So a huge congratulations once again to the new Mr & Mrs Tebby and thanks for sharing the amazing day with your two favourite traveling gypsies!
Oh and in the first of my strange blog entries I'm posting my best mans speech as some may like to read the newly coined intro & use it as required:-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whilst preparing for today’s events I recalled some classic advice I was once given in that a speech is very much like a ladies skirt. It needs to be long enough to cover the important parts, but short enough to remain interesting.
However, I feel my own attempt today is maybe more akin to a ladies bra, since it supports & bolster’s what’s been said before, yet will hopefully come off without too much nervous fumbling!
More seriously however, & like many of you here today, I’ve been to a fair few weddings over the years & whilst I’ve enjoyed each of them for one reason or another, it’s true to say that I didn’t quite realise just how much work went into one until now.
To pull one off in such spectacular style as we see here today is a truly remarkable feat & so I would like to thank John & Trish, on behalf of the bride & groom, for their outstanding efforts!
Before raising our glasses in a toast I must also take this opportunity to thank Peta & Tony for the luxurious Balinese honeymoon that awaits our happy couple in the coming days since that to sounds like and experience of a lifetime.
So please join me now in raising your glasses & toasting ”the parents” as without their guidance, these wonderful people would not be sat here today!
Looking further afield I’d also like to thank the bridesmaids who incidentally I’m sure you will agree look lovely. Although I must say that I feel ‘Ridgeway’s’ interpretation of a ‘fake bake’ tan was a step to far.
With the formalities over, its time to get down to the nitty gritty of my speech and like any public address, it has required a degree of preparation! So in typical project management style & having done months of research, read various books, trawled through numerous websites I know not be mention anything about past girlfriends, drunken nights out or events I wouldn’t be prepared to tell Jason’s grandmother!............Yeah right!
So, it was the summer of 1999 when we first met Jason at the Ocean hotel, St Helens parade Portsmouth. A warm summers evening I recall & one on which we decided to go for a quite drink at the union bar , in Museum road?
Quiet drink doesn’t really do it justice as having chewed the cud about mutual haunts back in oxford we’d managed to get ourselves substantially plastered on ‘snake bite & black! Unusual for students I know! But struggle on through the night we did, until the unforgettable sound of bugs bunny “tttttt that’s all folks” rang out across the bar in indicate it was time to go home!
Whilst waiting in the queue for the safety bus I recall reflecting on the pleasant evening had, the new mate I’d made & the pro’s & con’s of stopping off at Kens in Albert road for a Kebab since it was only 6 hours till lectures!
Such a moment of quiet reflection ended suddenly when an aggressive character attempted to barge into the queue. However having been beaten back by two girls, he dropped in behind us & continued to hurl abuse.
Ever the gentleman Jason sprang to the defence of the girls with typically articulate flare, but unfortunately this only led to further aggression in the form of a fist towards his face!
Having thankfully missed, the thug found himself on the receiving end of “a long arm” as I sprang to the defence of my new mate before the inevitable slow motion of the fight took over!
I’ll save you the bloody details, but suffice to say that whilst laying on the floor being shoed in by 4 guys I recall seeing Jason continuing to defend the two girls single handily from a further group of males who later transpired to be the remains of the Portsmouth football team. Unperturbed by such adversity he stood his ground until law & order was established by Shawn of union security.
After we dusted ourselves off, we rejoined the now much shorter but orderly queue to the delight of the vindicated girls & Jason’s me-mor-able words of “that was one hell of a night, fancy another beer tomorrow?”
It was obvious from that moment on that I’d made a true friend in Jason. And it’s a friendship I value greatly to this day, so although many more colourful stories exist from those university days I feel it best to say “No comment, Officer” at this point for both our sakes!
Over the following years I witnessed both ups as well as downs in Jason’s life & so we must just raise a toast to our Absent Friends & family who cannot join us in today celebrations.
It was therefore with great delight that I sat down on the plane to Australia in the March 2006 & started to hear about this ‘stunning’ girl called Sophie who'd stolen Jason’s heart only weeks before.
The story if you didn’t know, was that having arranged to meet in the Jericho Tavern in Oxford for the first date. Jason quickly found his confidence being truly tested as he realised that Sophie was not alone! She had in fact in-listed the support of 11 or so chaperons, of which I see are hear today!
Unperturbed & having first charmed Sophie, he then convinced the rest of the chaperones that dating a police officer was in fact quite safe & the couple left for further drinks at the White Heart in Whytham.
Apparently the rest of the evening flew passed & having left for home the totally sober Sophie tripped up. Fortunately being caught by Jason, he turned her around, looked deeply into her eyes & said “I think it’s about that time in the evening where I get to kiss you” as the snow fluttered down around them.
Knowing Sophie, as I now do, suggests that a smidgeon of theatrical licence may have been applied to the ending of that romantic story, but regardless of this, its all too obviously that love at first site does indeed happen & that’s all that really counts!
Over the past few years I’ve have had the pleasure of getting to know Sophie as a friend & it’s certainly been an entertaining time - since I’ve never met someone with quite so much energy or enthusiasm….. But then again that may be something to do with the amount of sweets & fizzy pop consumed?!
Jason however insists it just a younger model thing with that smug smile he’s acquired since becoming a couple!
But, whatever the case its true to say that Sophie is always a delight to be around & up for a laugh.
I’d like to demonstrate this characteristic by recounting the events that followed a night of intimacy between the couple in their Witney flat …
So having woken early on the morning after the night before, Jason did the gentlemanly thing & offered to make a cup of tea for them both. Unfortunately not realising that Sophie had followed him out of the bedroom he was subsequently caught red handed as he gesticulated the previous nights moves to Rossi (his flatmate) in the kitchen!
Ever the fun loving lady, Sophie just cast him that disapproving look that only your nearest & dearest can achieve, before finishing making the tea for the three of them.
I guess we really have to give credit where its due, as not only has Sophie learnt how to deal with Jason’s cheeky ways, but she’s made a good man even better, softening the edges along the way.
This final point only too clearly being demonstrated over the stag doo weekend when Jason complained he didn’t have the right shoes to go with the “Vicky Pollard” styled pink outfit!..... it was as if Sophie was in the room with us!
More seriously however, & like many of you here today, I’ve been to a fair few weddings over the years & whilst I’ve enjoyed each of them for one reason or another, it’s true to say that I didn’t quite realise just how much work went into one until now.
To pull one off in such spectacular style as we see here today is a truly remarkable feat & so I would like to thank John & Trish, on behalf of the bride & groom, for their outstanding efforts!
Before raising our glasses in a toast I must also take this opportunity to thank Peta & Tony for the luxurious Balinese honeymoon that awaits our happy couple in the coming days since that to sounds like and experience of a lifetime.
So please join me now in raising your glasses & toasting ”the parents” as without their guidance, these wonderful people would not be sat here today!
Looking further afield I’d also like to thank the bridesmaids who incidentally I’m sure you will agree look lovely. Although I must say that I feel ‘Ridgeway’s’ interpretation of a ‘fake bake’ tan was a step to far.
With the formalities over, its time to get down to the nitty gritty of my speech and like any public address, it has required a degree of preparation! So in typical project management style & having done months of research, read various books, trawled through numerous websites I know not be mention anything about past girlfriends, drunken nights out or events I wouldn’t be prepared to tell Jason’s grandmother!............Yeah right!
So, it was the summer of 1999 when we first met Jason at the Ocean hotel, St Helens parade Portsmouth. A warm summers evening I recall & one on which we decided to go for a quite drink at the union bar , in Museum road?
Quiet drink doesn’t really do it justice as having chewed the cud about mutual haunts back in oxford we’d managed to get ourselves substantially plastered on ‘snake bite & black! Unusual for students I know! But struggle on through the night we did, until the unforgettable sound of bugs bunny “tttttt that’s all folks” rang out across the bar in indicate it was time to go home!
Whilst waiting in the queue for the safety bus I recall reflecting on the pleasant evening had, the new mate I’d made & the pro’s & con’s of stopping off at Kens in Albert road for a Kebab since it was only 6 hours till lectures!
Such a moment of quiet reflection ended suddenly when an aggressive character attempted to barge into the queue. However having been beaten back by two girls, he dropped in behind us & continued to hurl abuse.
Ever the gentleman Jason sprang to the defence of the girls with typically articulate flare, but unfortunately this only led to further aggression in the form of a fist towards his face!
Having thankfully missed, the thug found himself on the receiving end of “a long arm” as I sprang to the defence of my new mate before the inevitable slow motion of the fight took over!
I’ll save you the bloody details, but suffice to say that whilst laying on the floor being shoed in by 4 guys I recall seeing Jason continuing to defend the two girls single handily from a further group of males who later transpired to be the remains of the Portsmouth football team. Unperturbed by such adversity he stood his ground until law & order was established by Shawn of union security.
After we dusted ourselves off, we rejoined the now much shorter but orderly queue to the delight of the vindicated girls & Jason’s me-mor-able words of “that was one hell of a night, fancy another beer tomorrow?”
It was obvious from that moment on that I’d made a true friend in Jason. And it’s a friendship I value greatly to this day, so although many more colourful stories exist from those university days I feel it best to say “No comment, Officer” at this point for both our sakes!
Over the following years I witnessed both ups as well as downs in Jason’s life & so we must just raise a toast to our Absent Friends & family who cannot join us in today celebrations.
It was therefore with great delight that I sat down on the plane to Australia in the March 2006 & started to hear about this ‘stunning’ girl called Sophie who'd stolen Jason’s heart only weeks before.
The story if you didn’t know, was that having arranged to meet in the Jericho Tavern in Oxford for the first date. Jason quickly found his confidence being truly tested as he realised that Sophie was not alone! She had in fact in-listed the support of 11 or so chaperons, of which I see are hear today!
Unperturbed & having first charmed Sophie, he then convinced the rest of the chaperones that dating a police officer was in fact quite safe & the couple left for further drinks at the White Heart in Whytham.
Apparently the rest of the evening flew passed & having left for home the totally sober Sophie tripped up. Fortunately being caught by Jason, he turned her around, looked deeply into her eyes & said “I think it’s about that time in the evening where I get to kiss you” as the snow fluttered down around them.
Knowing Sophie, as I now do, suggests that a smidgeon of theatrical licence may have been applied to the ending of that romantic story, but regardless of this, its all too obviously that love at first site does indeed happen & that’s all that really counts!
Over the past few years I’ve have had the pleasure of getting to know Sophie as a friend & it’s certainly been an entertaining time - since I’ve never met someone with quite so much energy or enthusiasm….. But then again that may be something to do with the amount of sweets & fizzy pop consumed?!
Jason however insists it just a younger model thing with that smug smile he’s acquired since becoming a couple!
But, whatever the case its true to say that Sophie is always a delight to be around & up for a laugh.
I’d like to demonstrate this characteristic by recounting the events that followed a night of intimacy between the couple in their Witney flat …
So having woken early on the morning after the night before, Jason did the gentlemanly thing & offered to make a cup of tea for them both. Unfortunately not realising that Sophie had followed him out of the bedroom he was subsequently caught red handed as he gesticulated the previous nights moves to Rossi (his flatmate) in the kitchen!
Ever the fun loving lady, Sophie just cast him that disapproving look that only your nearest & dearest can achieve, before finishing making the tea for the three of them.
I guess we really have to give credit where its due, as not only has Sophie learnt how to deal with Jason’s cheeky ways, but she’s made a good man even better, softening the edges along the way.
This final point only too clearly being demonstrated over the stag doo weekend when Jason complained he didn’t have the right shoes to go with the “Vicky Pollard” styled pink outfit!..... it was as if Sophie was in the room with us!
I’m sure the future may continue to provide a rich tapestry of ups as well as downs, but together I’m positive that these two lovely people will endure, since I’ve never seen my best mate so happy & know that it’s the love he shares with Sophie that brightens his every day.
Would you therefore raise a glass to love, to the new Mr & Mrs Tebby, quite simply the bride & groom.
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