I have this little sister Emily, she was small and very funny,
Big smile, bright eyes and always sunny,
Bath-time fun with beards of bubbles,
Splashed with laughter, joy and puddles.

Growing up, shared memories came,
Treasured moments, crazy games,
Mealtimes laughing at old snaps,
Memories logged as years we mapped,
A bear in the big blue house her fave,
Until she met our dashing Dave.

Now celebration day, a wonderful thing,
Moments like this make us dance and sing,
And the greatest bit – all we need to bring,
Is ourselves and our joy to your wedding. {bear with, bear with}

We all woke today, some as early as dawn,
Mum and dad as excited as the day you were born,
All the ladies dolled up, all the men freshly shorn,
And you sat through those speeches with barely a yawn.

As their new life together they’ve started to pave,
We raise a toast to Emily and Dave,
The beard looks great, no need to shave,
No I don’t mean Emily, you lot; behave.

My message to you both, if I may be direct,
Is to treat one another with utmost respect,
Support one another and always protect,
Dave, remember only one of you’s always correct.

Your marriage a symbol of wonderful unity,
It’s a one in a lifetime great opportunity,
To rely on your partner for total impunity,
And live out your lives in a tight-knit community.

You see…
A happy marriage is all about love,
You fit right… together like hand in glove,
It’s equality – no bellow or above,
But if he won’t do what you want Em, just give him a shove.

In the wisdom I found from all the ancients,
One of your foundations must be patience,
Even the days you’ve used up your quotient,
There’ll always be someone to nudge at your conscience. {I think it just about works}

It can sneak through holes as small as a mouse,
And make your skin crawl like a tiny woodlouse,
Don’t let selfishness have any room in your house,
It’s not you you put first, it’s always your spouse.

You can only last so long driven by passion,
In the early days there’s no end to the ration,
But in these times when it’s going out of fashion,
Create some more time to be kind, have compassion.

It doesn’t matter what your mood,
You cannot let it make you rude,
You must not grumble, gripe or brood,
Even when David steals your food.

On a day that’s champers, flowers and posies,
And as this dreadful poem closes,
It won’t always be a bed of roses,
For all the years since he proposes,
So fill your days with love and joy,
Build up each other, don’t destroy,
Marriage – the balanced human alloy,
The partnership for girl and boy.

Emily & David may God bless you and your marriage and may you always feel His presence walking with you.