Speech, speech...

I have been thinking a lot about wedding speeches recently. Namely mine. I’m sure the fact that I want to give a speech at my own wedding will surprise, well, absolutely no one at all really, but I figure if I’m going to speak, I’d at least like to try and make it memorable. I am well aware that whatever words I have to say will be yet another speech that our guests will have to listen to before they can all get back into the booze so I’d rather not bore the pants off them, you know? But now, having resolved on the decision to make my memorable speech, what on Earth do I say?

Never one to throw myself into to doing something incorrectly if there is in fact proper etiquette or technique that should be utilised, I looked up Bride Speeches on the internet. And found out from that fountain of all knowledge that there was basically no etiquette to be followed whatsoever! I can give my speech at whichever point of the proceeding I choose. There is no one I must make sure to mention. There are no people I am responsible for thanking. Having said that however, it does seem to be pretty generic for the bride to thank absolutely everyone she can possibly think of while she has the floor.

Thank you to the guests for all looking so spectacular and attending from near and far. Thank you to the cake maker for such a scrumptious dessert. Thank you to the venue for housing such a wonderful memory. Thank you to the best man for not shaving off the grooms eyebrows at the bucks night. Thank you to the maid of honour for making sure the bride didn’t flash anything inappropriate at her hens. Thank you to the friends who took the three am phone calls about how the material for the table runners did not match the bridesmaids shoes. Thank you to the in-laws for raising such a wonderful son. Thank you to the parents for upholding the standard upon which you judged a solid relationship... Its like one big love in really. Some of that I can’t really say but most of it, well I wouldn’t want it to make up the entirety of my speech. Thats what thank you cards are for isn’t it?

So I thought that maybe I should make up a couple of versions of my bridal speech. See which version I like the most and which is not likely to make me cry on the night. Which, lets face it, I am probably going to do anyway. And if I end up with a number of variations of the same thing, with nothing much specifically to do with them, I figured I may as well post them here. People could even vote!...Maybe not. But in case anyone was wondering, this was my first shot...

“So this is how it feels to be married...I like it!

Most of the wedding etiquette articles I’ve read say that the bride doesn't have to make a speech. If anyone in this room tonight thought that wouldn't happen though, you must be at the wrong wedding, or you don't know me very well at all! Now I could stand up and easily spend the next five or ten minutes thanking everyone who has contributed to this wedding today or indeed to the relationship that The Boy and I share. Every single one of you has made an impact on the people we are today or how we got here. But instead of a long list of thankyous, I thought I would take this opportunity to say a couple of things about my new husband here.

They say that in marriage its a good idea to have shared goals. Someone to help you in your endeavours, and also to offer understanding as you strive towards your end. Both The Boy and I understand this. Since I knew that come today, I would have to stand around from morning till night in a bodice hugging wedding dress, I have been on a mission to tone up and maintain a healthier lifestyle. I started walking in my lunch break and stopped snacking on the ever present biscuits at work. And I figure I did an alright job. I must say also that The Boy was fully supportive of this health kick. When we first got engaged I knew I wanted to look great in my wedding dress. When we got engaged, The Boy knew he wanted me to look great out of it. Ok, so we maybe had slightly different motivations but the goal – exactly the same!

And that I think has been pretty indicative of our relationship so far. Each of us brings our own strengths and way of looking at things to the table and then we find a way of making it work together. A lot of you know that I have been into photography for years. I have a camera with me almost everywhere I go and have documented the lives of those around me for as long as I can remember. When I met The Boy, he hated being in photos. He avoided it studiously and told me he wasn’t about to change his mind any time soon. If any of you have checked out the website we set up a while ago though, you will know that we have been taking a photo of ourselves together every day of this year so far. And I can tell you that there have been a lot of others besides. But having a common goal has definitely made our lives easier in this respect although it might be argued that the goal could best be expressed by something my old boss used to say - a happy wife’s a happy life!

I think another thing that The Boy has learnt from our relationship so far is not to underestimate me. Or rather, I think I impressed this upon him before we started dating. I can’t remember now how we got on to the topic but we were discussing the female alternative to a brawl and he ended up daring me one evening to slap him across the face...So I did...He has never made that mistake again. But, as much as I don’t always surprise him with good things, I think he knows that I will do it whole heartedly and I won’t hold back. Just as I do in other parts of our lives. He knows I will be honest and loyal, that I will share who I am with him and make room for him in my life in turn. He knows, or at least I hope he does, that I will laugh with him, argue with him, and support him as best I can. I wear his rings with sincerity, with faith, with trust and with love and I look forward to our future together with hope. I promised before God this afternoon to love, honour and cherish this man and I ask you all tonight to hold me accountable to that promise.

With that in mind, please raise your glasses and toast to the groom and his life with the bride!”