Oh Wedded Bliss!

Its been almost six years (this September) since PC and I said I do... and two babes later you can imagine that the wedded bliss phase has worn off just a tad (although I still love him dearly). This past weekend, we attended a wedding, and I have to say, it was nice to be reminded of why people should get married. 

The things that are said at a wedding ceremony are truly insightful and uplifting and for young marriages in today's society, I think these little reminders are necessary to help couples stay the course. At this particular wedding, it was non-religious ceremony, but the vows were so true and realistic.

The bride's father gave a very funny speech, but he also gave some advice to his daughter and her new husband in saying (and I'm summarizing) that it's easy to be in love today on your wedding day, but in 5, 15 and 25 years down the road, it might not always come easy... and you have to remember to support, respect, and always love each other the way you do today to survive the difficult times.

His speech reminded me of a fitting toast that our best man said at our wedding ... 'may your love be strong enough to survive the times, but old-fashioned enough to last forever'.  Simply stated, and is something I often write in wedding cards because I believe it has a lot of truth to it.

Yes... weddings are fun and a great party (this one especially), but when the party is over, and the hangover passes, its important to remember that weddings and marriages signify so much more than just a good time... but a commitment that is to be taken seriously for the rest of your life.

Thanks to Adam and Annabelle O'Keeffe for letting us share in your special day, and for the little reminder of what true love looks like! Congrats to both of you!

King-Nelles Wedding - Evolution of Dance

A few weeks ago PC and I attended the King-Nelles wedding, for friends of ours, Will Nelles and Joyce King. It was an outdoor ceremony, followed by some good times indoors at the Riuniti Hall in Sault Ste. Marie.

Me, being pregnant, I wasn't anticipating anything too fun, since I can't drink, and dancing is becoming increasing harder as well, but this wedding proved to be a lot of fun even for the sober guests!

The ceremony was beautiful, the bride looked stunning... as did the entire wedding party. The reception was so much fun! After the meal was served, and some funny speeches were given, the dancing began... and that is when the fun really started.

I was waiting to make this post for this wedding, in hopes that the video on You Tube would be up and running ... and today it is, so you must check it out. Will and his lovely Mom Marilyn did their take on the 'Evolution of Dance' video - and it is not to be missed (see below). PC and I, along with 300 other guests were entertained to the max with their 8 minute choreographed Mother/Son dance. We laughed so hard at the reception, and watching it again this morning was like we were there all over again!

Great job Will & Marilyn, and congratulations Will and Joyce on your marriage!

If you can't view the You Tube video on my blog, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lATEwGqypBk

A few photos from Punta Cana!

PC won a beer drinking contest the first day we were there... from then was reffered to as 'the champion' en français!

Wedding Reception Done Right!

Okay... where did we leave off? Oh yes... the ceremony was complete, and guests were escorted via a lovely school bus to two Niagara wineries, for two hours worth of wine tasting and testing.

I have two words for you: GOOD TIMES!

The wedding party spent the time taking the necessary photos to complete the afternoon portion of the day, and then we all reunited at the Olympia Hall in Hamilton for a 6 course meal.

Can you say STUFFED? Because we were!

Dessert was the most entertaining course of the night as the staff of the Olympia Hall showcased their talents by making flambe in front of all the guests, lights off, music pumping, it was a theatrical display, as was the midnight buffet, which Krista and Kelly were incorporated into on their rolling chairs! It was definitely something see, a reception like no other.

After supper, and a few more drinks... everyone moved out to the dance floor to further the wedding memories for Krista and Kelly, with some good ol' get down and boogie dance moves.

Phase II can be summed up in two more words: OPEN BAR!

Below is a progressive display of the evening... PC showcased his stellar dance moves, and

everyone took turn doing the Kenora version of the Horns of Hell when their picture was snapped! This was a little tribute to Kelly's signature picture taking pose, discussed earlier in the evening thanks to Ms. Clapp who so perfectly summed up (with photos) how Kelly and Krista came to be via the Kenora Horns of Hell!!

You also will notice the final two photos really tell the tale of the night for PC and I... neither one of us letting any drinks go to waste, and finally PC holding my purse... clearly you know a man has had too much to drink when he publicly hold a woman's purse in front of a crowd and doesn't even wonder what others will think!

Thanks to Krista and Kelly Mr. & Mrs Burchall, (who are on their honeymoon in Jamaica) for a great time and great memories... as you can see we had a lot of fun!

Congrats to the newly married couple!

Beautiful Lakeshore Wedding

This past weekend, PC and I travelled to Grimsby, Ontario to attend the wedding of two good friends... Krista Smith -former 130-O girl, and Kelly Burchall -Kenora boy from highway 17!

It was an absolute gorgeous wedding, outside at a beautiful home on the shore of lake Ontario. The sun was shining, a warm breeze blowing - no humidity, just warm summer heat - and not a thing went wrong (or at least nothing that I could tell!).

The ceremony was short, yet very well spoken by the Minister with all the necessities of a ceremony, vows, rings and a kiss. I was asked to do a reading at the wedding, an did so with only a few minor hiccups... (my public speaking skills came in rather handy when I missed an entire phrase, but I like to think I recovered nicely, without anyone knowing what was suppose to be said!).

The bride was beautiful.... as was the entire wedding party. My words won't do this ceremony justice, you had to be there of course, but I hope some of the pictures below will give you an idea of what event was like. I thought I would post some of the formal ceremony pics today, and then get around the 'let loose' reception pics tomorrow - you know the sort of ... CEREMONY WITHOUT ALCOHOL vs. RECEPTION WITH ALCOHOL!

Enjoy, and stay tuned for some goodies tomorrow!