A bride reduced her 100 wedding guests to tears by overcoming her crippling childhood stammer to say her vows and give an emotional speech on her big day.
Jennifer Vaughan used to struggle to say her own name, but read her personally written vows flawlessly as she told her new husband Ashley “You are my one true love and I’m so lucky I found you.”
Occupational therapist Jennifer, 28, of Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, faced playground bullies and felt suicidal during her battle with the speech problem which started when she was five.
But after enrolling on a speech therapy course and meeeting her partner Ashley, she finally said the words she never thought she would – “I do”.
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“Getting married was something I always told myself I didn’t want to do. I couldn’t say my own name, how was I meant to say my vows?,” she said.
“But Ashley convinced me I wanted to and I realised I should take the opportunity to stand up in front of all the people I love and give a speech – because I finally could.
“I was more nervous about the speech than actually getting married. But I was so glad I did it. It was something I never even dreamed of.”
Breaking with tradition by giving a reception speech herself, Jennifer effortlessly commanded the room, telling jokes and teasing her new husband.
Ashley was brimming with pride during the moving 10 minute address, which saw Jennifer open the speech by joking: “I’d like to thank my husband for having a surname that I can say.”
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She told the crowd: “Obviously, my speech is a big part of who I am. It’s something that plagued me for a long time but when I met Ash it was never an issue.
“Well, actually he did take the first few minutes taking the p*** out of people who stutter, but after we got over that blip he has been nothing but supportive and kind.
“At times when I have given up on myself, he’ll pick me up and give me the the courage to keep moving forwards.”
Ashley, 28, who was introduced to the-then Jennifer Thornburn at a house party, said: “I knew how much speaking in front of everyone on our big day meant to her, so it was amazing to see. The day couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Jennifer first developed a stammer aged five, after her parents’ marriage broke down.
During high school she faced bullies who teased her and by university, there were days when she did not even speak for fear of being ridiculed.
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Even the simplest tasks, like booking a doctor’s appointment or ordering food in a restaurant, filled her with dread.
Some days she couldn’t say her name and even thought about ending her own life, through frustration.
“It was so mortifying to speak”, she said. “The more aware I became of how I sounded, the more I tried to hide it.
“And as I got older, my stammer got worse. People would tease me and I got to the point where I didn’t want to leave the house any more.”
While studying at Teesside University, Jennifer feared her dream of becoming an occupational therapist would fall apart, if she didn’t face her speech problem fast.
She said: “In the taxi home after a night out I couldn’t even tell the driver my home address.
“When I finally got home I cried and picked up a pair of scissors and thought about harming myself.
“That was my lowest point and it made me realise something had to change.”
She tried different speech therapies and hypnotherapy, but nothing worked, until her mum Susan Golden, 57, suggested a course in Scotland.
So, in October 2010 she joined the McGuire Programme, the same speech therapy course used by Gareth Gates, which put her on the road to recovery.
Through developing breathing techniques, practicing public speaking and looking at psychological factors over the past five years, the McGuire Programme has transformed Jennifer’s life.
And a year after joining, she met her now-husband, Ashley.
Ironically, they got talking after he started imitating people with stammers – unaware of Jennifer’s struggle with the condition.
But in March last year the pair tied the knot at Rockliffe Hall, near Darlington, County Durham.
But Jennifer made one promise to herself – she would read her own vows and make a speech at the reception afterwards.
“It’s something I knew I wanted to do,” she said. “In the months leading up to the wedding I didn’t feel nervous because I was excited to do something I never thought I could.
“I thought long and hard about my speech and vows but then wrote them two days before, it just felt natural.”
And after her proud mum Susan, a nurse, gave her away, Jennifer faced her fears.
“As the time approached to talk in front of everyone I couldn’t eat and felt so sick… but when I was up there I just felt so happy,” she said.
“I told the room how my speech was something that had always been a problem for me and how I had overcome it.
“All the men were crying! I just felt so proud of myself to be able to do that, to push myself, in front of everyone.”
Talking fluently is still a challenge for Jennifer, but thanks to the love and support of her husband and help from speech experts, she now relishes chatting to anyone.
And she also wants to help others with speech difficulties, and is training to become a coach and instructor at the McGuire Programme.
“I used to feel so small, so embarrassed and ashamed. I was an adult and yet I couldn’t even say my own name. It was humiliating,” she said.
“The sound of the telephone used to make my stomach churn but it doesn’t now.
“I’m not scared any more.”