Wedding

The Day I Went To The Chapel and Got Married

May 31st 2008 was a day like no other. It was the day I got married. After over a year of planning and hard work, the day was finally here. That morning I woke up surprisingly calm and rested, but that feeling would not last. Once I started to put on my tux, I started to get nervous and when I get nervous, I sweat. I started to sweat buckets! One by one, my family and the groom’s portion of the wedding party started to arrive. I had opted to have the pre-ceremony wedding pictures to be taken at my home, I finally managed to finish getting ready just as the photographer arrived. Eva, our photographer, took some shots of me, my family and the wedding party before jetting off to take some pictures of Erin and her family and wedding party.

With the pictures done, I stepped outside with my best man and had a cigarette to help calm the nerves and it worked. The weather outside was grey and windy. All week they had been calling for rain and it looks like the weatherman was not going to be wrong. We know that rain on your wedding day is supposed to bring good luck, but we were hoping for sunshine for our wedding pictures. As I hopped into the car to head down to the church, some light rain started to fall.

Our wedding ceremony was being held at Divine Infant Parish in Orleans, just a stone’s throw from our house. Once I got to the church I greeted those who were already there and had another cigarette. I had stopped being nervous after the pre-ceremony photos, but now that the wedding was just minutes away, nervousness started to kick in again. Just as I finished my cigarette, I saw the limo pulling up to the church. That was my cue to go in, as I couldn’t see the bride until the wedding ceremony started. So I go in and greet more people, talk with Shannon our wedding coordinator and I’m getting more and more nervous. Finally we get the signal from Shannon that we’re about to start. I walk down the aisle with my parents at each side, and looking at everyone looking at me. I don’t like being the center of attention so this makes me even more nervous. I get to the end of the aisle, kiss my parents and turn back. I see my groomsman and best man walk down, the flower girls and the bridesmaids. Finally, I see my future wife appear at the door with her parents. I’m rendered speechless on how beautiful she looks. And I wait and wait. She’s just standing there with her parents and not walking down the aisle. I start to wonder if she’s getting cold feet or is just too nervous to walk. After what seems like an eternity she finally makes her way down the aisle. My nervousness completely goes away as we stand together in front of our friends and family.

We go through the mass and wedding ceremony in about an hour. Everything went pretty smoothly up to the point of signing the register. The pen wouldn’t work! We had bought a nice feather pen to sign the wedding registry and license with, we tested it out a few days before to make sure it worked. It took a couple of minutes for someone to find a pen so we could finally sign the darn thing. The rest of the ceremony went fine. My heart skipped a beat when the priest announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Luc Gareau. As everyone clapped as we made our way down the aisle. And just like in the movies, the grey skies disappeared and the sun came out. Things couldn’t have been more perfect.

As we stood outside the church, we shook many hands and kissed many cheeks as everyone congratulated us and told us what a great service it was. I was very surprised to see my cousin Patrick there. I hadn’t seen him in years and was informed that he couldn’t make it. Though he had prior obligations, he made his way from Montreal for the ceremony but told me he couldn’t stay for the reception. Regardless, it was good to see him and I was glad that he made it. We gathered around for some pictures and then we were off in the limo to the Museum of Civilization to take our wedding pictures. The limo took us on a scenic ride to the museum, Erin and I sipping champagne and gleaming from being newly married. I asked her about not coming down the aisle right away, and she informed me that they were waiting for the music to change. The music was supposed to change for her walk down the aisle, or at least that’s what she and the wedding coordinator thought. So she waited, and waited and it didn’t change. I was relieved to know that I didn’t have a possible runaway bride on my hands 😛

The sun stayed out for our wedding pictures at the museum. With such nice weather, we opted to take our pictures outside next to the Ottawa river. Eva took some amazing pictures, some of which you can see on her blog. After a couple of hours we made our way to the Centurion Center where we were holding our wedding dinner and reception. Just as we arrived at the reception the skies turned grey again and it started to pour! I swear that we had such nice weather when we needed it was nothing short of a miracle. My bride, the wedding party and myself were ushered to a waiting room while we waited for everyone to get the the hall. After some 20 or 25 minutes we finally made our grand entrance. Our parents and wedding party being introduced with the Hockey Night in Canada theme, while Erin and I made our entrance to the Star Wars theme.

We first made our way to the head table, but then got up and talked with some of our guests up until supper was being served. The food we had chosen was absolutely delicious. During the dinner our guests had the opportunity to roll some giant fuzzy dice. That is what we had chosen for our kissing game. I can tell you that I kissed my bride many times during the dinner service and I loved every single one of them. After the dinner came the speeches and toasts. To my big surprise, my sister made a big speech (after she had told me she didn’t want to give one) that included a few embarrassing stories and some funny gags. Now I have to figure out a way to get her back. Seeing how she’s already married, that opportunity is long gone. Don’t worry dear sister, I’ll get you back somehow…

After the toasts we mingled some more with our friends and family that were in attendance. Then came the time of our first dance. We had chosen Christina Aguillera’s I Turn To You as our wedding song. After which Erin danced with her dad, then came time for me to dance with my mom (To Kenny Rogers’ Through The Years).

After the obligatory first dances everyone joined us on the dance floor for some shaking and grooving. It was a great night. It looked like everyone was having a good time, laughing, talking and dancing. The night came to a close when Erin and I slow danced to Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters (which was for the longest time our original choice for a first dance). We were surprised to see everyone join us on the dance floor, including both sets of parents.

The night over, we helped to clean up the hall, packed food and gifts into any car we could, and then made our way back home. We were exhausted but very happy, and we were glad that everyone had such a good time. Now all that was left was to plan our honeymoon. But I’ll leave that for another post. 🙂

We’d like to thank all our friends and family which made our special day even more special. Thank you for sharing such a momentous occasion with us. We would also like to thank the following people, and no, I didn’t get any kind of discount for this 😛 :

• Eva Hadhazy of Hadhazy Photography. Eva, you are a very talented photographer and a very nice person. Erin and I are truly lucky to have met you. We both feel like you’re a person whom we could call a friend. Everyone commented on how amazing you were during our special day and repeated the sentiment when they saw the pictures on your blog. We can’t wait to see the rest of the pictures!
• Shannon from Top Marx Event Planning. You were a godsend the day of our wedding. Because of you everything went very smoothly. You even sewed up the bridesmaid dress when it ripped a little! We thank both you and Miriam for helping us with the planning and for making our special day trouble free.
• Sokhon of the Centurion Center. You were a pleasure to deal with and you made sure we had everything we needed to have a great dinner and reception.
• Quality Entertainment, sorry, we forget the name of our DJ. The DJ that worked our reception was great. He was funny, entertaining and had a great gift to read the crowd in order to get the most people on the dance floor.

Up next, the honeymoon…

Luc "Sandman" G. June 13, 2008