The Wedding

Since the wedding of Adam and Bren was the goal of this trip, today should have been the highlight,  the best day of the trip - and it was in so many beautiful and meaningful ways.

Bren's family was very warm and welcoming to all of us and we got to know her parents and her two brothers and their families.  Adam and Bren have some very creative and fun friends who added to the celebration.  And it was really great to spend the day with Betsy, Steve, Sarah and Matt along with their three children.

The families - bride's above, groom's below

 The setting of the wedding was unique and awe-inspiring.  The wedding was held in Manning Provincial Park which is located in southern British Columbia and the Cascade Mountains.  All of the guests first gathered at the lodge and then boarded an old school bus.  The road followed the steep sides of the mountain, winding its way up to the Cascade Lookout.  We definitely knew who was there for the wedding, as we stood out in our long dresses, skirts, and suits from the hikers and campers in their jeans and shorts.  The bus had to pull over and wait when a warning signal went off indicating the engine was overheating from the steep trip up the hill. It seemed that you could look out forever and the point was surrounded on three sides by high snow-covered peaks.  Adam and Bren had chosen this spot just one week earlier and, at that time, the road was still blocked in one place by snow.

Our transportation; those are Bren's and Adam's legs showing at the back of the bus, just before their entrance.

A female justice of the peace performed the ceremony.  Adam and Bren walked themselves across the parking lot and down the aisle playing slide whistles.  They had written very meaningful vows emphasizing the relationships between them.  A friend of Bren's had written a poem which she read and a friend of Adam's sang a song accompanying himself on the guitar.  After the ceremony people enjoyed watching the nuthatches or the chipmunk, taking pictures of the wedding party or the scenery or both, or just standing around talking.

The bride and groom enter

The marriage ceremony

Musical interlude (Blowing in the wind - everyone's hair, that is; it was breezy)

and now they are Mr & Mrs Hill

The school bus took us back down the mountain to Windy Joe's Hall where the reception was held.  There were places to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful sunny afternoon in the shade of tall pine trees.  There was an open field for the kids to run around, creating their own games of tag.  There was a group of Adam's friends that provided live music.  There was an open bar and munchies in great abundance.

Pre-dinner entertainment by Adam's friends; and they've never played together before

The dinner was extensive and excellently prepared.  Everything was carefully labeled to recognize the need for vegetarian and gluten-free diets.  In recognizing, I guess, the British influence here the dinner included roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.  There was salmon as well.   There was no wedding cake but an abundance of elegant cakes - with two areas of desserts, one of which was gluten-free.

Dinner about to be served

In between the dinner and the desserts, there were speeches.  The bride's father began by expressing his desire of welcoming Adam in to their family.  He then invited other guests to share stories.  Steve talked about their having had two children and then gaining two more children.  One of Bren's friends read a poem written for them and another sang a song she wrote accompanied by a mandolin and a banjo.  Quite a number of individuals shared their feelings with the group and it was a wonderful celebration of their relationships and memories of Adam and Bren.

Dinner speeches (some with music)

In many ways this was a very non-traditional and creative event.  There were no bridesmaids and groomsmen;  no flower girls or ring bearers.   The bride did not carry live flowers, but had, what looked like dried white roses, but were created from sheets of music.  There was no receiving line, just everyone being together and sharing in the celebration.   There was no traditional wedding music DJ nor the "Chicken Dance", but there was good live music from Adam's group of friends.  The wedding favors were decoupage, handmade postcards that were displayed on the wall, and people were asked to take one and send it to someone that you loved.  These postcards were made by groups of their friends in two evening gatherings.  I have never felt so moved by a wedding ceremony, so much a part of the event than I was today.  This was a very special wedding.