Speech by Paul Young

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Paul Young
Speech Date: jan 2003
Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of my wife and I, I would like to thank
David for those kind words.

Myself and Jan would really like to start by saying thank you to all of you
in the room today, I am sure that any wedding day is always going to be
special for the bride and groom involved but I know I speak for us both
when I say that to see so many of our family and friends turning up to
share in our day makes it all the more special, that said I would also like
to send our best wishes and thanks to the few family and friends both in
this country and overseas who have been unable to attend.

We would also like to say thank you for all the gifts you have so kindly
purchased over recent weeks, I know we will both look forward to getting
back in the New Year and putting them all into use.

Jan and I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in the planning
of the wedding. More than anybody though that thank you goes to Jan
herself. As many of you will know Jan has been very busy with work in
recent months, but as I am often told, as Jan is the woman in this
relationship she is more than capable of doing more than one thing at a
time, Jan has therefore been able to finalise the planning for today whilst
at the same time coping with a hectic work schedule not too mention living
part time in Stockton Heath and part time in London. I am sure you will all
agree though that Jan has done a great job.

We would also like to thank both sets of family for the financial and
emotional support that they have provided in both helping organise our
wedding and in raising us to be the people we are.

We therefore thank Ann & David for hosting this wedding breakfast and we
thank them for their blessing. We would also like to thank them for all
they have done for Jan and I over recent months and for all the love and
support they have provided to Jan over the years. I only hope that when it
is needed I am able to offer Jan the same strength of support as they have
shown and hope that I can prove to be a good son in law to you both.

We would like to thank my Mum for the wonderful bridesmaid dresses that she
has made and I would like to say a huge thank you to my Mum and Ron for all
the support they have offered me over the years. My mum was widowed when my
sister and I were very young and I cannot pay high enough thanks to her for
the terrific way in which she was able to raise two such young children and
for that reason alone I will always be eternally grateful. I also have to
say a big thank you to Ron who has been as good a stand in father as
anybody could ask for since he met my Mum some 20 or so years ago.

Hopefully we should now have some have gifts for you in order to show our
appreciation.

A thank you also to my three ushers, Jeff, Richard and Colin who have all
been good friends of mine at either University, work or, and very
importantly, in the pub. The three of them have all played important roles
in ensuring today has run smoothly so thanks again guys.

At the Church today we had two special readings by two special people, so
we would also like to say thank you to Sarah and to my sister Jacqueline
for those readings.

A thank you also goes to Guy the pianist for the entertainment he has
provided you with whilst we were being kept entertained by the
photographer.

Thanks also to Joe for the printing he has done and to Johnny for arranging
the seating plan, and also to all the staff at Arley Hall for the help they
have been so far and will no doubt continue to be throughout the rest of
the day.

Now, moving away from the thank you's I have been told that no grooms
speech is complete without a short story as to how the bride and groom met
and how they got together, so here is ours. We first met at the company we
both work for in August of 1999, so around three and half years ago. As it
was love at first sight and as I am a real charmer it was only another 14
months before we began seeing each other in more informal surroundings!

Over the time we worked together we had become goods friends in the office
and on one Friday night out in Manchester with the night going well and the
beer taking control I decided to ask Jan for a date in the only way I know
how ? I said "I bet you wouldn't go out with me". Jan disagreed and said
she would. Needless to say, being a woman doesn't just mean you can do can
more than one thing at a time, it also means you can change your mind, so
it should have come as no surprise when by Monday morning Jan had stayed
clear of the corridors in work, kept herself to herself & sent me an e-mail
to tell me I was right ? she wouldn't be going out with me!!

Anyway, we carried on speaking despite that event and within a week or two
Jan had decided it was safe for her to ask the question as to whether I now
fancied going for a drink and the rest as they say is history.

But that is the history and we're now set to embark on our future. A future
I know will be full of happiness for both of us. I thought for quite some
time how to best express my feelings for Jan whilst I stood here today in
front of some people I am meeting for the first time, some people I have
only met on a few occasions and others I have known for many years. I
contemplated quoting lyrics from some of the great songwriters there have
been over the years or to quote poetry to convey my feelings. But in the
end I decided that these just show other peoples feelings for other people
rather than my own for Jan. So the best way I can express my feelings to
and for Jan is to simply say, first and foremost how beautiful you look
today, but also that today and everyday you are my first thought in the
morning and my last thought at night, you are the person above all others
who puts a smile on my face and the person who keeps my spirits the
highest, you accept my weaknesses just as you accept my strengths; and
because of all of this I love you more than words can say. It is because of
these feelings that I look forward to our future together with both
confidence and excitement.

Now, I am sure that all of you and the caterers will be pleased to know
that this speech is almost drawing to a close but before the end I have a
few words about the best man. I first met Liam in1997 shortly after I had
passed my professional exams and we have been good friends ever since. It
is a friendship based on a shared enjoyment of drinking, a shared enjoyment
of comedy and above all a shared passion for Manchester United, and I have
to say that when it comes to choosing a best man the fact that one of your
friends is the supplier of your Old Trafford season ticket really does give
him a head start. In all seriousness though Liam you are a great friend and
I would like to thank you again for organising the stag do, for the help
you have been today and in the run up to the wedding and obviously for all
of the kind words you are preparing to say about me.

Finally, no bridegroom's speech would be complete without the thank you to
the bridesmaids.

So on behalf of myself and Jan a big thank you to Alison & Shelly for the
friendship you have had with Jan over the last 10-15 years and a special
thank you to Shelly for flying from New York to be with us today. I am sure
you will all agree that Alison and Shelly both look fantastic, so Ladies
and Gentlemen without further ado please be upstanding and raise your
glasses to the bridesmaids.

Well that's all from me and so I now give you the best man, Liam.