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Good evening, everyone!
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Lisa, the very proud mother of Anna, our stunning bride. Now, I’ll be honest—when Anna asked me to give a speech today, I thought, “Great! This is my chance to finally embarrass her in front of a crowd.” But then, I remembered all the years of teenage sass I’ve endured, and thought maybe I’d go easy on her. Maybe.
Let’s start with the basics. Anna has always been full of surprises. When she was a little girl, she would declare things like, “When I grow up, I’m going to marry Prince Charming and we’ll live in a castle!” Well, as you can see, Prince Charming came in the form of Jack, and the closest thing to a castle is their one-bedroom apartment with just enough closet space for Anna’s shoe collection. Sorry, Jack—hope you enjoy living out of that suitcase!
But seriously, Anna has always been a dreamer. And when she met Jack, I saw something change in her. She wasn’t just talking about castles and fairy tales anymore—she was talking about Netflix marathons, joint grocery shopping trips, and sharing her food (and believe me, if you’ve ever tried to take a fry from Anna, you’d know that’s a big deal). That’s when I knew, Jack must be the one.
Jack, you’ve officially joined our family, and let me tell you—it’s not for the faint of heart. We’re loud, we’re opinionated, and we will ask you five times if you’re sure you’re not hungry. But you’re a brave man, and I know you’ll fit right in—especially since you’ve already mastered the art of nodding and smiling when Anna says, “Does this dress make me look…?”
Now, as her mother, I have to share a few interesting facts about Anna, just to keep things fair. For example, Jack, did you know that your lovely wife once tried to cook dinner for the family and managed to set the smoke alarm off twice—making toast? Yep, twice. And this is the woman you’ve chosen to spend the rest of your life with. But in all seriousness, she’s come a long way since those days. She can now make toast without the fire department on standby, so progress!
I have to say, as much as I’ve teased Anna over the years, I couldn’t be more proud of the woman she’s become. She’s kind, funny, and fiercely independent—sometimes to the point of stubbornness (Jack, I’m sure you’ve noticed). But she’s also loving, loyal, and truly one of a kind.
And Jack, we couldn’t have asked for a better addition to our family. You balance Anna’s quirks, you make her laugh, and you’ve somehow figured out how to tolerate our wild family dynamics. We love you already, and I promise—once we’re done giving you a hard time—you’ll officially be one of us.
So, let’s all raise a glass to Anna and Jack. May your marriage be filled with laughter, love, and may Jack always remember that he’ll never win an argument—because Anna learned from the best. Cheers!