I don’t have video of our speeches, so I’m going from memory—forgive me for not being specific! We tried to encourage our speakers to keep things short, though we did go beyond the typical father-of-the-bride/best man/maid of honour options and extended an offer to all of our parents to speak.
Mr. Dragon and I decided to get started with all of the speeches, as everyone looked like they were finished with the buffet line. Our readers spoke one after another rather than dragging it out. I’m not sure if we infringed on anyone’s dinner or anything like that, but we didn’t hear any negative feedback!
Ashley started things off by reading Falling in Love is Like Owning a Cat (with a little jab at everyone for forgetting her during the ceremony!). I thought she would be nervous, but she was completely calm and well-spoken. She even threw in a reference to our “three kids,” a.k.a. our kitties at home! It was a really cute way to start things off, and a great save from forgetting to include the reading during the ceremony.
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BIL/Best Man Joel couldn’t actually read what he wrote-he was a bit too verklempt, so Mr. Dragon read it for him. It was a very sweet speech about how important family is, and how happy he is to see Mr. Dragon and I together.
MOH Michelle was up next, to counteract the lies I’d been spreading about her all weekend. Everyone kept asking me where I knew her from, and I’d tell them all about how, when we were kids, she would run away from me in the school halls while I tried to follow her to my bus (hers was right behind mine, and I could never remember where my bus was in the lineup).
She told the story from her own perspective, how on the day I, the new kid, showed up she fought with some of the other kids over whose friend I was going to be. Looks like she won! She was either really nervous or about to cry—or possibly both—so she was eager to get out of the spotlight. Fatina had different plans, though.
Fatina was taking our “I Spy” game very seriously and instructed Michelle to pose for a “happy tears” photo, in front of everyone, before she would allow her to sit back down, which I apparently found hilarious.
FIL and SMIL Dragon did their speech together. FIL Dragon talked about how they don’t have any girls, so they’re always thrilled when a daughter joins the family—his heart just keeps growing with every new addition! SMIL Dragon said we were perfect for each other, and they were both just so happy. I had to laugh when she talked about our first Christmas together—she called it “the best Christmas ever” but my memory of it includes being thrown off the back of a snowmobile, so my opinion differs. 
Mom Dragon had declined to speak, and MIL Dragon wasn’t sure if she wanted to or not. She ultimately opted to stay away from the mic, but did offer us a sweet toast from her table.
[Photo by Aaron]
Dad Dragon finished up the speeches with, first off, a reminder to not drink and drive (especially important for a backyard wedding!).
He’s a bit of a sentimental guy, so the rest of his speech was a takeoff on an old Father’s Day card from me he recently found, in which I had written an acrostic poem based on FATHER. He did his own version of DAUGHTER, then gave Mr. D a little picture of second-grader me.
Mr. D and I decided to do a tandem speech at the end of everything, thanking basically everyone in attendance for a variety of things. We were so, so grateful to everyone (and we still are!).
I had written out all of what I wanted to say, while Mr. Dragon was going off of point form notes, so the tempo was a bit off. We tried to be funny at the end by doing rock-paper-scissors for the last word, having rigged it in advance so I’d win—but we weren’t well-rehearsed at all and I think it showed! Our speech was the longest of all of them, and kind of awkward, but we couldn’t imagine not thanking everyone.
All that was left to do? Dance!
How many speeches did you have?
All images not otherwise indicated are by Rozy Seitz. Those marked with an asterisk were edited, with permission, by me.
Your dad giving Mr. Dragon a picture of second grader you feels is so touching, it has that symbolism of “giving his little girl away”… very sweet.
Your speeches sound so sweet, I love that you and Mr. D prepared something too!
@Miss Toadstool: It was really sweet!
@Mrs. Pony: That was one of the things that made me feel a bit better about not being able to say hi to everyone!
Mrs. Dragon, Sioux Lookout/Brockville, ON Age and Occupation: 24, Journalist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Graphic Designer Engagement Date: August 22, 2011 Wedding Date: September 2012 Venue: Mother of the Bride’s Residence About Me: I moved to Northern Ontario for a job, expecting to be single for the year I'd be there. Within one month I was dating a co-worker, and now, more than two years later, we’re planning a wedding and I’m still a Northern girl. I’m a reporter and a photographer for a small-town newspaper, and I get to do all kinds of fun, exciting, and sometimes weird things at work. When I’m not getting the scoop, I’m cooking, adventuring, playing with our three black cats, or blogging.
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