Speech by Rich Stott

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Rich Stott
Speech Date: 15/09/2012 22:47:32

On behalf of my wife and I, oh how I have been waiting to say that! We would like to thank you for all for coming and sharing our special day with us. I know that many of you have travelled from far and wide to be here today and it is great to see so many friends and family in one place, I can honestly say it would not have been the same without you – however it would have been an awful lot cheaper, but that's beside the point!

When Lucy and I set about planning our wedding we both knew we wanted to do something a little different, something involving cider, good music, camping and great friends, unfortunately though by introducing tents to the wedding we appear to have brought true Glastonbury weather with us! However as someone once said, “It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent”, so I guess the rain was inevitable!

Seriously though, whilst it's a shame that the weather could not have been a bit kinder today I'm a firm believer that anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has obviously never danced in the rain and I certainly am not going to let this dampen our day! For all you campers out there, tremendous effort, you really have embraced the spirit and added a festival feel to our weekend and not to be outdone, we will be joining you on the field tonight in our tipi!

Now events like today don't just happen and as anyone who has got married will know there is a hell of a lot of effort involved in the preparation of a wedding. We have been planning this event for quite some time now, well, I say “we”, Lucy actually did most of the work, I just nodded and agreed to what she said. It did however mean that for the past year, every Tuesday night I have had to sit through countless episodes of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings however I am so relieved to see that show provided no inspiration for this wedding!

Lucy has been incredible in her attention to detail and the military precision she has exercised in making today happen, I am amazed that she has managed to keep such a cool head, and so to Lucy and everyone else who has helped organise today I would like to say a big thank you.

And now onto the important bit…

We would like to say a huge thank you to both our parents for everything they have done to help make today happen, we really could not have done this without you. And I must say, with a combined marriage of nearly 70 years between you, you are an inspiration to us both… As a token of our appreciation we would like to present you with these gifts…[AMY, JAMES AND GUY TO GIVE PRESENTS}

It's funny how history has a habit of repeating itself. 27 years ago, Barbara and Nigel were putting Lucy to bed with a dummy, and tonight they will be doing the same again!

Personally, I would like thank Nigel for his kind words and more importantly for giving me his amazing daughters hand in marriage. Nigel, you and Barbara have raised one hell of a young lady, more on Lucy in a minute though! I would also like to thank you both for welcoming me into your family with open arms and I feel immensely proud to be able to say that I am now your son-in-law. I will always do my best to live up to your expectations and promise to take good care of Lucy… and of course do everything she tells me to do… I'm not saying she's bossy…but I know my place!

I can't let this opportunity go by without also thanking my Mum and Dad, Chris and Caroline, for their love and support over the years, for welcoming Lucy into the Stott fold, for bringing me up and giving me the foundations and values that have made me the person I am today. Which I think is a good thing?!

It's impossible to sum up adequately what wonderful parents you have been to me, as well as to James and Mark, you have put up with years of moaning, tantrums and huffs and have bailed me out on more than one occasion! You both have the patience of saints; however I am sure you are relieved to have finally passed the baton of responsibility over to Lucy, I'm her problem now!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like you to raise your glass to our parents, Nigel and Barbara, Chris and Caroline. THE PARENTS

I would like to thank Charlotte and Cleo for performing such beautiful readings today and for making the service even more special and I would also like to offer a big thank you to Cousin Zoe who has helped out immensely, providing us with some amazing decorations and for producing our fantastic wedding cake which I can't wait to tuck in to!

Now there is an unwritten rule of wedding etiquette that states that nobody should look more handsome than the groom on his wedding day and I'd like to thank our ushers Oli and Mark and my best men, James and Mark for sticking to that rule to the letter, although I dare say James has done a pretty good job at trying to out-do me! Boys, you all look amazing!

I would like to thank Oli and Mark for performing a sterling job as our ushers and for ensuring the day has run so smoothly – particularly as I failed to give either of them any proper instructions until yesterday. I have known both of them for a long time now, and they have both been there for me through the rough and the smooth! I must admit however, when Lucy suggested we leave those two in charge of the bar during the day I almost broke out in a cold sweat particularly knowing the carnage we have had on nights out, but I am glad to see they are both still compus mentus and that there is plenty of alcohol left.

My Best Men for those of you who hadn't realised are my brothers James and Mark. Now it may not be conventional to have two best men, but when you have brothers as good as these two, it would be impossible to have one and not the other! Besides I needed them both for the wedding photos, one so I'd look more buff and the other so I'd look taller.

Boys, I have so much admiration for everything you have accomplished, you have always been there for me and I have some great memories of growing up with you – usually involving messing about in rivers, having fires and shooting stuff!

These two have been as thick as thieves from a very young age, and I must admit with all their years of ammunition against me, I am a little nervous about what they may have lined up in their speech… please go easy on me!

I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to James for organising me such an epic stag do, I was terrified at what he might have had in stall for me but he surpassed all expectations and gave me the best send off I could have asked for, Cheers bro. I also want to thank all the guys who came on my stag do, it would not have been the same without you. Mark, it was a shame you were unable to make the stag do, you were missed. For those of you who don't know, Mark returned last week from 9 months travelling around the world and this is the first time I've seen him since he left… Mark, I hope this will do for a welcome home party!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you THE USHERS AND THE BEST MEN!

Apart from my wife, there are 4 other beautiful ladies here today that I'd like to thank, our bridesmaids, Lucy's wonderful sister Amy, and her best friends Sarah, Steph and Emma. Ladies, you all look stunning.

I would like to thank you for your help and for being there for my new wife. I know how much support you have all given Lucy up to and including this day. Performing your role so gracefully and looking fantastic throughout the day. I'd also like to congratulate you for doing such a great job in making sure that Lucy went against her better judgement and didn't change her mind!

Girls, thank you for organising such a fun hen do for Lucy, I know she had an amazing time, and thanks also to all the hens who were able to be there to make her day. I gather we are to expect a dance routine from you lot later tonight?

So, ladies and gentlemen, could I ask you all now to stand and raise your glasses in recognition of Amy, Steph, Emma and Sarah and toast the bridesmaids

To the Bridesmaids!

And so this brings me towards the end of my speech. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, I think you'll agree that she looks absolutely stunning today and when she walked up the aisle, she took my breath away.

Amazingly, for nearly 3 years Lucy and I lived directly opposite each other with no knowledge of each other's existence, our bedroom windows being only a short distance apart although it wasn't until one frozen night in February 2009 that we actually met. I think I have Steph to thank for that night as it was she who convinced Lucy to stop moaning about the snow and ice and to venture into Bath where she happened to meet an extremely drunk bloke in a cowboy hat out celebrating his birthday!

Unfortunately for me I was too intoxicated at the time to remember our first meeting, however my drunken charms obviously paid off! If it weren't for me wearing that hat which caught her eye and for Steph convincing Lucy to go into town, we probably wouldn't be here today! I am so grateful that fate finally managed to bring us together!

Now Lucy {TURN TO LUCY}, I love you in so many ways and for so many reasons, you know me and understand me like no one else ever could, you make me laugh so hard and smile so often, you have a way of bringing out the very best in me, but mostly because you're my very best friend and my soul mate. Thank you for marrying me and making me the happiest man alive and for loving me as much as I love you. I know this is the start of many more happy years together.

Ladies and gentlemen, before I hand over to my best men for my ritual humiliation, please can I ask you all to stand for one last time and raise your glasses to my wife, the new Mrs Stott.

TO LUCY