Wedding Bells Blog
bride again
Going to the Chapel and We’re Gonna Get Married
{Proof that we were destined to be married.}
*We’re not really getting married in a chapel; I just really like that song. I was actually singing it after we met with the priest…hehe*
It was important for both me and Mark to be wed in a church so what better a church than the one that plays a big part in both of our lives? St. Edwards Roman Catholic Church is not only the church that my family has been attending masses at all my life, but it is also where Mark attended elementary school. Can you believe that Mark and I actually had our first communion’s together and had no clue? It’s true! A few years ago, I was flipping through Mark’s childhood photo albums and when I got to the photos of his first communion, there was something strangely familiar with the photo. I visually scanned the photo and sure enough, I found my young self in the very same picture! Many years since that photo, Mark will once again be in a white tuxedo and I will once again be in a white dress and veil; walking down the very aisle that has been the central point of my day dreams since I was a little girl.
After booking the church and being filled with elation, everything else was just a bonus; we could’ve gone to McDonald’s for the ceremony and it wouldn’t have mattered to either of us. However true that might be, our wedding will not just be a celebration of our union but also the union of our two families. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a McDonald’s that has a dance floor and can accommodate the number of guests we’re expecting.
{The Skyview Ballroom set up for our best man and bridesmaid’s wedding.}
Grand windows cover two sides of the room and many beautiful chandeliers adorn the Skyview Ballroom at the Marlborough Hotel. Mark and I chose this venue for its central location, its capacity to comfortably accommodate the number of guests we’re expecting, the big dance floor, their flexibility in allowing us to bring our own cultural dainties for the late night snack and last but not the least, for the breathtaking view. With all the curtains drawn, the quaint room is transformed into an opulent ballroom. The changing colours of the sky, the twinkling lights of the city and the stars will be the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable evening filled with tears of joy, laughter and crazy antics with our closest friends and family. It’ll be beautiful! Sorry McDonald’s.
Being a crafty person and wanting to minimize costs, I had it set in my mind to make all the bouquets, boutonnières, corsages and
Neil F. delivering a great speech with the beautiful prairie sky as the back drop.
centrepieces. In preparation for this post, I had made arrangements to take photos of the ballroom and thought it would also be a great idea to take a picture of the table with a sample of my DIY centrepiece. The week of the photo shoot, my DIY project was not coming together the way I was hoping and it left me in a state of panic. I was so emotionally spent over the centrepiece that I was in tears as I complained to Mark over the phone. So I took my photos without my centrepieces and tried my very best to just move on. As so many things in life, one door closed and another one opened. A week later, Mark and I had an appointment with a florist whom my MOH gave amazing reviews about. Monica is the florist and owner of Timeless Florals which she runs out of her home. Within minutes of beginning our meeting, I was amazed at how accommodating and wonderful she was. I came unprepared for the meeting except for a rough idea of what I wanted my bouquet to look like. She knew exactly what flowers I was talking about and quickly zoomed through every role in our wedding party making great suggestions along the way. “Centrepieces: What are you doing about your centrepieces?” Yikes! That was a touchy subject for me that week. I just made a funny face—or at least I felt I did—and just looked at Mark. He read me so well and decided to ask the questions for me as he rubbed my back to ease my anxiety. He told her what I was planning to do and what kind of a nightmare it proved to be. Monica looked at me and smiled as I tried my best to hide my mix of emotions. She made me an offer I couldn’t refuse; Monica would make me the centrepiece that I was wanting, rent me the vase and the rocks with set-up and take-down for much less than half the price it would’ve cost me to make it. How do you not accept that offer? Not only was it much cheaper than what my DIY project would’ve cost me, it will be stress-free. I can have my sanity back! Monica’s beautiful arrangements and great customer service will cost us a small fraction of what a retail florist would charge for all our floral needs and centrepieces for the wedding. Monica’s so great to work with that she agreed—and was even excited—to make me a sample of my bouquet and centrepiece using silk flowers so that I can photograph them for this post. Aren’t the beautiful? Thanks Monica!!
Did any of your DIY projects fail horribly only to find an even better or less costly solution?
*Writing this post and preparing the photo of our first communion has sent my heart a flutter. I can’t wait to marry you crazy pants—it’s truly fate and now there are photos to prove it. Love you!*
Tags: blogger search, bride again, centrepieces, ceremony, diy, florist, flowers, winnipeg
No related posts.
Comments
14 Responses to “Going to the Chapel and We’re Gonna Get Married”
Add your comment here
Please help us foster a friendly environment by keeping your posts civil and on-point. We reserve the right to delete comments as we see fit. Posted comments do not reflect the opinions of Weddingbells.ca. Read our privacy policy for more information. We may contact you.
Jessyca: Aww! Thanks hun! I’m excited to see how it will look with REAL flowers. I too am amazed when coincidences happen and the stranger thing is that it happens quite often for Mark and I. Has it happened to you and Joseph?
Jason: Thanks! They’re so pretty! The great thing is I look at the bouquet every day since I got it…butterflies in my tummy when I see it.
i LOOOOOVEE that centerpiece and bouquet!
I love those flowers! Really beautiful!
I think that’s so neat that you were at the same church together, I am always amazed when things like that happen in life. In a world so large, it sometimes seems so small!
Jennifer: Thank you for such a sweet comment! Really? He’s a crafter? I think he just wants to spend as much time as possible with you..hehe. With our schedules and the fact that Mark and I don’t live together, it makes it hard to find time to share the DIY tasks. Had my sample worked well, he would’ve been right there crafting with me to complete them. I’ve been to the Marlborough quite a few times for other weddings but when Mark and I went there to view it for OUR wedding, I was in tears. Of course Mark was giggling at me with the biggest smile because he knew how happy I was…and am.
Nette: Great! Now you’ve given away my age you crazy woman… haha.. I still love you. She sure did! Wait until you see your flowers ;).
Thanks for the comments – it makes me giddy every time I see the picture in this post!
Who woulda knew that 20 years later the two of you would be back in the same church! Your right, its definitely destiny!
Love the blog and flowers, Monica did a fantastic job!
I just love reading your posts! It was definitely kismet that the two of you were in the same church. I think it’s positively romantic! Your centrepieces and bouquets are absolutely gorgeous. My FH and I are making our own centrepieces. We shared the work of creating them and I can only say that they are working out wonderfully, I never knew my FH was so crafty! The Marlborough is such a gorgeous hotel too. I’ve seen the inside and it is so stately and grand looking. I’m excited to see what else you have in store!
Lauren: Thanks my dear! You’re so sweet… and funny (re: symbolic comment).
Rodillo: It’s hard to think that it’s anything BUT destiny :p. OK maybe pure coincidental but the ‘romantic’ in me will forever say it was destiny.
Sandee: Yes I remember! That was Monica? How wonderful!
Thank you ladies for your wonderful comments, it truly leaves a smile on my face.
Great post Ju, the centre pieces look great. We also worked with Monica and our floral arrangements turned out wonderful!
How cute is that! It’s destiny that’s for sure.
Phew on the flowers so happy it worked out for you!
A wonderful blog entry, as always!
I love that you two had your first communions together. If I could come up with some comment on how symbolic it is that you’re getting married there, etc. I would.
I am now waiting for your next entry with baited breath!
Caren: Isn’t it eerie?? I completely freaked out when I first saw the photo. I giggled because there were quite a few people in that photo that I recognize. It was fate!! Monica’s fantastic! There are other flowers that she’ll be including in my bouquet that she couldn’t find silks for so the REAL thing is going to be far more stunning. Ah the centre pieces.. exactly what I wanted! I’m so happy! I can’t wait to see what you and the girls’ bouquet’s will look like.. yay!
Jackie: That’s so funny! I’ve done something similar to that too – ripping something out of a magazine that is. At the moment of failure, you can’t help but be upset over it. You are sure that nothing will make it better and of course, something always happens to remedy it. Wow it truly was meant to be.. I’d love to see it! So glad things worked out for you.
Britney: Isn’t it wild? I’m just a crier at heart: I cry when I’m happy, I cry when I’m very angry, I cry when I’m sad… well you get the point. I think my tears were a combination of exhaustion and frustration that evening because even if Monica didn’t make her awesome suggestion, I would’ve just moved on to the next experimental DIY centre piece.
Thanks ladies for the comments!
haha too funny you were in the same pic. i haven’t actually cried over my centerpieces yet… we’re both staying focused on whats most important, even if the little details don’t go according to plan. glad you found something thats going to work for you though.
I ripped out a picture from a magazine 8 years ago of an amazing hair wrap that I said I was going to where at my wedding. But being young I ripped the person who made it/company. So I had something I really wanted and couldn’t do anything about. So I bought the wire and the little crystals and was determined to make it. It looked like something I had found in the garbage. I was so upset, but decided it wasn’t meant to be.
When I went to find our wedding bands I looked over and there is was my headpiece on sale as the last one the store had. It was meant to be.
That’s so eerie that you were both in a little bride and groom outfit…in the SAME church when you were both teenie weenie. lol.
Monica did a great job on your floral arrangements, love the centre pieces!