Speech by Steve Boutall

Speech Type: Groom
Speech Creator: Steve Boutall
Speech Date: Aug2004
Intro
Thank you John, those are very kind words. I'm not going to talk for too long, I would just like to say a few thank yous on behalf of myself and my wife.

Thank guests
Firstly I would like to thank everyone for coming. I know people have travelled from places as far as Canada, New Zealand and Australia, it's good to see you all again and whether you have come from somewhere overseas or just down the road we appreciate you coming to celebrate our wedding.

We would also like to thank you for all the cards and presents we have received you have all been very generous.

John and Anna
Marianne and I have both been looking forward to today, in fact Marianne has kept suggesting that we should try our rings on and pretend we are married. Now that the day has arrived it has been everything we could have wished for and for that I have to say how grateful we are to John and Anna for making this possible.

I remember the first the first time I came over to meet John and Anna, it was the weekend Man United were playing Newcastle in the FA Cup. We stayed with Ian in Dublin and I remember him asking if I was nervous. I answered something along the lines of “Not really Newcastle are a good team but I think United will win by a couple of goals” to which he replied I meant about meeting the parents. When I did meet them they made me feel very welcome and have continued to do so ever since.
When I include Galen and Ian I don't think I could have wished for a better set of in laws.

Marianne, Anna and John
While thanking John and Anna for today I must also thank Marianne for all the work she has done in organising everything. I never knew there was so much involved. We have had a constant wedding hotline between London and Clonmel and I think today you can see all the effort Marianne and Anna have put has really paid off. I joked that all I had to do was turn up in a suit but that has been pretty much it.

Bridesmaids
Whenever Marianne has needed help or support with the organisation our three bridesmaids Gronje, Aoife and Gillian have been there for her. Not only have they turned up today looking absolutely stunning they have also put in a lot of time in to the preparations and have made numerous visits to Clonmel for dress fittings. We would like to give you a gift to say thank you for everything you have done and also to raise a toast, “To the bridesmaids”

Give Bridesmaids gifts

Ushers
Now to my equivalent of the bridesmaids, although not quite as pleasing on the eye, they have been a great help so again we would like to pass on a token of our thanks. With special thanks to Neill for agreeing to be my best man.

Give Ushers gifts

Hotel and Cake
The staff here at the hotel have all been brilliant and so we would like to thank them for everything they've done and also we'd like to thank Delia and Cathlene who have made our wedding cake. It looks gorgeous and I'm sure it's going to be delicious.

Parents
The next thank you is probably the main one as without these people my wife and I would not be here today, literally. I am of course talking about our parents. Since Marianne has been working in the school in Camberwell we have really seen just how important parents are in starting you off on the right track. We have both been very lucky to have such good parents. Who have given us lots of support over the years particularly in the build up to the wedding. It is now traditional to give a bouquet to each of our Mothers but instead we wanted to give them a small gift instead.

Give Mothers gifts

Priest
Now I have to admit I'm not particularly religious but I though it was a lovely ceremony and we would like to thank Father John for coming down from Cork to marry us. On a personal note I'd like to thank you for the little hints on when I should be kneeling or standing.

I'm not sure if there has ever been a service in Clonmel involving so many different accents and we'd like to thank everyone for doing their readings.

The flowers in the church looked lovely so we'd like to thank Flower People for doing all the arrangements.

Marriage
As today has got closer I have been thinking about marriage and what it means. I heard somewhere that marriage is not about finding someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, it is about finding someone you couldn't live without. That is how I feel about Marianne and I feel very lucky to have found someone so special.

Of course I realise that in marriage there will be both good times and bad. Only the other day I overheard a married couple arguing. The wife said “I was a fool when I married you” to which the husband replied “I know you were dear but I was in love and didn't notice at the time”.

Marianne
Now what I would like to do is to officially introduce you to my my wife Marianne Boutall. You will all know Marianne has a great sense of fun and that in itself makes her a special person to be around. Beneath that though is one of the most loving, caring people you could ever meet. She is also a very intelligent person and she has taught me a lot. For instance, before I met Marianne I never knew that a person who only has one pair of feet could need to have so many pairs of shoes. In fact these shoes also seem to breed, every time I turn round there seems to be another pair.

To Marianne
Finally, Marianne, I would like to tell you how beautiful you look today, and that you have made me happier than I ever thought possible. I intend to do everything I can to be the husband that you deserve.