Hanna’s wedding speech

Here we are. At a wedding. Not even A wedding, but MY wedding. OUR wedding. In other words something wonderful and to me slightly unexpected has occurred. I have fallen in love. Even more than that. I’ve committed to another. Stood in front of friends and family and given vows of trust and love.

It’s odd. For me it was never a reasonable thing to do. Life is change and life changes you. For that reason I could never imagine myself here. Married. I could never imagine another person I’d willingly bind myself to. I could never imagine trust in another to such a degree that it seemed a possible future for me. And yet, here I am. Married.

I have not been lacking love in my life. My father has taught me love through trust and freedom under responsibility. My friends have shown me love through acceptance and challenge. Life has taught me strength. And still, love and marriage never seemed a reasonable choice to me.

Through Dave I have learnt that love is all those things and more. Through Dave I know that I’m capable of more joy and love than I believed possible. Through Dave I have found that weakness can also be strength, that trust can be easy even when hard, that acceptance and challenge can be found where there is also responsibility and freedom.

Through this man I have found a love and a commitment that IS reasonable. I have found a partner. I have found a commitment I am comfortable with and a love I believe in.