Dear guests, friends, family members,
I have absolutely no idea what is supposed to be said at an Australian wedding, I have only been to one, only once, but there was a lot of fun, a lot of music and the couple looked amazing, so I had no time for note-taking about making speeches! On top of that, it was long ago. By the way, it was the wedding of Cameron (another one!) and Vanessa, who are here today, and they are a very happy couple, especially because they’ve had twins just a FEW DAYS ago and let’s congratulate them and wish the twins a long and happy life.
For those who do not know - I am the father of the bride, Anna, and here is her mum Svetlana. Anna was our first child. I was 20 when Anna was born, and I remember very well that first night when she was brought from the hospital. Don’t worry, I'm not going to go now through every day of her life, I'll just tell you what I remember, and because I remember very little –that is the kind of memory I’ve got - it won’t take long, believe me. I have almost finished.... So when she came home, I was ready, I knew firsthand that small children cry at night and do not allow parents to sleep. So I was waking up all through the night, waking Svetlana and asking why she does not cry. I mean, Anna. Anna slept all night, and I spent the night wide awake, asking this question! In the morning I was so exhausted that I immediately understood – it is not an easy thing to raise children… Since then, we have had our son Maxim who is here with his wife Julia. And we’ve got 3 grandchildren, Maxim, David and Natasha and this smallest one is the most important for today, being the very point of connection between the two families. And here is my wife Irina and two our sons Mark and Pavel.
This is very special –being the father of four children, of whom only one is a daughter. Michael, you definitely know what I mean.
So all our family is here except for my mum - Anya's grandmother, whose birthday Anna was born in and whose name she has been given, she lives in Russia, and she is 88 and therefore could not come here, but has ordered me to submit a detailed report.
That very first night that Anna was at home that I’ve told you about – that was my only problem with Anna. Not any other problems with her ever! Absolutely! Although, of course, maybe I just do not remember.
Those who know Anna well know her as an independent person, a person who is not afraid to take on challenges in life and to work out how to solve them, and she is a person who can achieve goals. At the same time she is very kind and sympathetic, she always finds the time, and if somebody needs her help ... A portrait of an adult, is it not? So, she has been that kind of person right from childhood, and as I’ve said I’ve never had any problems with her ... Looks like she decided to protect me from them and hoist them onto her own shoulders from the start, maybe she just decided that I could not do it.
Now I come to Cameron: I like Cameron, I respect him because of many things but in the first place – because he is a real man, who is able to take responsibility for himself and his loved ones, and I have been calm about Anna knowing that she is with him - and believe me, to keep me in a calm state is not a simple thing. When I met with Cameron’s family, his brothers Simon and Marcus and his sister, Tracy, and of course their parents Michael and Janet – I found them to be a very friendly family of good, intelligent people, with a good sense of humour; it is no coincidence that this family has produced such a wonderful person as Cameron. And this family continues to grow, attracting the same kind of “quality” members –Sarah, Renee and Dave! So Cameron, we are all very lucky to have these people, and I'm really glad that we are coming together in one big family. You know, we do not see each other very often, don’t talk to each other every day, but sometimes you do not need many words to feel people’s kindness and decency, so common to all members of this family. Thank you for what you are and for what you have grown - such a wonderful person as Cameron.
You know, I just thought that if I spoke in a Russian wedding party, my comments would be greeted with some confusion, because Russian folklore considers a marriage as a deal in which the bride is a commodity, and, accordingly, her parents - sellers, and the groom is the buyer. (Not now of course, many years ago but people still remember that) And here I am, the seller - instead of praising the product, talking about how good the buyer is! But you must admit, they both - Anya and Cameron – such a good and beautiful pair, it's hard to focus only on the attributes of one.
Okay, some good news now - I am finishing my speech. But ... before I finish, I want to introduce you to a traditional Russian wedding ritual. In a Russian wedding party, the guests from time to time shout in chorus the word "GORKO" - and then the bride and the groom start kissing and keep kissing as long as possible, and the guests count from 1, spurring them to set another record. The word "GORKO" means bitter. And a simple explanation of the whole thing is that the guests say “bitter” to push the bride and the groom to add some sweetener - and what could be sweeter than to kiss the one you love?
And since you are hearing about this tradition for the first time, to make you immediately understand what the ritual involves, I suggest we try a simple practice: I say “GORKo”, and all you couples kiss each other, just as the bride and groom will. Gorko!
Okay STOP!!! You can all stop now!!!!
That was just to warm up! And now the real thing – when I say “GORKo”, you start kissing, and keep it going as long as possible. I will count, the bride and the groom judge and the winner gets a prize. Let’s start. Gorko!
And at the very end, I want to tell you that this tradition has a deeper meaning: the fact is that in Russian the word “bitter “means not only bitter taste that we can feel in the mouth, but what we feel in our heart, in our soul, when something bad, something sad happens. So this tradition is a way people say to each other “no matter what happens in this life, I am happy that you are with me, and whatever bitter events happen, your kiss is the best comfort for me.”
I wish happiness to Anna and Cameron and to all their children – current and future, and real fun today for all of us. And now we all can shout - GORKO!