has known so.… fly me to the moon and let me play amongst the stars… And never again I'll go sailing Friends and Family please raise your glasses to my beautiful wife