Wedding, Part 2

A few of you have asked whether things feel any different now that Rod and I are married, and the best response I can give is this: the only difference between before and after the wedding is that Rod and I are wearing more jewellry. Yes, it doesn't sound romantic, but it sounds just right for us :)

As I said before, the wedding went off so well, and we were blessed to have *perfect* weather. It was sunny and warm all day, and by the time I strutted down the aisle, with the sun starting to set off in the west, it was that just right stage of lighting and temperature so I wasn't dying under 10 lbs of dress. The Mountains and water looked glorious, and the garden was in full bloom...Brock House was hands down the right place for this to happen.

All of this gloriousness was almost for naught, as the day of was filled with chaos that drove my sister nuts. The families decided to go for breakfast at IHOP in the morning, but as per usual in my family at least, they were late getting there. I had decided not to go as I had to pick up the flowers at 11 am, but Rod went, which left us in a bind, because I had no car to pick up said flowers in. Rod had to fly back, pick me up, drop me at the florist, and rush back to IHOP on foot...not that it mattered...IHOP on Saturday mornings is like Wal-Mart on Dec 23rd...the crowds just keep coming. I hauled the flowers up to my apartment by myself (in a dress and wedge heels, no less), and flew back to IHOP so we could all scatter and do our various duties.

Morgan as up first with hair at noon. She had opted for ringlets and curls a la that Harry Potter chick, and it worked out so well for her, it looked so right with her avant garde oversized shirt-dress and black faux-leather leggings. Then I was up for hair, also opting for curls, but with a more gothic twist. Meanwhile, mum was getting makeup done, followed by Karyne, who made her make-up artist start again because she went overboard on the eye makeup. Mum got her hair done, followed by Karyne, while it was my turn for make-up...and I went all out. Being no princess bride, I wanted drama, and I got it in abundance! In the middle of all this, Gail was snapping away, capturing most of the process, going back and forth between salon and spa...she really worked hard.

As I was the last one to be done up, I had to wander over to the hotel alone...felt a tad self-conscious there, with all the make up, hair, headpiece, and in a revealing dress and shoes...but this is me, and once my chin gets up in the air, I can fake confidence with the best of them! When all was said and done, we all looked fantastic...now, about getting us to Brock House across town...

While all the beauty work was going on, Rod, Dad, and Jette were all engaged in the task of trying to get or decorations to Brock House...on a Saturday afternoon...by one of the most popular beaches in the area...Dad had to fight major traffic to get back to the hotel to pick us up, and when all was said and done, we *arrived* at 6:25, when the ceremony was to start at 6:30. After a short interlude so we could all get dressed, it was go time.

I know I wowed the crowd, but Rod was my target audience, and I still haven't received a definitive answer on what his reaction was. I walked down the aisle to Amanda Marshall's "Marry Me." Rod smiled like a goofball throughout the ceremony, and outdid me...yes, that's right, outDID me on the personal vows. We signed the registry to Collective Soul's "Pretty Donna." We sealed it with a good, long kiss, and went back up the aisle to Bryan Adams' "Here I Am (radio mix)."

And in all of this, I only nearly cried once, and I wasn't nervous...just...ready. There was no point in worrying about details, because by the time I had to walk down the aisle, if it wasn't done, it wasn't getting done! Gail took the obligatory portrait shots of us, and then we were able to slip away and get over to the beach for some of the best pictures of us ever...really. So far I've seen one beach shot and I'm blown away! After cleaning ourselves up from beach sand, we were ready to party, and I was thrilled when I entered the reception. Having had no time to go in and scope out the decor, I was putting my faith in the hands of Rod, Christine and Lori, who did the bulk of the work I'm told, with help from Jette and a few others. And they did not disappoint in any way. Everything looked so perfect and fit the heritage house ambiance to perfection, so a special Holla goes out to them.

We ate, we had speeches with laughter and tears, and then we got to the partying. All in all, I give our wedding 5 stars out of 5. Thumbs up, good times had by all :)