Most of you know...Ben & I got married on Saturday! It is hard to find words to describe what a wonderful day we had, all I can say is that it was fantastic, beautiful and so much fun.
As a little girl, I never created dream scenarios of what my wedding might me. Heck, I never really fantasized that I would even get married. So when Ben & I made the decision to tie the knot...we didn't know where to start. The most obvious location at the time was to find a place in Winnipeg. That is where we grew up and that is where we meet. We tentatively booked a date, a beautiful hall and a photographer. When the time came to cough up a down payment on one of the vendors, however, we looked at each other and said "Whose wedding is this?". It would have been lovely, but it would have been missing something...our personalities. With great discussion on how inconvenient it would be for our family and some of our friends, we decided that it had to be out at Emerald Lake. A place that we had only been to once, but had won our hearts long before the though of marriage.
A turn of the (20th) century lodge, on a crystal green, glacier fed lake, in the middle of the mountains. There isn't a person on earth who couldn't fall in love with this place, and we wanted to share it with our family and friends. We started imagining all of them having a drink in the lodge, sitting on the dock, hiking around the lake, and soaking in the hot tub...not just shaking hands and saying "pleased to meet you". We booked it for May 30th, knowing that it could be warm or it could be snowing. It didn't matter, Emerald Lake is stunning in the winter too.
The weekend happened exactly as we imagined. My family and friends spent time with Ben's family and friends. They got to know why we love them and why we spend our time with them. Some drank cocktails in the lounge. Some dipped into the hot tub. Some went for hikes around the lake... a moose sighting occurred. The sun was shinning, the temperature was perfect, Emerald Lake was at it's best. For Ben and I, it got even better.
The moment we saw each other was the most joyful experience of my life. Knowing that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together is an overwhelming sense of love, commitment, and happiness. Then to top it off, we hopped into a canoe with the photographer and her husband beside us. OK, that may seem strange, but imagine being in the middle of the lake surrounded by mountains and the quiet sounds of nature with the man you're about to marry. It was where I wanted to be. The photographer could not have been any more perfect too...calming, creative, respectful and a such a pleasure to be around. They were, without a doubt, part of our group as well. The only glitch was that the flowers almost didn't show, however they arrived in time for most of the photos (really something had to go wrong, otherwise it would have been way too perfect!). Getting ready with the girls was fun and relaxing. The ceremony was sweet, the food was great, the speeches were heartwarming and on the button. Cocktails and cupcakes were consumed, bodies were dancing, and the hot tub was the finishing touch at 4:00 am.
Five days newly wed, and we've been asked if it feels different. I'm not sure if we're both in the honeymooning stage, but it sure feels great. It's not all about a piece of paper that is legally binding. There is something to be said about gathering two families together and being supported by all your friends to declare your love for another person. It is a big deal, and those of you who know me well would never had pictured me saying that. Ben & I have really lucked out. Not only did we find each other, we have families that love us, and we have friends that we wouldn't trade for the world. Thanks again to everyone who was a part of the celebration, we are so glad that you were able to go out of your way to join us. Also, we received so many wonderful emails, phone calls and cards from those of you who could not make it...your skin & bones were missed but your enthusiasm made the distance!
Here is the link to the slide show that our ludicrously excellent photographer put together:
http://www.orangegirlphotographs.com/slideshows/NeiLeiBen/
I'll get back to postings of the house renos soon...
