Something Old & Something New, Part III

Just Married & Enjoying Our Cake!

Happy Friday!  I've had a wonderful time this week sharing homespun, heartfelt weddings.  And today, I'm very excited to share my wedding with you!  Angus and I were married on July 3, 1999, almost eleven years ago.  We had a wonderful time planning our wedding together and I have always counted myself lucky to have had a groom who was happy to be a part of the process!

When we got engaged in the fall of 1998, we had intended to wait until the summer of 2000 to get married.  By then, I would be finished university.  However, one Sunday in March we got to talking and we decided that we didn't want to wait any longer and why didn't we just have a small wedding that summer?  When I told my parents that we were planning to be married in July (just 3 months away) they were very excited.  Many parents would be less than impressed with the lack of notice, but our parents were all thrilled.  And so, thus began our whirlwind engagement.

A piper leads the way

I once read somewhere that you will take as long to plan your wedding as you give yourself.  So if you are engaged for two years, it will take you two years to plan your wedding.  And if you give yourself three months, you'll get it all done in three months.  We had a definite vision of what we wanted for our special day, and I enjoyed every minute of bringing it to fruition.

Ainsley & Anna

We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding.  My parents are blessed with a beautiful backyard completed walled on one side by towering spruce trees.  In preparation for the wedding, they designed and installed a garden and a flagstone patio for the ceremony to be held on.  A white wedding tent was rented and would be placed to the side of the house.  And with those additions, the yard where I played as a child was transformed into an intimate outdoor wedding chapel.

Angus and I are both of Scottish descent, so we knew we wanted of lot of highland touches.  In addition to those, I was aiming for a whimsical, eccentric garden party atmosphere.  With lots of butterflies.  And kilt clad Scotsmen.  (Hey, it was my wedding!)

Just married, and still bound with tartan!

Everything came together beautifully and our vision came to life.  The wedding party was piped in by a piper from the Gaelic College in Saint Ann's.  My Aunt Dale, a floral designer, created beautiful floral elements that brought the image in my head to life.  Nosegay dotted tulle flowed along the veranda and down to two topiaries.  The bouquets were fragrant delights concocted from spring coloured roses, irises, and greens.  Instead of a flower girl, my cousin Anna was a "bubble girl" and carried a cleverly designed basket of flowers with a bottle of bubble solution hidden within.  My maid of honour Ainsley and I wore sun dresses from April Cornell's collection and Angus and his best man wore kilts.  We kept the ceremony short and simple but had one very unique touch at the very end.  After signing the register on a table decorated with a stunning embroidered Syrian table cloth (a family treasure borrowed from my mother in law)  our minister performed an ancient Celtic hand-binding ceremony.  Still bound together with a piece of his family's ceremonial tartan, my new husband and I made our way through our guests to a receiving line among the spruce trees.

My mother-in-law's Syrian cloth "something borrowed"

There were so many special, homespun elements at our wedding that it would be hard to detail them all.  We had pews from the nearby Sunday school established by my ancestors.  The food (barbecued chicken and salads) was lovingly prepared by my family and friends.  My sister in law flew in from Vancouver as a wedding surprise for her brother.  My parents worked tirelessly to prepare their home for our guests, and received many, many compliments for their efforts (as well as my undying thanks!)  My dad showed off his creative side, designing an "ice table" for the salads and creating a bar area that people are still talking about.  Behind a simple wooden work table, he filled his canoe with ice and placed bottles of beer in the ice!  Everyone loved the beer boat!  My Nana showed up with a large bowl of peppermints as well as homemade sweets adorned with tiny white wedding bells that I have to this day.  Every time I purge my kitchen I look at those bells, now yellowing, but they remain.  Even the family cat got involved, bringing home a rabbit which she left on the step early on my wedding day (a fact that was kept from me until well after the wedding.

Favors, Cake, and Peppermints

It was a wonderful party and our guests danced long into the night, and when they left we sent them home with hand made favors; tiny bags of coffee and tea with labels that said "Kim and Angus, the Perfect Blend."  When I ended the night, with feet grass-stained from dancing, I was happy knowing that I had married my best friend and that we had accomplished the perfect wedding for us!

I've had a wonderful time sharing these three special weddings with you.  Whenever I am asked for advice on weddings, I offer this; don't get so caught up in the wedding that you forget about the marriage.  Your wedding lasts for one day, but your marriage will (hopefully) last forever.  Try very hard to consider the feelings of all those who are part of your day as they will be part of your life long after the cake is cut and the bouquet is thrown.  Remember that person who is nagging and annoying now loves you very much and is actually just desperately trying to ensure that your day is perfect.

Have a wonderful weekend!