Bride's Father Speech

On the Occasion of the Marriage of Anna Lambert and Iain Hamill - 30th June 2012

Well, I’d like to thank you all for coming from various parts of the country (and indeed from abroad, even from as far as New Zealand) to be with us here in Edinburgh on Anna and Iain’s wedding day.

It shows how much you love and appreciate the bride and groom. Either that or you just can’t resist a free meal! But even that comes at a price, because now you have to listen to me.

Thank you too for all those who have helped plan and prepare this magnificent occasion.

Anna was born on Good Friday in 1985.

I remember vividly the trip to the hospital, the feeling of terror when the monitor showed that Anna had a slow heartbeat as Kathie went into labour, the birth itself around 10:00pm and the trip home in a taxi across London just feeling dazed and elated. I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

As soon as the sun rose the next day I dashed over to the hospital to see my wife and baby girl and this is what I saw.

Our eyes met and she looked at me as if to say… who’s this idiot?

But ever since that day, I have loved her and prayed for her, dreamed dreams for her and enjoyed watching her grow into the beautiful woman and radiant bride you behold and admire today.

Some say that fathers can be a little one sided about their daughters but I have objective photographic evidence here that Anna was destined to be so talented it would be a major headache deciding which glittering career path she would choose and which she would spurn.

Would she be the ribbon-twirling gymnast effortlessly bringing home Olympic gold?

Or, as she giggled excitedly taking her first steps at an improbably young age, would she be the intrepid explorer boldly going where no man had gone before?

Would she transport with emotion the entire Royal Albert Hall as she interpreted the great works of classical piano with a finesse never heard before…

…and win, by several furlongs, every Grand National, Epsom Derby and Cheltenham Gold Cup for three decades?

Or would she perhaps singlehandedly transform a half-witted Sunday driver with a glass eye and wooden leg into a Formula One champion…

…while singing Verdi’s La Traviata?

Or would she become a Structural Engineer to make Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Gustave Eiffel seem like complete morons...

…whilst appearing on the cover of every fashion magazine?

Would she perhaps singlehandedly save every child on the planet…

…and still cross the Tour de France finish line on the Champs Elysees while the peloton was still sweating away somewhere in the Alps?

She would surely be all of the above, as well as an internationally acclaimed artist…

…able to effortlessly find the perfect balance between work and leisure...

...not forgetting family, for whom she would be the perfect mother.

Kathie and I want to say today that we are hugely proud of our daughter and that she has surpassed all our expectations and wildest dreams.

At the risk of this becoming a short sermon, it says in Psalm 145 “One generation will commend your works to another” and I think that goes two ways; not just from elder to younger but from younger to older too.

One damp, misty morning when Anna was about 3 she was strapped into the back of our 2CV (this picture was taken one evening on the way home). I tried turning the engine but it was hopeless. For about quarter of an hour it just wouldn’t start. I was getting more and more annoyed when from the back seat Anna cheerfully shouted “Come on Jesus, start the car!” I put the key back in the ignition, turned it again and it started like a dream. It’s one of our most precious memories of Anna’s childhood and still inspires us today when we pray about wretched situations.

They say that a father’s relationship with his daughter is special and that is true.

A baby, before you know it, is a toddler, is at school, is playing musical instruments and taking exams.

But, in my experience it doesn’t happen gradually. The journey through childhood into adulthood seems to come in sudden leaps.

I remember several occasions when I looked at Anna and my heart seemed to skip a beat. There in front of me was no longer an infant, with all the spontaneity and simplicity that children have.

There before me was a young woman with an emerging elegance, grace and charm.

The thing is that, for a parent, the days pass slowly but the years pass quickly.

When we learned that Anna was courting Iain we immediately went on a scouting mission on Facebook to find out more about him. Was he ever going to be good enough for our daughter?

We discovered he was a Christian. That ticked the most important box.

He was intelligent and studying economics. That ticked the box entitled “I hope he won’t come scrounging the rent having blown it on the horses.”

He was into rugby and mountaineering and was a handsome, strapping lad. That ticked the “good bet for future grandchildren” box.

What was not to like about this young man? And even though we only ever really understood one word in three that he spoke, we unreservedly approved.

So when Iain formally asked me for Anna’s hand last year, I don’t know what came over me when I found myself saying “What would you do if I said no?”

The poor young man looked genuinely distressed! Needless to say, I reassured him that we have prayed all Anna’s life that the Lord would show her the kindness of providing her with a godly man who would love her deeply – and that we believe he is a wonderful answer to all our prayers.

Iain, we are so thrilled to be welcoming you into our family. We so loved staying with your delightful family last year in Northern Ireland and I want to pay tribute to Andrew and Anne for raising such a fine son.

Watching Anna, by the grace of God, getting from (A) to (B) has been one of my life’s greatest privileges.

And when I walked Anna down the aisle and placed her hand in Iain’s today, it was one of the most significant and emotional moments of my life. It was also one of the happiest.

Iain, you have won my daughter’s heart and you can make her happier now than I, or anyone else, ever can - and, for that, Kathie and I are overjoyed.

We wish you both every blessing and happiness together in married life.

Ladies and gentlemen can I ask you to stand, raise your glasses and join me in a toast for the health and happiness of the new Mr. and Mrs. Hamill.

To Iain and Anna!