On 8th October my youngest son, John, was married to his soul mate and best friend, Sandy. She is a beautiful girl and I am very happy to welcome her into our family.

For me the celebration commenced when my youngest daughter, Sian, and I arrival at the church. My sons John and Brian, were already there and looked so handsome in their suits, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen either of them look as nervous as they did then.

Shortly after this my eldest daughter Sarah, son-in-law Rocco, daughter-in-law Cara, grandson Jordan and granddaughter Natasha arrived. My family all looked so beautiful and I was so proud of them.

The ceremony was deeply moving and then we transferred to the reception venue for the festivities.

The food was excellent, the company was wonderful and the celebration was everything that one could wish for the wedding of one of their children.

But a little background about the happy couple’s journey to marriage.

They first met when they were working with me and from the first were friends. They shared an interest in football, though they support different teams, and were a great combination as colleagues. From this friendship and mutual respect grew love.

In his speech John said that, when people ask him when he knew he loved Sandy, he answers ‘every day’.

I realised the depths of their love a few years ago when John was a victim of a violent assault after a football game. On the way to the hospital I called Sandy and we were in constant contact all that night. As soon as she could she came to the hospital and the love and concern in her eyes gave me the first confirmation of the depth of her feelings for my son. The love in his eyes and the smile on his face despite the intense pain he was in showed me that he felt the same about her. I knew than that this love was their destiny.

In his speech John also mentioned that before he and Sandy started going out he was directionless, changing jobs often, moving house frequently. He thanked her for bringing him love and stability to his life. His very sincere acknowledgement of this brought tears to the eyes of many who were present at the Reception.

This positive effect on John is something that I have observed and I, too, thank Sandy for helping him to develop into the great man he is now. He was like a good wine that develops into an excellent one through nurturing and care.

The whole day was a truly joyous celebration of the love of two beautiful people and I am proud to be able to call them son and daughter-in-law.