Afterparty

The marriage had been solemnized on July 13. But it had been in Winnipeg, where the groom hails from and where the bride was moving.


There had been friends from her home town who had been unable to make it to the wedding, and so she and he had decided that they would have a come-and-go reception in Three Hills. The little TH was so honoured that they chose to hold it here.

I had been working in Edmonton earlier in the week, and somehow I found time to stop at one of my very favourite haunts, the Old Strathcona Antique Mall, where I uncovered the china treasure which would list the afternoon's menu. I decided to use my Mum's old teapot for the occasion.


The happy couple arrived exactly at 3 o'clock last Friday, climbing out of the antique car lovingly chauffeured by her brother-in-law for the occasion. 

My faithful friends Brenda, Doreen and Norma once again rose to the occasion and did the lion's share of the work. Doreen decorated the whole dining room with ivory table cloths, the palest of white roses, and beautiful cards, one per table, of a different image from the wedding day itself. Brenda whipped up scones and mango mousse, arranged the vegetable platter and washed the stemware by hand at the end of the afternoon. Norma made perfect egg salad for sandwiches and chopped cheese, meat and pickles. She also kept up with the stream of dishes.

 It was all worth it to see her face as she came through the front door and was greeted by people who love her and are so happy for her and her love.

The big table was laden with food; in the centre was a wedding cake decorated with calla lilies, the flower of her bridal bouquet.



They hadn't had a wedding cake at the reception in Winnipeg, so we thought it would be fun to have one here, to get them to cut the cake:













As they cut the first piece, the sound of a persistent tapping of teacups started to fill the room. They looked at each other, laughed together, and obliged.
And then they fed each other the first morsels:

   















Two of the ladies who mean the most to our bride were there: her dear friend Rebekah, and her elder sister Doris ...

As the party started to wind down we packed up cake for the people who would be helping load her things for the move to Winnipeg. Icing is irresistible at any age!

When they got ready to leave, she pulled on her jacket - she had left her shawls behind in Winnipeg. The slightly unorthodox result was a snapshot of the way this woman can make everything beautiful as she weaves together the rough with the smooth, the everyday with the glamourous. She can pick out what is valuable and what should be cherished, and she does just that. She has learnt to stand up for herself and to make her voice heard. She has learnt to trust her instincts and to pursue that which is exceptional.


She brings to a close this chapter of her life and embarks on a new adventure. Like any adventure, there will be adjustments and a few little bumps on the road. But she goes armed with the love of a very good man, and secure in the knowledge that the One who loves her the most of all has brought the two of them together.


So we wave them off with words from a little book of prayers I gave her some time ago. This is the prayer for July 13, her wedding day:


O God, Who art the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings and the bestower of affection, Who sendest peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Thy love, and water us with plenteous streams from the riches of Thy grace. Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Enkindle in us the fire of Thy love; strengthen our weakness by Thy power; bind us closely to Thee and to each other in one firm and indissoluble bond of unity - Amen.
(Syrian Clementine Liturgy, July 13,Great Souls at Prayer, Mrs Mary W. Tileston, ed)

The apron Dad just gave me sports a fitting
motto: "Life is short ... Eat dessert first!"