Walk 20-steps in any direction during the Summer months in downtown Elora and you will be sure to find a glowing bride, an entourage of groomsmen, a gaggle of party guests, or a photographer and their newly-wed subjects. Yes, it’s wedding season, and with the chapel and venue just steps from our house, we witness a constant flow of adoring, loving couples as the say their vows and party through the night with music, dancing and fireworks. It really is a beautiful sight to behold, and to all of the couples past, present and yet to come: congratulations and may your journey be only just underway. While we have been here for many years now, bearing witness to these celebrations this year in particular has been sparking fond and precious memories of our own wedding, and the unbelievable adventures that have occurred in the ten years since.
The planning of a wedding, for some, can be an arduous and daunting task, requiring not just the input of in-laws, but relinquishing control over to them entirely. Not for us – we are blessed with family who provided us space to carry out our wishes and create the event that would make our day(s) uniquely, well: us! We actually had a ton of fun and enjoyment in planning our special event, coming up with a variety of ways in which we wanted to make it fun, memorable, different, and special.
Almost from the moment of our engagement the venue and ‘theme’ had been decided – we would get married at camp in the Fall. From there, just about all of the pieces fell quite naturally into place. A three-day event for all guests who were interested, complete with access to the camps events, games, amenities and activities (thank you to the counsellors who came in the off-season to make that happen!). Friday night – The Strumbellas played their hearts out for our ‘rehearsal dinner’ dance party (getting to join them on stage to play mandolin on Wagon Wheel alongside closest friends is a memory in and of itself). Saturday – a grand day full of drinks, games, adventures, food trucks, a quick little ceremony, an epic pig roast* with camp classic sides and accoutrements, and closed out, of course, with a dance of dances. Sunday – breakfast , recovery and cleanup before a flight out to spend 3-weeks in Italy. It was a weekend not soon forgotten and throughout all of it, we have countless friends and family to thank for gluing it all together. It was everything we wanted and hoped for it to be. My love: I can’t wait for the next ten years and everything that happens in between.
*when you send someone to pick up the pig for your roast, be sure to remind them to close the back of the truck so that you don’t get a phone call on the day before your wedding with someone from the fire department saying “hey, we found a pig on the road…we think it might be yours”.
The point of all this is to say: I really like weddings. I like how different and special they can be when individuals put their stamp on things. Yes, they can sometimes be stuffy or canned, but by and large my experiences with them have all been deeply personal to the couple and, as someone who’s a sucker for romance and happy tales, weddings are a happy place to hang out. Be it a cocktail party affair in downtown Toronto, a camp-infused brouhaha, or a soiree at The Mill, when there is beauty, dancing and love in the air, surrounded by a hundred or so people who generally get along but rarely get to hang out, well: I’m in.
So with the season now upon us, and the flocks of lovebirds making their way downtown, posing on the pedestrian bridge to capture that perfect kiss, I make a solemn vow to myself to take pause and do my best not to get flustered with the crowds, the late night fireworks, or the stalled pedestrian traffic as we all stop and wait to cross the camera’s line of sight until the photographer gives us the thumbs up. I will instead remember the moments from my own special day: putting on the Zelda cufflinks Alison gifted me during our private “reveal” and photo session. Witnessing my beautiful bride portage a canoe down a forest trail in her wedding dress and high-heels. Sharing a food truck poutine just moments before our ceremony. The tacos, the canoes full of beer, and the high-ropes course; every little detail still fresh and joyous in my mind. I hope all of the weddings witnessed this year get to enjoy their own precious and unforgettable moments, and I hope they get to truly make them their own.
Over the years I have attended, participated in and catered a number of different wedding and celebratory events, and I while I do not proclaim to be an expert on anyone’s relationship but my own, I will at the very least say this: from one sucker for romance to another: enjoy the details, don’t get stuck in them, and take off your shoes and dance.
Oh man, this brought back so many memories. We had such a great time. Especially once we got the pig back lol