Something Old & Something New, Part II

Just Married!  Isn't love grand?

As promised, today I am continuing my three part series on homespun, heartfelt weddings!  Today I would like to introduce you to Ainsley and Eric Latwaitis, who will be celebrating their 10th Anniversary on June 30! 

Ainsley and I had a bit of a giggle when I requested some photos of her wedding.  Unlike my sister Jamie's wedding (profiled on Monday) which took place just last year, ten and eleven years ago when she and I had our weddings, digital photography was virtually unheard of!  After our weddings, we had to wait for the photographer to develop the pictures.  We even had to wait for snapshots; back then, Nova Scotia didn't have Sunday shopping, so we had to wait until Monday to get our film developed!  And so, to accommodate my request, she had to scan a few pictures for me.  Subsequently, there won't be quite as many pictures of Eric and Ains as there were of Jamie and Mike!

Ainsley and her bridesmaids by the garden. (That's me on the left!)

Ainsley's mother Dale is a floral designer, and she, Jamie, and myself have all been lucky to have her creations at our weddings.  Ainsley's bouquet was a wildly beautiful hand tied creation of sunflowers, white and purple accent flowers, and raffia. Simply gorgeous!  Flowers featured often throughout the celebration, which is fitting since Ainsley is an accomplished gardener with a diploma in ornamental horticulture from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.  Decor for the ceremony and reception was in the form of potted plants and seasonal hanging baskets.  The bridesmaids also carried hand-tied bouquets featuring the same flowers as the bride's bouquet.  After the ceremony, the children attending were given dried flower petals to toss instead of confetti or rice.  These petals had been lovingly gathered and dried by family and friends just for the event.  This is an idea I really love because it is ecologically sound unlike paper confetti which just causes litter (despite how pretty and fun it is) and rice which can be dangerous if consumed by birds. Flower petals just dissolve away over time.

Young guests tossing dried flower petals.

The flowers continued with the wedding favours; guests were delighted to take home hand stamped packets of sunflower seeds!  And what wedding would be complete without cake!  Ainsley and Eric sent their guests home with fruitcake made by family members.  This is a lovely old tradition; we have photos of aunties and nannies making wedding fruitcakes and in this day of cupcakes, molding chocolate and ganache, it always makes me smile when I see fruitcake at a wedding.

The lovely bride with her bouquet!

Ainsley and Eric's wedding ceremony was held in Eric's hometown in his family's church, St. Stephen's.  The ceremony was beautiful and featured readings by family members.  After the ceremony, the wedding party and guests gathered at the home of the bride's aunt and uncle in her family's hometown for a barn party!  A white wedding tent extended the barn area and provided the perfect place for the happy couple to celebrate with family and friends.  As guests were arriving and mingling, the wedding photos were taken.  They were composed against a natural setting using a garden bench and a small garden planted for the occasion as a backdrop.  The effect, as you can see, was beautiful and timeless.

After the photos the party really got started.  After a delicious catered dinner guests nibbled on sweets prepared by family members.  The music for the dance was specially selected by the bride and groom and had the desired effect of getting everyone on the dance floor!  The barn setting, with its vintage signs and bales of straw worked its charm and everyone was relaxed, happy and in the mood to celebrate!  It was a
wonderful beginning for a happy couple who have continued to live in
happiness together for almost ten years!  Congratulations, Eric & Ains! 

Friday is my third and final post in this series and will feature a wedding that is very special to me - my own!  I really loved our wedding and the special touches we incorporated to make it our own, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!