Max and Meghan Canberra Spring Wedding - Best Man Stephen 1

It was a beautiful spring wedding at Saint John’s Church in Canberra. The couple’s nearest and dearest were all close by. One of the guests was honoured to be the best man; to stand by his childhood friend on his special day was such a privilege. Being a best man is a big job – and today  we catch up with Stephen who remembers how overjoyed he was when best friend Max asked him to fulfil the role..

“Max asked me to be his best man about three months before the wedding. Before he asked me I could tell that he was nervous, that there was something on his mind. He kept hesitating so I prompted him with a question to see if I could help him get the thoughts out of his head.“So, do you have all the numbers for the wedding finalised?” I asked. “Well, about that…there is one thing…I was wondering if you would be my best man?” Max said. Even though I had a good feeling that he was about to ask me I was still extremely happy and honoured. Without any hesitation I said  “of course!!!”

Stephen and Max have shared a long-lasting friendship since primary school where they shared a passion for music.

Max and Stephen as children

“Max and I met in Year 2. I can’t quite remember what it was that drew me towards him but it’s likely it was because he was six feet tall by that time and I probably thought he was my Dad. Max was always the tallest kid in the class and I was always the shortest; no kidding I was literally up to his waist through most of our schooling. We share a passion for music. We both picked up the trumpet in Year 5 and throughout our lives have performed together for thousands of people. Our friendship growing up was always really easy. To this day nothing has changed between Max and I. I still laugh every time I’m around him and we both still play music.”

“One of my main duties was to organise the bucks party. I decided it would be a great idea to hire a coast house at Lake Conjola on the New South Wales’ South Coast. I wanted to organise something filled with adrenaline and adventure for Max. He has always been an adventurous guy so I thought what better way than to include some fast paced activities. On one of the days the group spent the entire day laughing and screaming after I arranged a speed boat and some inflatable rides. They were subjected to some extreme G-forces and ridiculous speeds. The following day we travelled north to Nowra to spend two hours on a high ropes obstacle course. All in all, the bucks weekend was a great success and everyone had a fantastic time, especially Max!”

The most important task for the best man is to be by his friends’ side and of course to make a speech.

Max and Meghan Canberra Spring Wedding - Max and Best Man Stephen

“Writing the speech for the wedding was a nerve-racking task. I decided to write it the night prior to the wedding so that I could ensure that what I wrote was natural and sincere. On the day of the wedding I was dreading doing my speech. Growing up, I thoroughly enjoyed public speaking but not so much these days. I was nervous as ever. I stumbled down the stairs over to the microphone. “Ladies and gentleman I’d like to thank you all very much for attending my best man’s speech today. I think it was particularly nice of Max and Meghan to dress so nicely for it! Before I knew it I had the crowd in fits of laughter and from then on the nerves disappeared.”

Max and Meghan Canberra Spring Wedding 1

“As Meghan walked down the aisle Max did his best to not cry but the moment his emotions took hold,  I saw tears rolling down his face and I patted him on the back and said “this is it! The reception was relaxed and cheerful with great food and welcoming family members. The entire wedding was perfect for Max and Meghan and they both said at the end of the night “It was perfect, we wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

Max and Meghan Canberra Spring Wedding

Wedding images by T8 Photography

 

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Ms Chinoiserie Says: Thank you Stephen; what wonderful memories you have of Max’s wedding day; sounds like your speech was a huge success!