Speech by Sarah Worthen
Dear Hitched, While researching speeches in preparation for my own, you site was the most helpful out of all of them. Thank you so much. Here's what I came up with. It was very well received and I still get compliments on it to this day.
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Speech Type: Maid of honour/Best woman
Speech Creator: Sarah Worthen
Speech Date: Aug2004
For those of you I haven't met yet, my name is Sarah, and Charmian and I have been friends since we were like eleven. So, you know, we've been through thick and thin. From 6th grade science camp to 12th grade heartbreaks. And although lots of things have changed for the better, like how well her permed bangs have grown out for example, lots of things have stayed the same too. She's still a total crack up, the most loyal friend anyone could ask for, and an incredibly loving, capable and fun person to have around. So of course I was HONORED when she asked me to be a part of this wedding, that's the very first thing I felt. The very second thing I felt was DREAD. Oh my gosh…I have to give a speech. Well, here we are.
I asked Charmian if she'd mind if I read a poem as part of my toast. I don't claim to be any kind of expert on love or marriage or anything so I thought it might be nice, and I showed her a few that I really like. I looked through Rumi and Khalil Gibran, and the Bible, there are all these beautiful and philosophical meditations on love and committment. In the end she asked for something very simple and I think that's appropriate. It's a short poem called All Things Are Ours and it goes like this (I pulled out a sheet of paper and some people were worried that I was about to read a novel):
All things are ours because we love
The earth below, the sky above
The mountains, meadow, sand, and sea
All things surrounding you and me
Are but a sweet reflection of
The gentle wonder of our love
It's short, but it hits on an important point. That everything is better when we approach it lovingly. The sky is a little bluer, life is a little sweeter, the lady at the DMV is a little nicer. So my wish for you both, dear Tony and dear Charmian, is that you continue to see the beauty in the world through the lens of your love for eachother. In times of uncertainty and sometimes peril, like the times we live in now, committment and love like you have for each other becomes a blessing on all of us. So we are all blessed just by being here with you today in celebration, and may you be twice blessed for making such a loving committment to each other in front of all of us today. We all wish you every ounce of happiness and success in your future together.
Please join me by raising your glasses in a toast to Tony and Charmian Shitanishi. Feel free to join in if you've heard this one before:
To Love, To Laughter, To Happily Ever After!
Cheers!
