Speech by Paul

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Paul
Speech Date: 24/05/2015 23:18:32

GROOMS SPEECH

Thanks for that John! 

Now….I have been kinda looking forward to saying this for a long, long time now, It gives me huge pleasure and pride to say to you all, Ladies and Gentleman on behalf of my WIFE and I, we would like to thank you all for coming and sharing our special day with us and the effort everyone has gone to, you all look really smart. Also to everyone who has travelled a long way to come here and celebrate our wedding, we both would just like to say we appreciate it very much. 

I would also just like to say how amazing my wife looks today…..

I just have four toasts to make so please don't drink ur wine all at once! COUGH! (Ash and Sarah)

Firstly and Unfortunately, it's not been possible to have everyone we love here today, and most recently my Grandad Harold. But, we know they are all here with us in our spirits and hope they are all looking down on us with a smile. They are not only in our thoughts every day, but more so today.

So, with them in mind, would you please all stand, raise your glasses, and join me in our first toast, to absent family and friends.

“To absent family and friends.”

Now, we have a  fair few thankyous to the people who have helped us to make today possible,

Now, parents……

We would like to thank our parents as we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for them……

Firstly, John and Sheila……

So thank you very much John for your kind words earlier. When I rung John about 18 months ago to ask his permission to propose to Nicola I was quite shocked with the reaction I got from him.  I never realised such a simple question could have made a man cry as much as you did on the phone! I'm still not sure if they were tears of joy or despair! Anyway, When John had composed himself he asked me to ask him the question again..… so i did……..then he asked me again…..by this point i thought he was either goin deaf, taking the mick, or had me on loudspeaker at work!…….it was quite nerve racking and awkward but he eventually said he was happy for me to ask her. John, I know your a good man who loves his daughter very dearly. 

Sheila, looking v.nice today I might add, Thank you for being a fantastic mum to Nicola. I can see where she gets her good nature, mannerisms, and ability to spend large amounts of money on the high streets from! Also not forgetting her addiction to chocolate! 

Seriously tho, I would personally like to thank Sheila and John for bringing up such a lovely and caring daughter and thank you both for making me feel welcome in your family and I hope I can be a half decent son in law to you both. 

Mum and dad……

Dad, Thank you for sorting the cheese bombs out for the favours. I have never known anyone besides Grandad and yourself who has always been willing to help others no questions asked, whether its wiring up houses, repairing cars or mending bits of things, its that willingness and attitude  which makes me proud to have you as my Dad. When I look back to when I was younger and think of all the extra work you used to do on Saturdays and week nights to scrape enough money together so we could go on days out and holidays in the caravan, at the time we ever really appreciated the sacrifices you made to make a better life for us, and for that I am thankful and can only hope that I can be as good as a father in the future as you are to us……

Mum, before I start I would just like to say how really nice you look today. Firstly, thanks for putting up with dad all these years! We know he can be abit of a hypochondriac like Uncle Raymond and also a drama queen, But I'm glad you stuck with him! Secondly thank you for baking the large fruit tier of our wedding cake. Teri told us you've been nursing it like a baby over the last few months……..and keeping it topped up with booze……..just like looking after Dad really! Except the cake doesn't snore after a couple!

You are the most hardworking fantastic caring Mum to Teri, Marie,and myself and a loving Granny to Oscar, even if you do worry about us too much!!  I'm sure your own Mum, Grandad Fred and Aunty Christine would be proud of the family you have made if they was here with us today…..

I want to personally thankyou both for the a lifetime of love and support you have given me.

Again we can't thank both sets of parents enough, especially for your hard earned contributions towards this wedding.

Did you know.… the combined marriage length of both sets of parents is  68 years, which surely must be worth a toast in itself! So Ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for the second toast…….to loving parents.

“To loving parents”

Right, Bridesmaids……

To the bridesmaids, I'm sure everyone will agree how elegant you all look today,

Maid of honour Heather, Thank you for supporting Nicola, your years of friendship and your talented piano performance in the church, I know you've been practicing especially! 

Thank you Marie for all your help arranging the preston hen do and making sure Nicola didn't do a runner last night! 

And finally last but not least Teri, for and all the bits you sorted out for the Edinburgh hen do but especially the days and nights of time you've spent helping Nicola with all the wedding stationary, Its been really appreciated and looks perfect.

So can we please raise a glass, to the bridesmaids! 

“The bridesmaids”

Now…..

Best man – Dan! Thanks for organisin a memorable stag do!  You certainly didn't BITE off more than you could chew! We have been friends for over 30 years now and seconded only to the wife you are probably the only other person that knows me the best. I can honestly say that your support, advice and just being there over the years has been invaluable. 

Ushers…..

Ashley, Thank You for the church reading, and the years of getting us all thrown out of clubs because you've had to much to drink! Please can someone keep an eye on him this evening……..

Adam, Thanks for helping today and thankyou for all the premier league tickets your gona sort me out with now your my little brother! Also please can you try and get a job at Man United instead of West Ham! Thanks

Robert, Again thanks for helping out today and all the drunken arguments when your tired and had to much to drink! (Which is pretty Standard really) but also for being like that little brother I could always dare to do stupid stuff like jumping over rivers in your school uniform when you was clearly never going to make it! 

Tony, Thanks for the personal prayer in church and the cake canapes afterwards, but also for the years of friendship and all the inbetweener moments when we used to get out and about. In fact Tony actually was the one who got me Nicolas’ number, without which we might not be here today! 

Oscar, Thank you for being a cute little page boy and doing such a good job of carrying that cushion down the aisle! You little monkey

I would just like to thank all the lads who came on the stag do. I hope everyones bruises from the paint balling have healed up! I know my heart and liver have only semi recovered after the onslaught of jaegerbombs on the Friday night! 

Thanks to Caroline and her husband for photographing today, And thank you to Dave for capturing the day on video. 

Special thanks goes to everybody here at Garstang, Anne, Wendy, Chris and all the staff for their effort and expertise which has taken alot of stress out of today and who have been brilliant throughout. 

Finally thank you all for coming today, you have all shared a particular part in our lives and we are all genuinely touched by the effort and expense you have all gone to in joining us on our special day and for all your kind wishes, cards and gifts.

Now i would like to talk about the person who really made all this possible……

Wife……..12 years 6 months one week and two days together……we have finally done it! Just over 15 months ago I proposed to you half way up a cold, snowy, wet and windy Helvellyn and I can honestly say I don't know why I didn't do it sooner, and in a warmer place! 

I think the reason I never asked you sooner was probably because I always knew I would spend the rest of my life with you, and like Arthur Guinness once said…”Good things come to those who wait!”…….plus I was waiting for your Dad to put his hand in his pocket…….

Alot of people don't actually know I met Nicola about 5 months prior to us going out on our first official date…….after a couple of chance meetings in Wall Street and Tokyo Joes and getting on quite well I managed to obtain Nicolas number through Tony, who had her number for innocent reasons, or so I'm led to believe!  I think he actually messaged her first to make sure it was ok that he gave me her number, and to reassure her I wasn't a nutter or anything. Anyway, she agreed to come out with me as long as it was in a public place, and we both had to bring a friend for some reason……she brought her friend Louise and i brought Dan as my wing man…….unfortunately Dan didn't get on with Louise as well as i got on with Nicola……in fact I was quite taken aback at how upfront Nicola was!! How times have changed hey love!!!

All joking aside though, I think you are a truly amazing independant person, and I always have thought this as you know. I can't even begin to tell you how absolutely-stunningly gorgeous you look today. When I saw you coming up the aisle I realised how lucky I am, then I looked at myself and thought wow….… it's definitely me getting the best out of this deal. You are beautiful, just like your personality, your good nature and the way you are with me that makes it so easy to love you. Its an absolute pleasure to live with you and I am proud that you have given me the chance to be your husband and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you…..along with all the adventures that will come our way……You have done a superb job of organising your (I mean our) wedding! But to be fair you have done pretty much all of it……

So please can i ask you to raise your glasses for my final toast, to the amazing woman who made all this possible, and who has done me the huge honour of becoming my wife……to Nicola!

“To Nicola!”

Just before I hand you over to the best man, I've got a couple if things I think you should know about him. As well as having several lookalikes including ex Man Utd player Darren Fletcher, snooker players Graeme Dott and Mark Selby, horse jockey Frankie de Tori and Dean Gaffney from Eastenders to name a few….… He also likes to change his mind a lot. In fact he changes his mind about things that much I have him saved in my phone as Dan “Change my mind” Clegg…….he actually almost changed his mind about giving his speech…..but after about an hour of a pep talk after last Tuesday nights game of football, I managed to change his mind about doing this, which to be honest is a rarity!!! I just hope I'm not going to regret it!……..so please give a round of applause for the best man!