Becky + Jase
Becky + Jase FEBRUARY 25, 2022 PEEL FOREST LODGE
Our Bridal Party HAMISH GANNON
Brother in law of Jase and fellow Wapiti wanderer. The humble hero. A steadfast down to ear th guy who works hard for his family and always knows where the chocolate is hidden.
R O S A N N A K AT E N E
Best friend of Becky and godmother of Mack. The world changer. The person who inspires you to be better and who can make biscuits disappear faster than you can say Cookie Monster. JACK RICHARDSON
High school best friend of Jase. The brother. The lovable rogue. A charismatic bloke who’s never shor t of a friend. A loyal family man who makes more cooking videos than Gordon Ramsey.
H A N N A H TA L B O T
Little sister of Becky. The boss woman. The speaker of the truth. The person who is constantly in your corner no matter what, but will tell you to pull your head in when you need it. The sassiest cat around and Queen of hot chips. RY M I S A K I M U R A
High school best friend of Becky, The crazy to my calm. The dream chaser. The person who isn’t afraid to challenge you to step outside the box, or over the edge and the critical reviewer of all things Caramilk and S’more flavoured. NICK SMITH
Best mate of Jase, and fellow bromancer. The best bi-product of “The Army”. The big hear ted bloke who’s always up for a “quick” chat on the phone or some ridiculous snapchat filters and a fine connoisseur of the humble cup of tea.
SARAH GREENSLADE
Work wife of Becky and other half of her brain. The compass. The person who is always there to listen and guide you in the right direction and who never says no to a 5km run or a cheeky wine. L AC H I E C RO M A R
Best mate of Jase and hunting par tner. The wilderness weapon. The kind, caring guy who never says no to a mission just so he can say “pretty glad I got me puffy” .
Words from our Celebrant Today we stand on whenua o te Kereru with Hue Te Kerekere te maunga behind us and Waihi te awa to the south. Without this whenua we would not be gathered here to witness and celebrate the marriage of Jase and Becky.
One of the most remarkable moments in life is when you meet the person who makes you feel complete. The person who makes the world a beautiful and magical place. The person with whom you share a bond so special that it transcends normal relationships and becomes something so pure and wonderful that you can’t imagine spending another day of your life without them.
I give you this ring as a sign of my love. That I have chosen you, above all else.
Today two whānau become one. To make your relationship work and your whānau work takes love. Continue to date each other. Take time to show each other that your love and marriage grows stronger with time. It takes trust to know that in your hear ts, you truly want what is best for each other. It takes dedication to stay open to one another- and to learn and grow together. It will take loyalty to go forward together, without knowing that exactly the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you have both pledged to today.
It is now my absolute honour and privilege to announce you husband and wife! Jase, you can kiss your wife!
All i ever really needed to know I learned in kindergarten W R I T T E N B Y RO B E RT F U L G H U M R E A D B Y B R I N E S T Y L E S A N D K AT R I N B O W I E
All of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergar ten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nurser y school. These are the things I learned… Share ever ything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say sorr y when you hur t somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Give them to someone who feels sad. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work ever y day. Take a nap ever y afternoon. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Ever ything you need to know is in there somewhere. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
Becky’s Vows My Love. Normally when I ask someone to dance and they reject my offer the stor y doesn’t go like this. But I’m more than glad for this major plot twist and that we are finally here today to begin our happy ever after. It didn’t take me ver y long at all to realise that you would be the one that I would call my home. Besides being good and fine and neat and nice you possess so many other qualities that make you an absolute catch of a husband. You are dependable. You are the rock of our whānau, the solid foundation upon which we build our lives. You are always there to suppor t and protect us. I know you will never let us down. You are resilient. You let nothing stop you. No matter how many obstacles you must overcome or battles you must fight you always persevere and win. You may bend but you never break. You are loving. I know without doubt that you love me. You show me and tell me on numerous occasions ever y day in both ver y obvious and also inconspicuous ways. You are affectionate and devoted and the keeper of my hear t. I can’t imagine my life without you in it and we all know I have an overactive imagination for a 32 year old so if anyone was going to be able to imagine something it would be me. But the scenario of my life without you is something I just can’t conjure up. The picture is incomplete unless you’re there. You have made all my dreams come true. I have a loving par tner by my side, ready for adventures and to also keep me grounded. I have a pretty cute son , a by-product of the loving par tner and I have a beautiful whare with a front porch to sit on and watch the maunga as the seasons pass. Today is meant to be the star t of new beginnings, a new journey. But my hear t is yours and I’m where I belong so to me it’s more like we are finally, together, as one whānau, heading home. I promise to you that our home will always be filled with respect for one another, with open mindedness and flexibility. There will be room for our opinions and our passions (although this only extends as far as one dead animal on the wall in the house). I promise to you that our home will always be a place of shelter and calm. A place to retreat and find peace when the world goes the kinda crazy that isn’t attractive. A place to seek comfor t and suppor t and to eat assor tments of toast for dinner when life just gets a bit tough. I promise to you that our home will always be overflowing with laughter and fun. There will be screwed up noses and dance par ties on the kitchen table and songs about bears and breakfast and the shaking of milk. I promise to you that our home will always be waiting with an open door and a listening ear. A place of understanding and forgiveness but also the home of the honest reality check when it is needed. And finally I vow to you that our home will be forever filled with unconditional love. There will always be muffled good mornings, a hand to hold and a kiss goodnight. My hear t will be your home, as yours is mine. Regardless of all else. E aroha ana ahau ki a koe kī toku ngākau katoa. I love you with all of my hear t.
Jase’s Vows Babe, my love, Bexsta, I’m so happy and relieved to finally be standing here with you, beginning the next chapter of our lives. You look so good, neat, fine and nice. You are an amazing woman. We met each other just down the road from here and in that moment your energy drew me in like no one I had ever met before and I knew my life would never be the same. You mean ever ything to me, I’m so lucky we found each other and I love our life together. Whenever I tie myself in knots you are the one who untangles me. I’ll never take for granted how much you do for me. I admire your passion, determination, organisation, acceptance and kindness. These traits inspire me ever yday to be a better man and you have helped me to get real direction in my life, you’re my compass. I know ever ything falls into place for us because we are meant to be together. Ever ything feels right and life is easier with you by my side. There’s no better team than us and I feel invincible having your love. I could not be prouder of the mother you have become, I always knew you would be amazing. I love the way you scrunch your nose up to tell me you love me. I promise to you I will always suppor t all of your passions and goals because I know you will achieve them. I promise to you I will get you a can of lemonade when you need it most. I promise to you to always be faithful, honest and kind. I promise to you to work hard to ensure you and our family are always protected, provided for, and feel secure and happy. I promise to you I will always do the blue jobs and the odd pink jobs if you’re lucky. I promise to you I will be a good husband and one that you deser ve. I will always be there for you, I will always be your number one fan. I know we will lead a joyful life together filled with family, adventure, achievement, contribution and love. No doubt there will be challenges along the way but I know there’s nothing in this world we can’t face and overcome together. You are my home and I vow to truly love you for the rest of my life.
Katie’s Speech What do I say about brother Jase? As a kid I idolised ever y square inch of him. Ever ything Jase had or did I had to have or do. Right down to having to pee like him and standing on the lawn recreating a fountain, amazing what you get away with under 5, thankfully I have outgrown this desire. We were best of mates growing up and I hope our own kids have the sibling relationship we do. Safe to say we sur vived each other and I’m really glad you found a little slice of heaven here in Geraldine Jase, and the angel to match.
Steve’s Speech We nick named him the Hunter Gatherer for his great love of the outdoors, hunting and photography taking up a lot of his time. But he made time to take Becky hunting and this must have been frustrating to say the least tr ying to keep her quiet. “Oh Babe don’t shoot that one” and asking the million and one questions that she is known for. Another person in our family GGB or Burns also had a great love of the outdoors in his younger days especially around Fiordland and, Manapouri area Burns thought Jase was a good bugger and the two of them would chat away for hours about hunting. And the wonderful Fiordland Area. As time went on Burns got ver y sick and confined to his house Jase’s frequent visits and chats really perked him up We are ver y grateful to you Jase for those visits and time spent with Burns. We are ver y proud of what Jase and Becky have done in their shor t time together. Their home, their animals and then of course the wonderful wide circle of friends and family that we have been introduced to over the years. As most of you know if you have Bex as a friend you have a friend for life So many great memories have been made with Howey Girls McCullough girls Amanda , Rymi and Rosanna more lately while teaching we have Sarah and then there is the CHCH crowd Brine, Katrin and I’m sorr y if I have missed you out but there is too many to mention It has been great following their vocations and achievements so diverse and awesome . Ali and I are so proud of you all so as we welcome Jase and the Van Beers into the whānau we are also happy to say that ever yone here is also par t of our family as well.
Ali’s Speech Jase we love having you in the family, you’re just amazing and you’re gunna look after her so well and I’m so happy with that.
Rosanna + Hannah’s Speech There comes a time in ever y person’s life when they meet their one true love, their soulmate, the person they will love and cherish for the rest of their lives, and that moment came for Becky 29 years ago when she met, me, Hannah better known around these par ts as Harr y, her little sister. And then these sisters needed a middle child, so they got me. Ya know, the peacekeeper, the one that can side with either of them but… never gets listened to. Unfor tunately for Becky, she got me as a best friend but Harr y got somebody to gang up on her with. Let’s not talk about Bali or any board games or card games the three of us have ever played, ever. Now if you know Becky at all, you know she was born to be a teacher. She’s been bossy her whole life and therefore whether you like it or not, she’s always giving lessons and teaching you a thing or two. She’s also ver y organised so, we thought today we would write a brief ‘becky style list’ of lessons we have learnt from her over the years. Beckdid, as the two of us know, depending on the mood and situation our relationship has been a combination of love, frowns, annoyance, smiles, savager y, care, concern, recently during the MIQ saga a lot of cries, car-eoke and of course laughter. I know I can always count on you through this wild ride we call life and I hope you know you can always count on me too. We will forever share a bond as sisters and I thank you for all you have done for me over the years and for always being my biggest (and usually loudest) cheerleader. Jase, as someone who has had the privilege of being on the receiving end of Becky’s love for so many years; in my experience, when you face success she will celebrate you, when you face loss she will hold you, when you want an adventure she will take you and she will always make space for laughter, especially if you’re the one falling over and hur ting yourself. Kia hora te marino; kia whakapapa pounamu te moana; kia tere te karohirohi i mua i tou huarahi. May the calm be widespread; may the surface of the ocean glisten like the greenstone; and may the shimmer of summer dance across your path forever. Cheers ever ybody!
Wendy’s Speech Becky you’re obviously a ver y special lady to Jason because Jason always has liked quality things and only the best will do. We are all so proud of Jase after finishing the big contract he was drawn to the South Island. The big draw card for him was the amazing deer hunting, Buck Fever they call it. Which I guess is what brought Jase and Becky together. After an evening out at the Peel Forest Ball where he met Becky Dear. That was possibly Jason’s best shot ever. Together with Jase’s ability to provide, build and create and Becky’s sheer determination and drive I know they’ll excel.
Paul’s Speech I’m so lucky, I’ve got a ver y special relationship with Jase, we’re father and son but he’s my best mate as well and that’s really special ay. It’s so easy, we work together, we play together, we’ve pushed ourselves to the limits on so many occasions with hunting and fencing, especially in Fiordland, there’s a few things we won’t tell you about, but we’re not going to do it again, are we? Winning the silver spades doubles in myster y Creek, which is extremely hard to do, that’s a feather in our caps, we’re all really proud of that. Who’s that girl with Jason? She’s a keeper” Something special happened because you spurred Jason and Jack on and they got 2nd. Little Mack, such a charming little guy, when you meet him you fall in love with him, just like that, that’s just Mack. There were also lots of family and friends who couldn’t be here today for lots of different reasons, they wish they could but they can’t but they’re all thinking of you and wishing you the best.
Jack’s Speech Proud to be here today as a Best Man as Best Men as we all are standing right beside Jase. I call him Beersy, ever yone down here seems to call him Jase which is weird but Beersy’s his name. I sor ta don’t speak too well but this comes from my hear t. I didn’t know him from a bar of salt, at that time he didn’t have a friend, he was his own man. Jase was in Bar 4 and I was in Bar 5 and Jase obviously excelled and moved up into my classroom, I think its the only time I got one up on you boy, so I’ll keep it. You said you were into hunting and farming which was massive for me cause I never had that experience and i just had a passion for it, it didn’t come from anyone but it was just there and you picked up on that and from then on we were pretty tight and I’d go out on the bus with you to Paul and Wendys. I thank you guys a huge amount for that, it showed me a lot of stuff in my life and that. Not only with fencing and that, which is what i do today to provide for me and my family, you taught me that, ever ything. And how to provide for my family with hunting and just being a good honest man and I think I learnt a lot of that from you and your family so I really appreciate that so I just want to thank Paul and Wendy for sharing your son with me, I really do. I was a bit of a riff raff bugger at times. I think when I walked in here today Steve said “aahhhh you’re the man who got him in trouble” and I said “ No I’m not, he’s the man who got me out of it”. You taught me ever ything, we weren’t just best bros but work bros too and we went overseas on our OE together but we won’t get into that. Then we came home and you got that massive contract and at 23 years old you were running one of the biggest fencing contracts in NZ. What he’s achieved in his life is just unreal, ya know and I’m just proud to be here today bro. Now I wanna talk about Becky , haven’t had a hell of a lot like I have with Beersy but you’re kind and you’re honest and we love what you give to our whānau, we could tell you were a teacher but you have an awesome hear t and you guys make an awesome team.Put a glass in the air to Becky and Jase Van Beers.
Becky’s Speech Thank you all so much for being here to share this special day with Jase and I, it’s been a long time and coming and we’re so grateful you can celebrate with us as we become one whānau. Cour tney you’ve gone above and beyond to create a beautiful ceremony for us and we are so grateful to have such a special friend officiate our marriage. Thank you for persevering with us and being the glue that has held our wedding together and for bossing it today. Hannah Kate. Thank you I never doubted you’d be here, even if you had to swim. From the bottom of my hear t thank you for the huge effor t it has taken for you to be here. You’re the sassiest cat I know, but I wouldn’t get married without you.To the Van Beers and Gannon Clan. I’ve blown into your whānau like a fast talking, unfiltered hurricane that has filled the peaceful quiet with endless chatter. Thank you for welcoming me into your whānau. We so value your suppor t and your being here today. Mum and Dad, literally wouldn’t be here without you. So stoked you’re both still alive to be with me on this day, I seriously doubted it as a teenager. You have been my unwavering suppor ters from day dot cheering me on no matter what the adventure. I feel grateful to have such a positive relationship with you and thankful you welcomed Jase with open arms. Your help and suppor t is what makes this day so special. Jase. We made it babe. We finally got married. You’ve been an absolute champ dealing with my endless lists of tasks and constant stream of questions. You took charge of this 3rd attempt back when Mack was fresh and I didnt even know what year it was. You’ve pulled off a beautiful wedding, thank you for being so committed to our vision for today and for being there waiting at the end of the aisle. I feel privileged to be by your side on this crazy ride called life. You are the best dad, a loyal friend, a loving son and now you’ve levelled up and become an amazing husband and I get to call you mine. We say it all the time but gosh we are so lucky. So to end my speech I’d like you to all raise your glasses to this hunk of a guy who happens to now be my husband! To Jase!
Jase’s Speech Welcome family, friends to our wedding day. Thank you all for coming to celebrate, it wouldn’t be the same without you. However it would have been a lot cheaper… But seriously given the journey we have had to get to this day I’m ver y grateful for your commitment to us, in being here. I’m so proud to have such decent people in my life. So for my first toast please raise your glasses to yourselves and ever yone around you. To family and friends. Thank you Cour tney for a lovely ceremony, you were perfect and it means alot to Becky and I that you, one of our dearest friends could do this for us. Some of you have travelled fur ther than others to be here today, and I thank you for all your effor t. But none more so than Becky’s sister Hannah. The sacrifices you have made will never be forgotten and I thank you from the bottom of my hear t. It wouldn’t have felt like our wedding without you here, probably because it wouldn’t have happened without you here… So my second toast is to Hannah, To Hannah. Unfor tunately there are some that couldn’t join us today, notably my grandparents Will and Nancy who live in Per th, Australia. I’d also like to take a moment to acknowledge all our Grandparents to whom most have passed away. They pathed the way for our families and we are eternally grateful. So in honour of Burns and Liz, Malcolm and Marian, Ken and Margaret and Will and Nancy. Please raise your glasses. To the Grandparents. Seriously though thank you for your blessing Steve and Ali, you have been so welcoming to me and helpful to Becky and I as our relationship has grown. You can trust me when I say I will always love and protect your amazing daughter. I’m proud to be a par t of the Talbot family. To my parents Paul and Wendy. Thank you for being such inspirational and strong role models. You have always suppor ted any decision I’ve made in my life and I know you just want me to be happy. Well I can assure you this woman makes me the happiest man in the world. I appreciate how warm and kind you are towards Becky and you always take an interest in her passions. Mainly asking, “So how many kilometres has she run today?” Please raise your glasses to my four incredible parents. To Wendy and Paul, Ali and Steve. To my wife, doesn’t she look stunning…! Thank you for all the time you have spent organising today, I truly appreciate it . We have achieved so much in the less than four years we have been together and I wouldn’t change a thing other than maybe getting married on the original date… bloody har vest. Thank you for my son, I love being a father. Mack is so lucky to have you as his mother. Thank you for putting up with me being the battler I am, you’re the tough one. I just bloody love doing life with you. I love you so much. To Becky! Lastly to quote my Scottish ancestors motto: “Hencefor th our honour shall grow ever brighter”
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