Filling our bellies ...

Our masters of ceremonies (Rick & David) introduced each member of the wedding party in turn. You've already met them, so I'll spare you that again. Then my Aunt Linda said a lovely grace.











Then dinner was served. Dinner was delicious - an unbelievable four-course meal. We started with a cold peach soup. I had never had a cold soup before, let alone made with a fruit like peaches! It was delicious! Kinda like a thick, fresh applesauce, but with peaches instead of apples.

The cold peach soup was followed by a yummy salad course. It was a green salad with a cranberry-orange vinaigrette.

In the midst of these courses, there were two ways our guests could get us to kiss. They could solve a puzzle that was at their table or they could tell a (PG-13) joke.

We had some interesting jokes. Some groaners. Some silly jokes. Fourteen year-old Laura told a joke that I would definitely rate above PG-13. I can't remember it, but it was dirty! (Of course, the younger kids didn't get it at all, so it was okay.) I later found out her mother told her the joke, and she didn't get it. When she clued into what it meant (several minutes after she told it), she was mortified! Poor thing.

There were two puzzles per table. First, they had to unscramble a "clue". Then they had to use the clue to find the word, phrase or location. One thing unscrambled into "Kristas high school" (we didn't scramble in the apostrophe). Another one into "Wades high school". There were 3 clues that unscrambled into "where they went" (with hints with the first letter and the number of letters). Interestingly, at the start a bunch of people unscrambled the clue and solved the hint quickly, and then no one came up. (Hmm ... maybe the wine started to affect them.)












(Pictures courtesy of Unveiled Photography)


Then my Dad spoke. I'll be honest - I was nervous about this. I had no idea what he'd say, and was worried he'd stumble over his words ...

Random post about comedy and parliament in Canada

I found an amazing video from one of my favourite comedian's posted on my friend Groomsmen Greg's blog (a home improvement blog about his and his girl-friend, my maid of honour, Jocelyn's house).


Rick Mercer is an incredibly smart man who satirizes Canadians, Americans, politicians and anyone & everyone else. This video contains a very real lesson on the Canadian parliament. It's about a year and a half old (as you'll see with the reference to George Bush as the U.S. President). Canadian comedians enjoy much more intimacy with our politicians than our American neighbours do. For example, would this ever happen in ths U.S.:



(Yes, it really happened to our current prime minister.)

Want proof this is the norm? Here's our former prime minister (when he was prime minister) announcing his retirement at a news conference, when a cast member from the same show as above intervenes:

...

I can't think of a creative title, so that's all it is.

I'm trying to think of what to do next. In my wedding recaps, I am into the reception. I should finish up in a week or two, depending on my motivation. Then I'll put up our honeymoon pictures. That could take a while, or I could do it quickly, depending on how many pictures and stories I share! (We were gone three weeks, after all. There are lots of pictures and lots of stories.) ut beyond that, then what? I'm married, what else can I say on this blog?

Not much. So what do I do next? I am pondering that. I am loving the ability to write all the time. I love to write. This is a great outlet for me.

(Side note: when I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut or a writer. If anyone knows Roberta Bondar or Julie Payette, let me know. I'd love to ask them about their experiences!)

So, when the current poll on my blog closes on Friday (regarding how long it took you to get your thank-you notes out), I'll put in a poll on what you think I should do next! In the meantime, you can comment with any ideas / thoughts on what you'd like to see!

P.S. I ate two caramilk ice cream cones. The first one was so good that I had to have another. Except that I've felt completely "blah" the past two hours since finishing it. YUCK!

P.S.2 I did the 30-Day Shred video last night for the first time since my wedding day. Jillian kicked my butt!

The Grand Entrance (complete with beer!)

What do you think of our entrance before dinner?



















All photos taken by Unveiled Photography.

What else went wrong?

Well, we arrived at the reception a few minutes late. About 15 minutes, I think, maybe a bit more. Anyway, I went to the washroom (which I'd figured out how to do at the church!) and had my mom help me bustle my dress.

Um ... the button for the bustle was missing.

It had been there when I put the dress on. But that's when I remembered: when I first sat in the car, I heard a pop. I thought it was the zipper or the button above the zipper or something like that. Now I realized: it had to be the bustle.

I figured - well, I guess the dress is going to get a lot more dirty than I anticipated. And I started to walk into the reception. That's when my mom said they'd find a way to fix it. I said something indicating I didn't care - let's go eat - but I was told we needed to fix it. (Okay, mom!)

There were a couple safety pins in the bathroom kit I'd made. Someone went to look for more safety pins. Out of nowhere (or so it seemed to me), the bar manager, the incredible Robin, appeared. Then left.

Robin disappeared for almost 5 minutes and returned to the dressing room (yes, the bathroom had a dressing room!) with safety pins. Mom & bar manager Robin to the rescue! She and my mom crawled under my dress to pin the lift the train to bustle it in place! It took another five minutes (at least - but it felt like forever) to get it pinned. And I just wanted to see everyone, have a drink & eat! But finally, it was done!

And I arrived to this scene:













Everyone was waiting for us to have dinner, and they're in the lobby drinking beer? WTF! (Just kidding!) To be honest, someone - Wade,maybe? - had asked if they could have a beer. I told them to go for it! I knew I'd be a couple minutes in the bathroom - I couldn't have known it'd be 15! So they had a good time just hanging out. I think I was asked if they could have a second beer (or was it actually the third? I hadn't been there for long, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was their third) while everyone found their seats. Sure, why not!

And then we walked into the reception! Pictures of the reception to come ...

All photos taken by Unveiled Photography.

More recaps tonight ... or tomorrow at the latest ... I promise!

Okay, so I'm supposed to be working right now. (Shhh ... I'm not.) But I read Professional Bridesmaid's shout out to Canadian (or Commonwealth) bloggers and found an amazing video posted on A little birdie weds. I had to share it:


And while you're amazed by this video (I am!), go to Professional Bridesmaid's latest post and check her shout outs. These are some seriously amazing Canadian bloggers (Professional Bridesmaid included).

(Yeah, I know - so how did I make the list? :)

New laptop

Wade & I have a new laptop. It's our first laptop together (aww). It's actually Wade's first laptop, and his first new computer since 1993. Seriously. (He's been using my old laptop, but it died a few months ago.)

Anyway, this new laptop is a Gateway laptop and came loaded with Microsoft Vista. We purchased Office 2007 for it. I'm so lost!

If anyone out there can help me, I'd appreciate it! I will list my problems (relating to the laptop, of course!).

Today, here's what happened:
-If I wanted to type quotation marks, I couldn't type them. When in Word, I can type shift+' and quotation marks will be made. However, when I'm not in Word (such as in typing a blog post or using gmail to send an email), when I type that, it comes out with an accented e (un accent aigu, for those who speak French).
-If I wanted to put in a question mark, I couldn't type it. When in Word, I can type shift+/ to create question marks. However, when I'm not in Word, typing that combination puts in an upper-case E with an accent (another accent aigu).
So in order to put quotation marks or question marks into the post, I had to type it in Word, then cut and paste it into blogger or gmail or facebook. Not exactly convenient.

Yesterday, here's what happened:
-If I wanted to type an apostrophe, out can a lower case accented e. (I think it was another accent aigu, but I can't remember now). Notice how on Friday, I had few contractions? Go back and look. That's because I COULDN'T TYPE CONTRACTIONS. ARG! That meant I also couldn't denote possession. (How on earth do I refer to Wade's car if I can't put in an apostrophe? I put in a backwards apostrophe: those were working.) And I was too frustrated to type it in Word, where I could type apostrophes, then copy it into blogger or gmail.

I'm having other problems, but these two are frustrating me the last few days. Anyone have any ideas on why I can't always type quotation marks or question marks or apostrophes?

Note: sometimes I can, but most of the time, I can't. And I don't know if I am doing something to turn it on/off, or what's going on.

A little help?

Our to-do list

Do the following:
-Organize our unused `second living room` into a sitting room by:
-Removing futon sofa.
-Filling said sitting room with arm chairs or loveseat or something (to be acquired).
-And purchase a hutch or glass bookshelf or something in said sitting room to store wine glasses. And maybe china. (Yay, wedding gift money!)
-Install dish washer (requires re-organizing cupboards and acquiring hutch or bookshelf).
-Organize office into office-slash-spare room by putting futon in it (requires organizing office).
-Get new tv for living room (lower on the list).

And that`s exciting and overwhelming all at once!

... There's no crying in baseball!

This is our week-end:


Okay, not really. We play in a slow-pitch league (also referred to as three-pitch, meaning you have your own pitcher but you only get three pitches). I used to play fast pitch (softball) until I was about 19 or 20. Only when I was too only for the Junior Ladies league, but not quite good enough for the Ladies league (which was by invitation only) did I stop fast pitch (softball) Now that I play slow-pitch league, which is co-ed, I don't take it as seriously. I also had a couple years off. I'm nowhere near as good as I was: I used to be quite good defensively but only half-decent offensively; I am now okay defensively and bad offensively (meaning I can't hit). I will be honest: I miss the higher skill and competition of fast pitch (softball) and I miss the comraderie of an all-girls team. I was on the same team for several years, so we got to know each other well.

Anyway, the reason our week-end is all about baseball. We have a baseball tournament. All week-end. I'm quite stiff right now.

Here's our schedule (all games one hour or seven innings, whichever comes first):
Saturday
8:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
2:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
12:30 p.m. (Quarter final play-offs)
Then we'll probably play at 3:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals, and probably play at 5:00 p.m. in the finals. But that's a lot of baseball for one week-end, especially considering I missed most of June's games (gone for the honeymoon for 3 weeks and all!), and have only been able to make 1 game so far this July. (We have 1 game / week.)

Nonetheless, I still love the movie A League of their Own, as do most women who have ever played baseball or softball!

One thing that went wrong:

After the ceremony, I forget how it occurred to me, but I realized I'd left the garter at home. I'm not sure where it even was - maybe in a drawer of a dresser in the spare room, or maybe in my wardrobe (my scrapbooking storage wardrobe) in said spare room. I don't know. I mentioned it to my bridesmaids, saying, oh well, I guess we're not tossing the garter tonight! There was no time to go back for it before the reception: we had family photos at the church, followed by wedding party photos at our alma mater, and very little time to get to the reception.

They mentioned they could go get it while we're doing the family photos. So they went! I don't know how they found it - I didn't think to mention where it might have been. But they did! And they arrived at the university (two of the four bridesmaids attended the same alma mater) at the same time as we did!

Here are pictures of the garter toss:




When Wade threw the garter, he asked me how to aim for Groomsman Greg. Greg's girl-friend, my maid of honour Jocelyn had just caught the bouquet. She fought for it, too! They've been together ... a lot of years (8 years on and off, but have been "on" for 5 years straight). They own a house together. They've known each other since 1995 (as long as I've known them: we all met and became friends in grade 9).

So Wade aimed for Greg. The only problem is, Wade had never thrown a garter before. He thought you threw it, and didn`t realize you have to `flick` it. So he threw it, and it landed a few feet in front of Greg. For a couple seconds, the guys stared at it. Then, surprisingly, a couple guys started to move towards it; Greg was not one of those guys! Wade was not having any of it! Wade ran at it, picked up it and put it in Greg`s pocket.

Greg later convinced himself that I aimed for Jocelyn, too. But I didn`t - she earned that bouquet! (I was proud of her - jumping for it! She`d never fought or jumped for a bouquet before. YAY!)

And here's the proud winner:

The Wedding Party

My ladies and I:

(I think Jocelyn, to the right of me, is unleashing her inner-model.)


Wade with his guys, before they got ready & after:



Aren't the groomsmen too cute?

Wade likes this picture:

And here's everyone, kids included:

(The younger flower girl, Chloe, was very excited to see Pinky in this picture. She clearly forgot she'd been holding Pinky at this point!)

All photos taken by Unveiled Photography.

And now for something completely different ...

Well, not really. Kinda more of the same. But if needed, I have a comfy chair that's perfect for torture should the Spanish Inquisition require one. (And Bridechka thinks she's a geek. Kudos if you know the reference. Or maybe my sympathies are more appropriate.)

It seems that the majority of you sent out your thank-you cards in about a month. Although, 3 keeners sent out their cards about a week after the wedding. I'd like to know who you are, so I can marvel at your organization / enthusiasm! (14 have voted, which I'm pretty sure is enough for a significant sample size. Right? Okay, maybe not. But there are still a few days left to vote!)

And of the three of you who commented, it seems the next thing I should recap is the wedding party pictures. I'll try to do that tonight!

Kelly Hildebrandt, you may now kiss ... Kelly Hildebrandt!

No, this isn't like when Dennis Rodman dressed in drag and married himself!
(If you don't know what I'm talking about, google "Dennis Rodman wedding".)

You should read this article: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/090721/K072106AU.html. Now, I am not the biggest supporter of marrying so young (20 and 24 respectively) particularly after knowing each other for such a short period of time (they met last year). But it is a neat story.

Interviewed by Marie (really long, non-wedding post)

Marie was interviewed by Bridechka. And she offered to interview someone ... so I took her up on the offer!

1. For all those just about to be married, can you describe how you felt the night before the wedding?

The night before the wedding, I was so excited. I was a little nervous, perhaps curious, to find out what would go wrong. (I mean, something goes wrong for everyone, right?) So I was curious about that. I was mostly excited.

Now, an hour before the wedding – that was different. I can’t remember when I got nervous exactly. I think it was either just before or just after I’d gotten in my mom’s van to go to my parent’s house for family photos. It was at that point that I got nervous. I don’t know why. I think I just wanted to make sure I was at the church. When I did arrive at the church, I calmed slightly, and switched from nerves to ecstatic when I started walking down the aisle.

I don’t think my response is normal. Many friends have told me they were nervous. A coworker said she was scared for weeks beforehand at the thought of having to stand in front of people. That didn’t faze me in the least! Being in front of people does not bother me! But blogger Carly, who was also nervous about her wedding day, has said that everyone is looking at you with happiness and love. So if you’re nervous, remember that you invited people who you want to witness you say your vows.

2. Why did you chose to become involved in health and safety? Was it anything specific or did it just happen?

A little of both. I became interested in health & safety (H&S) when I held a summer job at DuPont. DuPont is a famous industry-leader in H&S. The training program for a 4 month contract was the same as for anyone else: 4 weeks duration. They consider the training worth it, because a huge focus on the training is on doing the job safely. I had that summer job for five summers, although for the last two summers I actually worked for Invista (Invista was a spin-off of DuPont that was sold to Koch Industries).

I realized H&S could be a career when I was looking at post-graduate options after finishing my undergrad degrees. The University of Toronto offers a degree in occupation health. It sounded interesting - the study of workplace hazards - noise, ergonomics, radiation, H&S management, and so on. So I applied. And I got accepted. And I do find it interesting. I actually find myself passionate about occupational H&S.

3. How did you and Wade meet? Sorry if you've already told us but I can't remember!

I don’t think that I did. During my second summer working at DuPont, I joined the work baseball league. I played on a different team than Wade, but many of our teammates knew each other. After one game playing each other, many of our teammates went back to their regular post-game bar and hung out. I got to know Wade, and his friends Mike and Kelly. I ran into Kelly another time, and we started hanging out. Since Kelly and Wade were friends, I saw Wade now and then. And that’s how we met.

I have to say, I thought Wade was weird at first. It turns out, he was trying to hard, and it creeped me out. But as he relaxed I was able to get to know him.

4. Why did you and Wade decide to get married in a church?

We thought about a few spots. I wasn’t thrilled by the idea of getting married outdoors. Don’t get me wrong – I think the most beautiful weddings are outdoors. But I would be a basket case worrying about if the weather cooperated or not. So in a church seemed the next step.

I thought about the church I went to as a teenager. It’s on the water. It has stain-glass windows on the side facing the street, and clear windows overlooking the water. It’s stunning, but especially so in the morning at the sunrise services (which are only offered once a year, and I only attended a few times). Our reception venue is also on the water, so I thought it would be neat to have the church on the water, too. But the reception is in the east end, and the church is in the west end – probably about a 25-30 minute drive between them.

I also looked into the chapel on our university campus, which is much closer to our reception venue. We went to the same university, but a few years apart. But the chapel only holds 70, and our guest list was 100. In retrospect, we could have had a smaller service, but that wasn’t an option we explored.

I looked into a few other churches closer to the venue. In the meantime, my mom mentioned to me that she thought my grandma would be quite proud if we got married at her church. Even though the church is in the north end of the city, about a 15-20 minute drive from the venue, we ended up choosing this option.

5. What motivates you? A rather broad question but to me you seem very driven and great at achieving what you set out to do so I was wondering how you manage to do that?

I don’t know. I try to be organized. I was shocked to learn I have always been organized. One cousin who couldn’t attend sent my uncle a letter to read at the reception. My cousin, nine years older than me (actually, that makes him Wade’s age), remembers me as a little child organizing games. (I don’t remember that.) My aunt spoke of how I’m so organized that she knew everything would be wonderful. I was surprised to hear of this theme over and over.

I don’t like being unorganized. It makes me feel out of control. I had nightmares months before the wedding because I hadn’t done certain things yet. Once I started planning things, those nightmares went away.

In terms of what motivates me: my fear of feeling out of control, I guess!

Professionally, I’m motivated to do a good job. I feel that (in health & safety) I have the potential to impact people’s lives, not on what happens to them, but what never happens. If I do a good job, people should wonder what I’m there for.

Seriously. As I was told in grad school, the goal of a H&S professional’s job is to put him/herself out of business. The goal is zero workplace injuries, right? People question what you do and the necessity of training if there are no injuries. So my goal is for no one to get injured, everyone to know what they’re doing, and if that means people wonder what it is exactly I do, that’s fine. (As long as my boss likes my job!)

Personally, I’m motivated by my love of learning. I’m also motivated by my love of family & friends. I’m motivated by my love of travelling. I’m motivated to question everything, because I need to know the reason why things happen or how things work. I love museums – whether it’s a museum of science & technology, history, art, archaeology or whatever. I love reading. I love learning. I think that’s why I love to travel – because I learn so much and see new things and experience things I could never experience just be watching the Discovery Channel or surfing wikipedia.

So those are my five answers!

I offer anyone the opportunity! If you would like to interviewed with any five questions of MY choosing, just message me!

What do I tell you next?

Should I show you pictures from the receiving line, like this one:












Should I show you our wedding party photos, like this one:












Or should I tell you about one of the few things that "went wrong"? (Sorry, no picture or hint for this one! I don't even know which one I'll tell you about!)

After the ceremony ...

We had family photos. Here are some highlights:

With my parents:


With Wade's parents:


With my mom's side (left) and dad's side (right) of my families:










And with Wade's mom's side (left) and dad's side (right) of his families:








All photos taken by Unveiled Photography.

One of my favourite pictures

Source: Unveiled Photography

Yay, Cyd!

Look at the weather right now:
And it's great here, too. My friend, Sarah, is getting married today. Actually, she has probably been married for about an hour and a half now. She was having the wedding at her parent's home, and was hoping for a pool party after. Based on the forecast for today, that was unlikely. Walking outside right now, it is very likely! (They didn't have a rain plan, so I'm so happy for them!)

About an hour ago, I was driving home from a little shopping trip. I was thinking how Cyd got married yesterday and Sarah got married today (in fact, she probably would have just finished the ceremony around that moment). I was getting emotional and teary eyed (not a good thing while driving, but I was just arriving at my house). I then started thinking about my wedding to Wade: both how great our wedding and how happy I am that we're married.

Okay, it's Saturday and it's nice out. I should go do something else!

Congratulations Cyd!

Can I just show you a couple things about Cyd?

First, I noticed this on facebook (click on it to make it bigger):

And I thought: how fun, she posted on her way to getting married!

Then I noticed this post (click on the picture to make it bigger):

And I knew she must have been having fun!

Yesterday, the weather in the area was okay: a bit of rain, but also some sunny periods. I'm probably 100 km / 60 mi away from her, and since she's on the other side of a Great Lake, we have similar weather but it's not identical. Plus, there are always micro-weather systems.

Here's today's forecast in her neck of the woods for her reception:
So here's hoping she has some sunshine!

And congratulations, Cyd. I'm sorry we couldn't get you those peonies. I am sure you will have a beautiful wedding week-end!!!

Ceremony: Our Order of Service

Here is the order our ceremony followed. While we have the "key" photos, we weren't able to get any pictures of most of the ceremony. There are no photos of our readers, for example. But based on the pictures you have seen, you can see the emotions of the ceremony.

I am going on memory, guided by the program. However, I may not remember it exactly as it occurred.

The bridal procession was set to "Suit bergamasque" (better known as "Clair de lune") by Debussy. Sigh. I love this song - it's so romantic and filled with emotion.

After the bridal procession, there was a Greeting and Introduction to our guests. The minister, Rev. Don explained a little bit about the meaning of marriage, then asked us to Declare our Intent. (That's where we say the "I do"s, or rather the modern promise of "I will".) Then Rev. Don explained about the commitment of marriage and how it needs support. He called on our family and friends to rise and asked if they promised to support us when we need it.

Next, there was a prayer, entitled the “Prayer of Approach”. I don't remember what Rev. Don said, to be honest. I listened to his words and was amazed at how true they were. And I was amazed that everyone in the church at that moment was saying a prayer for Wade and me. That they loved us so much, that they would gather in one spot together and pray for our happiness and longevity, and not feel for one moment that we didn’t deserve it but genuinely feel it with their love.

And I remember thinking, "Wow, I'm getting married. Right now. I wish this moment would last forever." It was as if at the moment, the love I felt for Wade, and the love he felt for me, and the love of our fiends and family present (and the love of those who weren't with us) was just overtaking me in this absolute experience of joy and ecstasy. It was amazing. And no where near as clichéd as my description makes it sound!

Then there were readings.

First, my Mom read from "The Prophet" (On Marriage) by Khalil Gibran
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

When my mom finished her reading with tears in her eyes and said "That was for you guys" and sat down. It was so sweet.

Then Wade's Mom read Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

And finally, my good friend Emily read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Then Rev. Don talked more about the commitment of marriage, I think. We don't have the video yet, so I am trying to recall these details. I was nervous and excited because of what was coming. Wade and I read poems to each other.

Wade read "A Red, Red Rose" by Robbie Burns to me
Oh my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
Oh my luve is like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

I read from the "Sonnets from the Portuguese" (Sonnet XLIII) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Next, Rev. Don talked about the sacrament of marriage. He explained how it was at a wedding feast the Jesus turned water into wine, a miracle, and how the wedding (and its feast) was as important an event then as it is now.

Then Wade and I said our vows to each other. We said the traditional vows. You know, "I, Krista, take you Wade, to be my husband, to have and to hold ... " and so on. You know them. I know them. And yet, if Rev. Don had given me more than about 4 words at once, I probably would have stumbled!

Next, Rev. Don talked about the symbolism of rings. He talked about the circle of a ring having no end, like our commitment to each other would not end. And as we exchanged rings, we each said to each other: “Take this ring as a symbol of my love and fidelity. As a circle has no end, neither shall my love for you.” (Which at the time, I lamented picking such a long phrase, but in retrospect isn’t so long.)

We exchanged our kiss at this point. At least, that was the plan. I can’t recall if it was here or after the next prayer, entitled “Prayers of the People” followed by the Lord’s Prayer.

Then Rev. Don blessed us, and we moved to sign the marriage documents. At this time, "Ellens Dritter Gesand" (better known as "Ave Maria") by Schubert. Another beautiful song, in my opinion.

I signed, then Wade signed, followed by the best man, the maid of honour and finally Rev. Don.

We were presented and the recessional was set to "Symphonie no. 9 (Ode to Joy)" by Beethoven, which was used as the music for the Christian Hymn "Joyful, joyful we adore thee." This is definitely a triumphant, jubilant song! (All music was played on the organ by the same organist who played at my parent's wedding.)

As we left, the church bells were ringing!

The whole ceremony was about 35-40 minutes, but it did not feel that long to me!

Dum dum da dum ...

Except I didn't walk down the aisle to Wagner's Bridal Chorus. As I already mentioned, I walked down the aisle to Debussy's Clair de lune.

I'll let the pictures tell the story:












(Courtesy: Unveiled Photography)

Commentary on the ceremony to come tomorrow ...