Father of the Bride Speech

My sweet sweet Daddy didn't get a chance to give a speech on our wedding day. This came as somewhat of a disappointment to me but I know his heart and know he loves me so I tried my best to brush it off. Much to my surprise, he had a FULL speech written out that he had planned to give at the Reception but things just didn't play out like he thought. He sent it to me last night and it filled my heart with joy to read it.

I miss you Daddy!!


Good evening, everyone.

On behalf of my wife and Lindsey’s mother, Patti, it is my distinct honor, as the father of the bride, to welcome each and every one of you here as we celebrate the marriage of Lindsey and Jamie. We thank you all for coming.

We have people here from 9 states:

Alabama
Florida
North Carolina
Ohio
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin
and, of course, Oregon

Of course, no distance would be too far to be at our only child’s wedding.

I’d like to give a special welcome to Jamie’s parents, Dick and Donna Gardner, and their family, most of whom traveled up from Birmingham. Over the course of many UAH basketball games, we got know the Gardners. They are indeed very special people and have raised a very special son in Jamie

This being a very special occasion, I think it’s appropriate to tell you a special story about our daughter. I decided not to tell a story that would embarrass her, like the time she got her belly button pierced.

Instead, I thought it best to talk about sports. As most of you probably know, Lindsey has always been a very athletic person, contrary to Patti’s hope that she would grow up to be a dancer. She played just about every sport known to woman – soccer, softball, swimming, track, tennis, and, of course, basketball. She excelled in all of these, even making it to the national level in track when she was in middle school. She broke her pinky finger, which still has a curl in it, and her foot twice, once as a cheerleader and once in basketball - she actually played basketball with a cast on her foot in grade school.

Out of all those sports her real passion was basketball. She earned the title Most Valuable Player when Buckhorn won the state championship in 2000. That was an especially significant event as it also resulted in a full athletic scholarship to UAH. Of course, this saved us a lot of money, which she is now getting payback at this wedding.

It was on the court that Jamie began courting Lindsey. They first saw each other in high school but didn’t really meet until they both ended up on the UAH Chargers basketball team. So, in my best announcer’s voice, here’s the play-by-play of how it went down.

Jamie Gardner takes the inbound pass and dribbles in circles before getting the courage to drive to the basket. He looks around for the easiest route to score and spots Lindsey Schlosser, playing guard. Lindsey considers blocking the shot but decides to try and draw the personal foul. She notices his fancy footwork and his faster hands. She side steps another player, and another player, and positions herself in front of the charging Jamie, who is impressed with Lindsey’s ability to deflect his every move. The two players go left, then right, they’re up, they’re down - nobody knows where they will end up. With one final leap, Jamie and Lindsey meet in the air, both jumping to the hoop together, with both of them making the big score.

There’s an old saying in basketball – you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Thank God they both decided to take the shot.

On behalf of Lindsey’s mother, I would ask that everyone now stand and join me in a very special toast to the health and happiness of Lindsey and Jamie.

To Lindsey and Jamie.

Thanks again for coming and please have a fun and safe evening.