10:08 a.m. - 2005-05-25
Weddings, Weather, and Long Weekends
We had a lovely long Victoria Day Holiday weekend here. Lovely in that it was a three-day weekend. Not so lovely in that the weather was horrid for the most part. On Saturday we traveled up to Comox to an outdoor wedding of our Youth Intern from our church. Comox is approximately a three-hour drive from our home, and given the delicate condition of our van we were scrounging for a ride. Thankfully the bride was in need of getting her car up island (AND the additional responsibility of getting part of the wedding cake to the event) we set off in a lemon yellow sports car. Mid-life crisis - here we come!
The dark ominous clouds followed us all the way up. Getting darker and windier as we closed in on our target. This was supposed to be an outdoor wedding with a tented reception.
Alas, both portions ended up taking place in the rented tent. The rain held off during the wedding � where the bride � as all brides do � looked spectacular. And the groom � well he looked so nervous I thought he might break. That is - until he saw his beautiful bride walk down the aisle towards him, and only then did his facial expression turn from stone into a radiant eye-leaking smile.
It was a heart-warming ceremony.
There was a three hour gap between ceremony and reception. Given the present weather conditions, frolicking on the beach nearby was out of the question. We (T and I) hitched a ride into a neighbouring town to get a hot cup of coffee and some friendly conversation. The one thing about going to a wedding with people you know (or in our case � love to work with) is that you get to visit on a different level than when your living out the daily grind. Six of us managed to find �The Old House� restaurant, and hunkered down for good food (snacks really), hot coffee and good conversation. Meanwhile � the weather outside grew increasingly frightful � large feline and canine falling from the sky metaphorically.
Close to �reception� time we made out way back to a scrumptious BBQ dinner, stupid wedding party games, and the making of much merry.
(Side note: Does anyone know the origin of clinking glasses at a wedding to get the bride and groom to kiss?)
Since T and I didn�t have a vehicle to return to Victoria in, we found ourselves being fought over for our company on the return trip. What fun! More excellent conversations, more rain, and not one iota over the speed limit (neither T nor I can recall ever travelling this familiar highway at such a slow and steady pace).
The rest of our weekend was kept on the low down. We once again, rented enough movies to keep us from the great rainy outdoors for all day Sunday. Monday the weather turned a little nicer and we ventured out. T found a way to spend his birthday money, and then some. But that�s a story for another day.
Cheers - LJ
