Courtney: Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know us, we’re Sarah’s Maid of Honours. I’m Courtney –
Kat: And I’m Kat! Except these aren’t the names we go by as a trio on a day-to-day basis. We have a group chat between the three of us that we, without fail, communicate on every single day and we each have allocated nicknames. I’m Fairy God Mother…
Courtney: I’m Shrek. And Sarah’s…
Sarah: Donkey!
Courtney: The group chat is where we come together every single day to support each other, to laugh, to rant, to moan, to have alllll of the mundane conversations…
Kat: …And it’s where Sarah’s sent too many toilet selfies to count.
Courtney: Everyone in this room will know what a special person Sarah is. And we will come to that… But first, we want to share a few things you might not know about Sarah; a few ‘Sarah-isms’ as we call them. And the first one is her surprise obsession with Stephen Mulhern. If given the chance, Sarah will gladly tell anyone, in great detail, about his expulsion from the magic circle. We would recommend that you avoid that topic tonight though, with her flight to Mexico on Monday, there just isn’t the time…
Kat: The second story is more on the morbid side but given it happened just two weeks ago, we felt we had to tell it. The three of us were recently at a funeral where Sarah and I found ourselves a quiet spot at the back of the chapel to support Courtney. But as soon as I saw there were hymns on the service, I knew Sarah wouldn’t be quiet for long. You see, she’s got previous. So while everyone else kicked off All Things Bright and Beautiful in the low and quiet way people often do at funerals, Sarah chose to go high… and loud, catching everyone’s attention around us and leaving her the talk of the wake.
Courtney: Sarah also jokes about how she used to be the cooler one out of her and Charlie. And in case any of you still think this is true, these days you’re more likely to find her cuddled up in her oodie and crocs, chilling on the sofa with Ralph, playing Candy Crush whilst watching the Great Pottery Throwdown and sipping peach squash.
Kat: But what we love most about these stories is just how much they tell us about Sarah and her character.
Courtney: Her Stephen Mulhern obsession is a nod to her curious nature. Her want to find out every single detail about anything that interests her.
Kat: Her funeral audition highlights our absolute favourite thing about Sarah. Her fierce and loyal support of us and her generosity in wanting to show each and every one us how much she cares at any opportunity she can. And I’m certain this is something lots of us in the room have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of.
Courtney: And we mentioned Sarah’s love of downtime, which was never more true than on the very first night of her hen do in Brighton when, come 10PM, after a fair few vodka and diet cokes, she was taking off her make up, slipping into her PJs and getting into bed with her beloved teddy, Green Bear. She did, to be fair to her, resurface 30 minutes later saying she was ready for round two while the rest of us were nursing cups of tea.
Kat: And speaking of the hen do, we’d love to give massive shout out to the hen do girls for helping us give Sarah the best weekend ever. From our Sarah cat walk, to pottery, to tapas and karaoke, we absolutely loved celebrating all things Sarah with you all. And we, of course, wouldn’t be able to do this speech without thanking Sarah’s best friends, Steph and Maryanne. We’ve loved getting to know you over the last 18 months and we feel so lucky to have gained two new friends from it all!
Courtney: And also a massive thank you to Pam for organising the best home hen do. To the Fishers, we loved celebrating Sarah with you… Especially you, Christine! And we know our partners loved celebrating Charlie with you, Mark, at the stag in Hamburg.
Kat: And to the Tomlins, we’re so excited to celebrate all the big moments in Sarah and Charlie’s life with you in the future. We hope you understand that in gaining a Sarah into your family, you’ve also gained a Kat and Court… Sarah, we’ve so loved celebrating you and being by your side over the last year and a half, leading up to today.
Courtney: You look so so beautiful, Sarah. You’re our best friend, sunshine in human form and we’re so lucky we get to stand beside you as your Maid of Honours.
Kat: And last but not least, Charlie. Or Chaz.
Courtney: When you and Sarah met, we really were just kids, but it’s been so beautiful to watch you grow together over the years and watching you support each other through life’s up and downs.
Kat: Thank you for being brilliant as we planned Sarah’s hen do, asking you for a few random requests along the way. And thank you for being Sarah’s rock and the love of her life.
Courtney: You’ve been the safety net whenever she falls, her biggest cheerleader when she succeeds and everything we could wish for in a partner for Sarah.
Kat: So, to wrap this speech up, we wish you both a lifetime of happiness, of walkies with our beloved boy, Ralph, and so so many games of MarioKart.
Courtney: Sarah and Charlie, we’ll always be your cheering squad, no matter what, and we’re so excited to see what the future holds for you both!
Kat: And so, can everyone, for the final time, please raise your glasses…
Courtney: As we toast, to Mr and Mrs Tomlin!