wedding bells

[ciroccoj]

Wedding all done.

And it was rather... stunning, actually.

It's all a mush of images right now, which probably make more sense than a chronology of events, so I'll just

• I know it's cliched to say Karen and Scott looked radiant, but they did. I seriously didn't think I was going to cry or get emotional - not with two munchkins to keep my busy - but I saw Karen and immediately got teary eyed.
  
  
• First event of the day: Justin woke up and said, still blurry-eyed, "It's WEDDING DAY today!!!" I think yesterday will be burned into his memory forever. Between the dress clothes and the food and the beauty of the setting - oh, and did I mention the food? - he was in seventh heaven most of the day.
  
  And I don't know if I mentioned this before, but contrary to cliches about little boys never wanting to wear dress clothes, my boys were thrilled to be seen in wedding finery. As Justin put it when they tried them on in the store: "Wow!! We look good!!!"
  
  
• Oh yeah, the setting. Orchard View Reception Centre, forty minutes south of downtown Ottawa. You know pamphlets about gracious vistas and graceful walkways and well here's the actual blurb: Whether you're looking for a beautiful and lavish banquet room for a sit down dinner or an intimate candlelit dinner for close family and friends, or a relaxed outdoor wedding, the staff at Orchard View will be honoured to take part in creating your memorable wedding reception.
  
  Um, yeah. All of that. And the pictures on the official website don't do it justice, because they were taken on a cloudy day and yesterday was bright and sunny - thank GOD. Thursday had been rather grey and drizzly, and I think everybody even remotely associated with the wedding had nightmares about just how Karen would take it if the wedding she'd spent a year preparing were rained out.
  
  
• Ceremony itself? Without a hitch. Unless you count the one friend who'd been asked to do a reading realizing that she really wasn't going to get through it without breaking down. (BTW, that was me). Scott and Karen looked so happy and got through their vows perfectly, the boys didn't mess up anything, the baby flower girl didn't cry and her grandmother had cheerios on hand for when she did start to fuss... their families were smiling... ::happy sigh::
  
  
• Reception: well, damn. Lots more crying. Lots more. The MC had asked that if people wanted to see them kiss, they had to come up and tell a "Karen and/or Scott story." And there were many, from many friends and relatives. Among them, my own kids, who are of course changelings and utterly unrelated to me in their eagerness to pick up a mike.
  
  Daniel's story (paraphrased): "Karen is my aunt and Scott is my uncle and they got married today and I was the ringbearer. And I love them and congratulations and I hope this continues to be a lovely day!"
  
  Justin's story (paraphrased): "Hello! (giggle) Once upon a time Karen and Scott were walking in the forest and... (giggle) Karen fell into a Trap of Death!! And then she hit with sticks and rocks and then she got out!! And then... (giggle) they were walking and walking and then they got out! The End."
  
  (BTW, each giggle was preceded by Justin realizing that everyone was looking at him, and followed by the whole audience laughing because he was just that damn cute. I know kids can be annoying as hell, especially to people who don't much like kids, but Daniel and Justin were just so happy they were infectious. I think you would've had to be a truly diehard child-hater to not at least smile back :)
  
  
• The speeches: um, yeah. More crying. Vivienne, the Maid of Honour, was on the verge of tears through most of hers, and it was incredibly touching. Kevin, the Best Man, was wonderful too. Karen's sisters welcoming Scott into their family, and Scott's sisters welcoming Karen, were also very moving.
  
  Heidi, Karen's younger sister, said something that really stood out for me. She mentioned that Karen was always a very serious child - the eldest sister, the studious and responsible one, very shy and bookish. She read through almost every recess and had almost no 'wild teen years' stories to share. And Heidi noted that one thing that was wonderful for her to see was how different Karen is now. Just as intelligent and fond of books, but now also gracious and social and surrounded by lots of friends. Funny how you don't notice that kind of change while it's happening, but then you look back and... well. It's quite dramatic, really.
  
  For me the most tear-inducing speech came from Scott's father. He just spoke a little bit about how much his three children had added to his life, how proud he was of Scott, and how happy Karen made Scott.
  
  And then. He finished up by saying that as he'd watched Scott standing in the gazebo, looking at Karen walking in with her father, he'd seen the same look of love and affection on Scott's face as he'd felt himself, when Scott's mother had walked up to him on their own wedding day. And that he hoped that Karen would bring as much happiness to Scott's life as Scott's mother had brought to him.
  
  Good god. What a way to pay tribute to his son, his daughter-in-law, and his wife, in just a few simple words.
  
  
• Getting way from teariness: the food was great. And at the end, they had a chocolate fountain. Same idea as a chocolate fondue in the you dip cookies or fruit into chocolate, but instead of dipping it into hot chocolate sauce sitting in a pot, you douse it in a little fountain. Way too cool. Wish we'd had time to eat more of it, but by then the kids were melting down, so we had to take them home.
  
  
• Oh! The First Dance! They waltzed. For real. Including turns and dips and stuff. It was quite impressive.
  
  
• Slideshow? Um, no. Not going back to teary territory again ;) Although actually, it was mostly humorous. Like the Tribute to the 80s that was the parade of Scott's hairstyles ;) And the baby pics. And the Serious Child Karen gallery.
  
  
• And then we went home. Hopefully the rest of the evening went as well as the first five hours or so.

Comments

[snarkhunter.livejournal.com]

Aw...that sounds like a really beautiful wedding.

[jenniferjames.livejournal.com]

Sounds beautiful, ciroccoj. I just wish we had visuals of your handsome little guys in their wedding finery. Any chance you might post some pics? :)

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

Any chance you might post some pics? :)

I will as soon as I get them developed. It's a holiday tomorrow so everything will be closed, but I hope to get them in Tuesday and they'll be ready by the end of the week :)