It's been more than one week already since my very good friend Mark got married. Out of all my friends, I didn't think he would be the first to tie the knot - but Lord Snoek (as he is referred to) surprised us all! I am very happy for Mark and Caitlin, and I have no doubt that they are meant to be together.
It's quite intimidating to think about how much work/effort/money etc. goes into a wedding. All those months of planning and preparation for the big day...and when the big day arrives all you can do is hope that everything works out. I can honestly say everything worked out perfectly for Mark and Caitlin's wedding.
Mark and myself were both a bit nervous leading up to the reception where we would have to deliver our speeches to the guests - but I am pleased to say the speeches went well. I was Mark's Best Man - from what I have heard the Best Man speech is traditionally meant to be entertaining...I'll be honest with you, this suited me just fine as I could let my creative side out when writing the speech! I ended up with a speech that poked (light-hearted) fun at Mark, but was also sincere when it needed to be. I practiced the speech in my lounge every day for almost two weeks...as you can imagine, by the day of the wedding I knew it very well. Luckily, the hard work paid off because everyone at the wedding enjoyed it! Mission accomplished.
I have decided to immortalise my Best Man speech as a blog post (below). I hope you enjoy!
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Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen!
As you are all probably wondering who I am, let me start by introducing myself. If you had met me any other day, I would've introduced myself to you as Richard, however on this day I will introduce myself as "Best Man". It pleases me to know that after all these years Mark has finally publically admitted who the best is...
Now that the introduction is out of the way, I have to let you all know that the Mount Nelson staff asked me to inform all of you not to make too much noise during my standing ovation at the end of this speech.
Sometime last year Mark asked me to be his best man and I will admit at first I was thrilled. Then as the days grew closer to the big day, I realised that as his best man I have several responsibilities - organising a bachelor party, ensuring he got here on time today, even making sure he got dressed properly today! As you can see, he is dressed very smartly indeed - a rare occurrence.
I want to take you back to the year 2000... As you will all recall, the year 2000 was a big year, "The Millenium Bug" as it was called, threatened to derail technology as we knew it! How would businesses operate when their servers, PC's etc were expected to figuratively bomb out from the so-called "Bug"? Being a school pupil at the time, if his PC wasnt working, that would mean Mark would actually have to do his homework for a change and stop playing Solitaire! Looking back now, the year 2000 had a different meaning for me...it was the year that I met my best friend. The earliest memory I have of Mark and myself is we were both early for a Geography class one day and were waiting outside for the teacher to arrive. We both have the same sense of humour so what started as a brief chat before class pretty quickly turned into Mark and myself cracking jokes at the expense of a fellow classmate/friend of ours, btw the jokes directed at that individual still go on today! Mark and I clicked instantly and have been good friends ever since.
After high school, Mark would go on to study IT at CPUT. He would then pursue a career in Database Programming which means he is behind a computer screen staring at code all day. So, how on earth did he meet Caitlin? Back in 2004, Mark, myself and a couple other friends would travel through to the Northern Suburbs on Friday evenings to attend a youth group. This is where Mark and Caitlin met for the first time.
I spoke to Mark recently and asked him to describe Caitlin in a few words. His reply was - "Like myself, Caitlin is rather unique...we are very much alike. She is very caring and understanding. She always thinks of others first.". Mark, if I could add to the qualities you mentioned about Caitlin...you have found someone who is responsible, mature, fun...and not only that, but she is a qualified personal trainer - so she is going to whip you into shape! Caitlin, I would list some of Mark's good qualities for you, but we would end up being here all afternoon trying to figure them out!
Caitlin, you look absolutely beautiful, we have gotten to know each other fairly well over the last few years and I know that you are the right woman for Mark - together, you balance each other out.
A few weeks ago I noticed that Caitlin replied to someone that commented on her Facebook status. In her reply she mentioned that she is "...marrying my dream man"...however, she didn't specify whether this dream man was from a good dream...bad dream...or a nightmare...
There are many sides to Mark. Earlier I told you all about Mark's sense of humour, but he can be serious too if he needs to be. However, I had no idea that he had a romantic side! I can see the disbelieving looks on some of your faces, but please hear me out! Caitlin is Mark's perfect woman and she should be proposed to in a special way and Mark did not disappoint - On 1 July 2011, he took Caitlin on a drive to all the places that meant something to them. The last stop for the evening was Fish Hoek beach, this is where Mark officialy asked Caitlin out several years ago, and it would be the same place where he would propose to her. Very romantic!
I am not a married man myself, but I thought it would be a good idea to give Mark some good pointers regarding marriage. After some thorough research, the most helpful pointers were the following:
1.) Getting into an argument with a woman is like being arrested. Anything you say, can and will be used against you.
2.) The best way to remember your anniversary is to forget it once.
3.) If you ever get asked "Do I look fat in this?"...The best advice I can give you is...run.
To Caitlin, instead of marriage advice, I have to decided to give you a warning regarding Mark:
1.) If he offers to cook a meal for you, politely decline as cooking is certainly not one of his strong points. Remember the raw hamburgers he braai'd recently...?
That brings me to the end of my speech. Jokes aside, I just want to say that it has been an honour being Mark's best man here today. You are all probably tired of hearing me talk but before I head back to my seat, could you all please stand and raise your glass for a couple toasts...
To Keryn - Caitlin's bridesmaid - looks stunning and has done her job exceptionally well...she has managed to keep Caitlin calm on what can potentially be a very stressful day!
And to the newlywed couple - Congratulations on your marriage and may you have many happy years together! To Mark and Caitlin!
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