Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
The quote above seemed too perfect to delete. If there is one thing I am, it is myself. Because I wanted to leave no words left unwritten and unspoken, I gave a speech at my own wedding. I know it is not the most colloquial thing to do, but it felt right and so I did it. Here is the speech…
The bride giving a speech at her own wedding isn’t exactly the most conventional thing to do, but as you all know, I am not the most conventional person. I make my own rules, follow my own path, do my own thing, and because of it, I’m me and I’m happy.
I couldn’t let this night pass without saying a few things.
First, I would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us with the wedding including our families, friends, our wedding party, my personal attendant, and all of our vendors. Second, a special thank you to my friend and crafting extraordinaire who not only baked our cakes but also helped make all of my “I saw this on Pinterest, let’s make it for my wedding” a reality. Third, a special thank you to my husbands parents for hosting an amazing rehearsal dinner last night and for all of their love, support, and contributions throughout this process. I would especially like to thank my parents for throwing us the wedding of our dreams, and for their endless love and support; without them this night wouldn’t have been possible.
To my husband, you are the light of my life–you complete me, challenge me, and make me a better person each and everyday. You are my best friend through the good and the bad and the first person I want to call whether I’m happy or sad. I can’t wait to spend our lives together.
Furthermore, all of you are here tonight for a reason and each and every single one of you have played a big role in our lives. When I look around this room I see–neighbors that became lifelong friends, my high school Spanish substitute teacher that I told I was going to the bathroom when really I was going to the bake sale to buy cupcakes, lake neighbors that quickly became a lake crew, a friend from my hiatus between undergrad and grad school, friends and instructors from grad schools, and countless family members. I know my husband could say the same whether it is is old friends from church, college friends, friends from various jobs he’s held, and his countless family members.
How cool is it that all of you are in the exact same place at one time? When I was thinking about this speech and what I was going to say, I was thinking that really the most important living people in your life that are from all different facets of your life are only together twice…once at your wedding and for those still living, at your funeral. I personally like to focus on the “happy” and plan to make the most of this night and I hope that all of you do too..I challenge each and every one of you to reach out to someone here tonight that you don’t know and introduce yourselves–you never know when you might meet someone that’ll change your life. I once had a patient tell me “you only go through this life once,” and while that is something we all know, we all get caught up in the little distractions in life and sometimes we lose wight of what is most important.
Life is precious, and time is not infinite, so enjoy your time tonight, let loose, dance a little (or a lot) and let yourselves get lost in the moment.
With that, I’d like to end with a toast to all of you…the people that complete our puzzle, that make our world go round, that keep our boat afloat…Cheers, now let’s get this party started.
I gave that speech because I felt called to do it, like I would regret it if I didn’t. Every single person that was at my wedding was there for a reason and I wanted everyone to know how much they meant to both my husband and I. If I didn’t take the chance then, I may have never had another chance.
Live life to the fullest. Tell people what they mean to you. Leave no words left unspoken or unwritten.
Leave No Words Left Unwritten 