Cliche, but True: The Best Wedding Ever!

When I got engaged I had no idea what hand the ring went on.  Seriously.  That is how much I thought about weddings.  ( Not that I hadn’t thought about marrying him, I just had never been one of those girls who thinks of nothing else.)  I had just turned 30.  In Mexico!  We had to look through a magazine to find someone who was wearing a wedding ring, so that we didn’t look like fools.

Drew Barrymore, in a full page spread, just happened to be showing off her engagement ring.  Phew!!  ( Left hand)

A year and a half later we had the best wedding ever!  Ya, ya, everyone says that.  Before you yawn and exit this page, here is a condensed version of what made our wedding interesting.  Keep I mind that although we had a long engagement, we did all of this with last minute planning!  Rings, kids outfits, and his outfit were bought a week before the big day.  I never saw the groomsmen’s clothes until I walked out.  My dress had been bought almost a year before…I never tried it on again until that morning.  Phew, again!  Barely fit!  Yay, bootcamp! oh ya…and the bridesmaid dresses cost 5 bucks!!

Anyway…picture this.

• Two families who had never met
• camping…all weekend.
• no decorations.  Only trees.
• My brother drove our old motor home down a path and that is where our wedding party walked out of.
• Father in Law played, ” Here Comes the Bride” with his accordion.  ( We informed him that morning.)
• Hair dresser played an original song while the wedding party walked out.  ( also decided that morning.)
• We wrote our own vows.  ( All the boys cried…none of the girls did!)
• people drank beer during the ceremony
• silly spray!!!
• Piling into our old motor home we took some group pictures at the top of the valley.  ( No hired photographer.  His cousins jumped in and volunteered.)
• Jello shooters:)
• BALL GAME!  I changed into a white summer dress.  We picked teams and played ball for two hours.  The ratty old bleachers were full, along with the side lines.
• I am a terrible ball player, but I caught my husband’s foul ball!  First time I had ever gotten anyone out!
• More beer to go with the perfect weather.
• Dinner:  a feast!  steak, salads, Ukrainian food…
• NO seating plan, NO Head table, NO speeches.  I don’t even know where my husband ate!
• Ratty old hall and barn with a cement pad outside.
• We had our dance ( Sunshine by Nazareth), and a dance for us with the kids (Don’t You Ever Grow Up by Taylor Swift).  The bridal party joined in wearing anything from pajamas to bunnyhugs and shorts.
• Lawn games, bonfire, and dancing until 4 a.m. under the stars.
• Fireworks, father in laws pants fell off, karaoke, guitars, accordions, the best DJ ever…butter salad!

Aside from marrying a great guy, watching our two families have so much fun together was the best part.  My 3 sisters and his 3 brothers made up the wedding party.  I walked down the path behind my mom and my brother and in between my dad and stepdad.

My Saskatchewan people wore Rider gear and listened to the game.  Heckling was had among the people from the three western provinces! ( Football bores me…)

The kids had an absolute blast and were so proud to be a part of the ceremony and celebrations.  I never saw them without a huge smile on their face.  Everywhere we went after that day, people commented on how different it was and how all weddings should be like ours:)

My sister said it best in a FB post later that week.

“What a wedding!!! Campground full of sounds of a good time. great weather, biggest buffet ever, baseball game was awesome…then danced till nearly 4am.  Glad to be a part of the Hawrylak family now, you guys are a perfect match for us!!”