I have to warn you though that I am a big fan of the Academy Awards so you may find some resemblance to the flow of the contents but not the length because you have the orchestra to signal that your two minuets is up. My guests had no choice but to listen to me :P
So here goes...
Good evening beloved family and friends,
For those of you who don't know, I got married last Sunday to this wonderful man standing next to me and we are here today to celebrate the union of I daresay the bestest families in the world.
It has been a flurry of excitement for the past week which started off with a grand wedding in Melaka among closest family, friends and well wishers. There were 900 of them. Followed by an awesome party, the Melaka style at the residence of my darling sister in law and her dashing hubby. It was a magical night filled with fireworks, a lot of good food and booze, fantastic music and fun, laughter as well as a horse. (Dear readers, my husband and I rode in a horse drawn buggy from hubby's parents' house to his sister's which is about 300 metres away)
It took us 2 whole days to recover and then we set off for our family moon in the island of food haven, Penang. All 32 of us(ages ranging from 70 years old to 6 months old) enjoyed ourselves immensely amidst the cozy surroundings which helped to strengthened the family bonding (not that we needed hep in that department)
At this point, I am sure you are wondering why family moon not honeymoon. Well, to cut the long story short, both my husband and I come from families who value family above everything else. Therefore, it is only fair that we take this opportunity to thank them personally for turning us into the happy campers we are now. Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long speech.
First off, to my loving parents, Mr&Mrs N whom affectionately call Ma and Pa; there are no words to describe how lucky I am to have you both as my parents. You both are simply my pillars of strength. My only wish is to raise my children just the way you have. Thank you for supporting me in all my endeavours, motivating me when I am down and for simply being the greatest parents. I will forever be eternally grateful to you both.
Next, my three darling sisters who I never cease to boss around. Although I always tell people that you three are up for adoption, you know Akka loves you a lot. To Hazel, thank you for showing me that the sky is the limit. You never fail to amaze me with your relentlessness in pursuing whatever you have set your heart on. To Tara, I admire your patience and strong determination in bulldozing through the mundane of life. Thank you for being my sounding board. To my baby sister, Pippa. I am so proud of who you have turned out to be which is the exact replica of myself; kind, gentle and super nice. Thank you for being there for me especially during the last 3 months when we have been busy with wedding preparation. I know I was not an easy bride to work with. To all three of you, I will always be your big Akka till the day I die so you still need to listen to me.
My two good looking brothers in law; Jay & Steve, thank you for marrying my sisters and getting them off our backs. On a serious note, I see you both more as my brothers so thank you for all the support and encouragement rendered so far. Keep up the good work.
To the host of relatives at my side, my paati, my periappas, periammas, chittapas, chittis, mamas, attes and cousins with their families, my deepest appreciation for the love you have showered to me and my family always. If god gives me the chance to choose my relatives again, I'd still choose all of you. You guys, ROCK!
Moving on to my parents in law, thank you for accepting me as your daughter in law. I know you had no choice because I made sure I was within your radar for the last six years but I am grateful anyway. I am blessed to be the daughter in law to a pair of in laws who have deep set principles and I am looking forward to receiving the teachings.
To my sister in law and her hubby, I can never ask for better role models. I am in awe of the effort you both had taken to ensure Hubs and I have the best memories of our wedding. You both are the ideal older siblings who shoulder the family responsibilities without any qualms. My fervent wish is to be half good as you both. Our deepest gratitude for all you had done and will be doing.
To my wonderful godson whom I can now proudly call my nephew, Sid, you are the epitome of the perfect kid; smart and witty with a touch of mischief. Thank you for teaching me about life from the eyes of a six year old. Can't wait to share more adventures with you.
To my brother in law and his wife, thank you both for being there for us and for all the encouragement, support and love you both have provided. Here's looking forward to celebrating wedding anniversaries together. (Hubs and I got married on the same day a year later after them)
To Leo boy, thank you for telling me to 'go for it' on that fateful day way back in 2007. If it wasn't for you, this would not have been possible. I am not intoxicated..yet so please believe me when I say you are my brother. Now and forever. Therefore please clean the bathroom when I tell you so.
To the M&S crew with appachi as the matriach, I have fallen in love with each and everyone of you. How couldn't I? It is indeed a blessing to be part of this fabulous family and I thank my lucky stars and past karma for that.
If it is true that men are like stars, with so many to pick from but only one who can make all your dreams come true then Hubs is my one star and I can't wait for the rest of our dreams to come true.
What can I say? Darling, yo are my soul mate, my mentor and my partner in crime. You've stuck by me through some really tough times and some of my best memories are of times spent with you. This might sound cliche but you truly did make me the happiest girl in the world when you asked me to marry you and I can honestly say that I'm proud to be standing here now as your Mrs. I know that life won't always be a bed of roses but I can promise you now that, whatever it tries to throw at us, I'll always be there by your side as your wife and your best friend.
I love you more today than yesterday but less than tomorrow.
Told you it was a long speech. Reading it again made me think that my sentiments remain the same and I am blessed for the life I have. It also made me wonder when will I go for the real honeymoon :P
*Names have been changed to protect their identity..hehehe
Me&Hubs
