It’s a great pleasure to celebrate this much anticipated day — the wedding day of Isaac and Hollie.
Isaac, Ed and I have historically come as a three, and so despite the awkwardness today of the title “best man” having to be shared between two men, it makes absolute sense. We were at educated at the same school; spiritually formed and nourished at the same church. We have been made to laugh by one another’s jokes; counselled in tough times by one another’s advice. It is with absolute sincerity that I count these two as the closest of friends.
Naturally, then, when a fourth name was introduced into our conversation some five years ago, the person who held this name, Hollie, could have been treated with some suspicion. But this was not the case. Instead, the mentioning of Hollie was met with boyish teasing. Isaac and Hollie [*teasing*]. Who was this girl that had just landed on the scene? Our curiosity had been tickled. Soon, however our teasing was overtaken by intrigue, and perhaps quiet admiration, that such a young couple could ever make each other so happy.
It won’t be a surprise to many here to know that Isaac and Hollie have been together for quite some time — as I said, five years. And if it is a surprise, it shouldn’t be. The longevity of their relationship even now should be celebrated. They have waited for one another for quite some time. I found it startling, when coming to today, to realise that for the decade that I’ve known Isaac, the last half of it has involved Hollie.
I am, therefore, struck with a peculiar challenge coming to this speech. So much of who I know Isaac to be, to have become, and to be becoming, already sees and acknowledges Hollie. How then can I penetrate the depths of Isaac’s character, and share that with you today, as if he were a single man these past years? Already, in these formative five years of my friendship with Isaac, Hollie has left her indelible mark. Already my view of Isaac has become a view of Isaac and Hollie.
Looking back, many of the clearest memories I have from spending time with Isaac include Hollie. The day they visited me in Cheltenham, café-hopping whilst we caught up over a day-long conversation; the time we went canoeing on the Quayside in Exeter; celebrating New Year’s Eve over good food and board games.
You might think that Isaac having Hollie would detract from the friendship that I could have with him. It doesn’t. In fact, it is the opposite. Isaac and Hollie’s friendship, courtship, and now marriage, has actually deepened my friendship with Isaac. How can this be so? Surely my half has become a third, or (with Ed) my third now a quarter? Not so. Hollie in her uniqueness can draw out of Isaac aspects of his personality and character that I can not. Indeed, the way she loves him, and he loves her, brings to the surface more of Isaac than I could otherwise know. Without Hollie, this broader, richer, more expansive Isaac would be diminished. I, and all the rest of us, would have less of Isaac. Hollie’s absence would be a profound loss, for her own sake, but also for Isaac and all that he is with her. My third, is much greater than the half I had before, because, with Hollie, Isaac becomes more whole.
These days, whatever I want to attribute to Isaac, I have to attribute to Hollie also. Compared with myself, Isaac seems to have this remarkable ability not to rush through life, but to celebrate it in all its simplicity. The table names today are a testament to this — naming them after favourite cafés and bakeries. His light and easy manner means that I can always slow down and relax in his company; his openness and transparency makes conversation flow without difficulty; his warm and jovial mood makes him one of the best of people with whom to have fun. In the past I have bemoaned, just a little, when it seemed that every time I saw Isaac, I also had to see Hollie. Being totally honest, however, I didn’t really mind. I rather quite liked it. Why? Because this is Isaac alone, and this is Isaac with Hollie. This is Isaac and Hollie.
It is strange to think that I have known Isaac since I was just eleven and he was thirteen. I remember him complaining in school over the difficultly of an ‘A’-level biology exam, and now, this Summer, he graduates from medical school with distinction, and becomes Dr. Chung. We first became friends through both attending Mutley Baptist in our early teens. Now, ten years later, it is in that same church that I have, today, had the privilege of standing by his side as he is married. Hollie, on the other hand, has her family home on the adjacent street to mine, and we have known each other since we were just infants. My mother earlier this week was able to remind me that Hollie came to my fifth birthday party.
I have known these two long enough to watch them both grow into the young man and woman they are today. And already, they have influenced one another, affected one another. After today, I have the joy of witnessing them grow further still, only now evermore together, as husband and wife.
Isaac may be one of three when he stands with Ed and me. And in his relationship with Hollie, he has been one half of two. But today it is my delight to see these two become one.
Ladies and Gentlemen, a toast for Isaac and Hollie: to Mr and Mrs Chung!
