This summer, Adam and I held a grand party for some of our nearest and dearest friends and family. We hosted a wedding at Adam’s family cabin out on the Shuswap Lake in BC. It was a wonderful day – one I surely won’t forget anytime soon.
Leading up to the wedding was two weeks of shopping, planning, number crunching and lots of fun. The Dream Team, which comprised of myself, Adam, Adam’s sister CC and her partner Sam, and Adam’s parents, were in full gear. We painted signs, mowed lawns, assembled decorations, constructed an altar, planned an event map, baked cupcakes and shared many laughs and memorable moments.
A few days before the wedding, The Dream Team grew as my sisters arrived on scene as well as Yanna, Katie & Chris. Together we strung lights, unpacked rentals, set up chairs, taste-tested finger foods, and finished last minute preparations.
The evening before the wedding, many guests began to arrive as they were camping out for the weekend. We ordered pizza and had a little pre-party. It was great to relax in good company and in the excitement of tomorrow’s celebration.
The actual day of the wedding was just perfect. We had lots of sunshine and warmth. More guests arrived and the morning was spent visiting, playing volleyball, swimming and finishing preparations.
At about one o’clock, I went to get ready for the ceremony. It was fun getting dressed and dolled up, while getting a bird’s eye view from the upstairs window of the guests having fun outside. Two o’clock was the ceremony, and though it was short, it was very sweet indeed. We had friends and family read a few poems we had chosen, and we shared our vows that we had written together.
Shortly after the ceremony, Adam and I jumped into the lake to kick off the fun and games. It was very important to us that the day be fun, relaxed and unstructured, so we were thrilled to look out and see so many people swimming, playing badminton and volleyball, playing board games and cards, chatting, sunbathing, and visiting.
The fun and games carried on into the evening, with the addition of live music, champagne, appies, speeches, a dinner of burgers and smokies, dancing, and it was all topped off with a midnight swim for those about a dozen of us who still had the energy. It was truly one of the most wonderful and joyfilled days I’ve experienced – I feel so lucky, blessed, fortunate, joyful that I got to spend an entire day having fun in the sun surrounded by loved ones. I don’t think I can think of anything better.
joie de vivre 