Reflecting back to our wedding

June 15th marks our wedding anniversary, this year is our 3rd. We have been together just over 6 years. Jason put a promise ring on my finger on our first anniversary of dating, and an engagement ring on the second anniversary of dating, a wedding ring was put on two months after our third anniversary of dating.

Many things have changed. Jobs, where we live, vehicles. We've had our fair share of ups, such as buying our first home and the arrival of Everly, and downs, going through a miscarriage together and other struggles as a couple. We have fought, and gone for many long walks to think things through. The feeling is still there that was present on our first date, we have that special person in our life that we are meant to be with forever.

On to what our wedding was like...

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We decided to do a "mini destination" wedding. I had wanted to get married on Anvil Island for years, Jason agreed as he liked the idea of keeping the wedding small. I wanted to have the wedding there because it is a place with a lot of meaning to me. I was saved and started my walk as a Christian there, I was also baptized up there a few years later. Jason joined me in volunteering at the summer camp when we started dating. Our wedding was very much a do it yourself style wedding.We rented the camp grounds of Daybreak Point Bible Camp for two days/one night. Everyone arrived at the camp thanks to several trips made by the camp boats the day before the wedding. Some family members even brought their own boat over to the island. We had to pack up and bring everything with us, my sister's truck was loaded full of everything from decorations and flowers, to all of the food for multiple meals.

Everyone was organized into different cabins around the camp to stay for the night, and got settled in. Then it was off to work to prepare everything. My Mom was amazing, and kindly helped prepare all of the meals for the two day adventure, this included the big lunch. Our friend Natalie brought with her all the pieces for the wedding cake and assembled it and iced the whole thing there. It was multi-layered, and had 3 different flavours. I had a slight panic attack about getting all of the decorations done, and the flower bouquets made, and so much more. Thankfully my cousin Cathy was quick thinking and had me make a list of what needed to be done, this list was divided and conquered by all of the family and friends who came up to celebrate with us. We could not have done all of this without them.

Somewhere in all of this the groom and his men managed to get in a game of ball hockey in the gym. A certain groomsmen some how whacked Jason in the eye with his hockey stick, poor Jason ended up with a lovely black eye the night before the wedding. I was not impressed but really we couldn't do anything about it.

By the evening on the Monday we arrived, when we went down to the dock to do the practice for the ceremony we could see the storm clouds rolling in. I really wanted to get married outside, but felt defeated as the guys moved the archway into the chapel once it started raining. My dreams of an outdoor wedding were crushed.

The next morning I woke up super early, still had other preparations on my mind besides getting ready for the ceremony. Ooops, I really should have just focused on getting ready and let others handle things because I ended up being that bride that was late to her wedding. This ended up being a good thing though. The rains finally stopped around 10am, and I made the call to move everything outside again. Sure the arch broke and the guys had to fix it again, but it was what I really wanted. Some how again everyone was pulling together to decorate the dock last minute for the wedding ceremony. The benches were put into a row, the aisle runner and flowers were put out. Everything came together very last minute.

I have fond memories getting ready with my friends, my sisters, and my mom. My sister had driven all the way out from Ontario with her two kids. It was the first time I had met my niece. We played music off a phone the whole morning while getting ready. The guys got into their suits last minute of course, as they did not need as long to get ready.

Soon enough everyone was making their way down to the dock. One of the caretakers for the camp was kind enough to offer me a lift down to the dock so that I could avoid all the mud in my white dress. What better way to make an entrance to your wedding than on a Gator. Jason had been told he had to keep looking down the dock so that he would not see me until the last minute when I started walking down the aisle. Some how we lucked out and all of our bridal party walked down the aisle, and myself with the music to the one song I had picked ending right when I got to the end of the aisle.

I cried walking the whole way down the aisle, up to this point this was one of the happiest moments of my life. I was getting married to the man of my dreams, my best friend, a true gentleman. We were surrounded by friends and family as we exchanged vows. One funny, but also panic filled moment, was when our friend who was performing the wedding ceremony managed to have my wedding band slip off his bible and it bounced along the dock. We were all very thankful we had a long aisle runner, but we'll always remember hearing our friend say "SHOOOOT!". During our premarriage meetings, he had actually talked about how he had once dropped a ring. Guess it was destined to happen. We did a little sand ceremony to represent our two lives joining together and be based on a relationship that is Christ centered. We still have the jar filled with sand sitting in our home as a constant reminder.

One thing we didn't want to do was kiss and say "we now present Mr and Mrs Goyette" and then sign the marriage license, for some reason we always felt this takes away from other weddings we had been to. We signed the license later on the back deck of the dinning hall when we snuck off to get a few minutes on our own as a married couple and to take in the day.

Of course we crammed in photos all around the camp before having lunch with everyone. My Mom and sister, and I'm sure a few others pitched in, had made an incredible roast beef dinner for everyone. The dinning hall had been decorated with white paper lanterns hanging from the beams, the tables were covered in white table cloths that had a paper runner and crayons on them so people could doodle on them. We still have several of the drawings in a little scrap book.

The day went by really quickly but we have many great memories. It was a frenzy taking everything down and packing it all up. This is our one regret from the day, we wish we had some how been able to take more time to do some things, we had originally hoped to do a bbq before everyone left so that they could have one more meal before leaving. Sadly this did not happen. I wish I had not rushed so much in the morning and had taken the time to make sure my dress was done up better. Oh the silly moments, but its our wedding day and  a great two day adventure it was.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We look forward to many more years together. This weekend we are taking some photos of Everly to actually celebrate her being almost 6 months and as a family of 3. We are going for lunch with friends at one of our favourite restaurants, and we are going to see Les Mis while my sister Tasya comes to baby sit for us. Its a much more laid back anniversary weekend, but we like it that way. So much has changed, and there is still so much more to come.