Word Count: 383
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I would like to welcome you all and thank you for coming to this very special occasion to celebrate the marriage of our daughter Lily to Chase.
Sadly I am not a very practised speaker – so please bear with me and I’ll keep it very short.
Today is, of course, a celebration, not just of the love that has united Lily and Chase, but also of the two families that have brought up and influenced the lives of these two very special people.
[drizzle]So I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Jane and Paul and their family, and to relatives and friends of both families. Thank you all for joining us on this very special day.
A very big thank you is due to Lily and Chase who had very definite ideas on how they wanted today to be. Through their thoughtful planning and tireless efforts I am sure they have made today a tremendous experience for everyone.
Of course I am very proud of Lily and pleased to see her looking so beautiful and happy today.
Over the years it has been a privilege to watch Lily blossom from a gorgeous baby daughter into the beautiful woman we see here before us today.
Lily has been like a ray of warm sunlight on my soul from the day she was born. Now, she begins a new life and there will be another man to whom she will look for love and protection. But I want her to know that her father and her brothers will always be there for her.[/drizzle]
During the time we have known Chase we have come to realise just how special he is to Lily, how right for each other they are, and what a great husband and son-in-law he will be. It is my pleasure to formally welcome Chase to our family.
All that remains is for me to ask everyone to have a good time today and this evening and my final duty and very great privilege is to propose a toast to our daughter and new son-in law. So would you please stand and join me in a toast to the bride and groom. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Lily and Chase the bride and groom!