Nothing Really Poignant - James in Taiwan

A friend and co-worker of mine asked me to give a speech at her wedding. After writing down a bunch of ideas and talking on the phone with Yuyi, I decided to cut it back, make it a little less humorous and a little more heart felt. I have attached my speech below.

When Ivy asked me to come up here and say a little speech at first I was very nervous and I didn’t know what to say. I was married myself in June of last year and only two people attended, but here there are so many people to celebrate the joining of Owen and Ivy. For a second I though that I could just show clips from my wedding video to fill up the time and then I could give Ivy and Owen advice on how to have a happy marriage, but I decided against this because Ivy and Owen are both smart, capable people and they can find this out on their own.

Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of working very closely with Ivy. She is dedicated to her work and she can stand up to the toughest challenges. Many nights Ivy would work late into the evenings so that she can meet her tough deadlines and she would still have energy to overcome new hurdles the very next day.

Ivy appears innocent at work, but she really has a sharp wit and sense of humor and can keep up with my banter. Additionally, Ivy has an air of elegance that doesn’t require pounds of makeup or over dressing. Ivy is both a confident and experienced designer who can work independently and accomplish anything she sets her mind to.

Anyone who works with me knows that they cannot get married until they have my blessing. So when Ivy first met Owen and told me about him I had to ask her as many questions about what he likes, what he does for a living, and what his hobbies are and so on. Ivy told me how artistic and thoughtful he was and pointed me in the direction of his blog where I could see some of his photography.

When I finally had a chance to meet Owen in person, I immediately felt that he was a great person and can take care of Ivy. Many nights while Steven would be waiting downstairs for me to get off of work, Owen would be at his side waiting for Ivy. When Ivy and I would go downstairs he would tell me that he is concerned that Ivy works too hard, but he was still there to wait for her, and that is what really matters. Some nights after work Owen would meet Ivy to play badminton near the office with our other coworkers, and on the nights when Ivy would have to work very late, Owen would show up and bring dinner for ivy. Owen is a patient, sweet guy and I know he will always be at Ivy’s side.

After meeting both Ivy and Owen, I can say that they are both dedicated to one another. Anyone should be happy if they could marry someone remotely like either Owen or Ivy, but the fact that two great people could find each other shows how destiny can reward caring and giving people with one another.