Too Hot, Otherwise Perfect

Above: The ceremony was held in the living room of the house my parents purchased in Nova Scotia in the 1970s. We are surrounded by mementos of family and local history and of our own lives. Our dear friend and neighbor Sharon was one of our witnesses. Her husband George, who took this photo, was the other.

HERE'S THE SOUNDBITE: We were rewed on the hottest day of the year; otherwise, we cannot imagine a better wedding.

Above: Only about 7 am and the sky was hazy with heat! Still, as you can see from this photo, we have very little to complain about on the whole.

I mention the heat first (and often) because it was the uninvited guest for the entire celebration--and the reason for several photographs in which the bride looks as though she should be traveling in an ambulance, rather than the more conventional limo. (Come to think of it, the stretch ambulance might be the next big thing, as more boomers do crazy things like getting rewed.) Temperature was in the mid- to high 80s, with high humidity. Not bad by the standards of some of the places we've lived, but unusual for Nova Scotia.

Except for the heat, the wedding was everything we wanted it to be: simple, low key, and a celebration our new life here together. The success of the day is entirely due to friends we've made here. Thanks to them, the wedding day seemed to "just happen," with almost no effort from Tim and me. We were simply buoyed along by their thoughtfulness and affection.

The ceremony was to be held in the living room, which I decorated with an armload of flowers collected nearby, mostly from where they've been growing wild. (For those who are interested in old gardens run wild, I've written more about the flowers at my gardening blog.) There would have been very little variety in this mix, however, except that our neighbor Sharon dropped by early in the day with flowers from her own garden and balloons to decorate the mailbox and front door.

Left: Sharon with the balloons she brought that morning. Sharon also brought flowers from her own garden.

Other than that, our day proceded pretty much as usual until about 3. Then we changed clothes. I chose an all-enveloping outfit that is one of the few "nice" getups I own. (And that's courtesy Value Village.) Shortly therafter, I broke out in a sweat and started to feel light headed. I should have ditched the tent for one of the t-shirts that are my usual attire. This might have resulted in my getting married wearing a t-shirt commemorating a British comedy called "Red Dwarf," and that would have required us to begin our vows with the words "Hey, smeghead." But it would have been worth it. Unfortunately, by then I was too light-headed to figure any of this out.

Around 4, the justice of the peace arrived, and Sharon returned with George. Sharon and George have been family friends for more than two decades. They were present at Tim's and my first wedding and at both of my parents' funerals. Having them witness our second wedding was essential!

Left: George signs the papers that prove it really happened, while Sharon and Tim look on. The vase on the table belonged to my grandmother. The painting behind Tim is "St. George and the Dragon" by Paul Jenkins, which my parents bought when I was 11. In the background is a print Tim brought back from Japan during our first marriage.

Following a simple, short, but very touching ceremony, we signed a bunch of papers and concluded with a toast.

Above: Tim, Sharon, George, and the justice of the peace share a toast, which I will join as soon as I finish taking the photograph. Many thanks to the new neighbor who dropped off a bottle of champagne earlier in the week!

Then it was off to Kennedy's Restaurant, about a mile away, a neighborhood place that also serves as a corner grocery store and farm stand. Tim and I eat there fairly often, as does just about everyone else in the community.

Left: Friends arrive at Kennedy's Restaurant. Top: Dianne and her mother Shirley, who took me in for Christmas Eve supper on my first Christmas living here. George, seated, waits for the rest of us to settle down. Bottom: Bob and Kathy arrive, suitably equipped. Bob loves that fan, which was given to him by his daughter.

Below: Tim, Bob, and Kathy have what it takes to beat the heat.

Above: Tim and Kathy (that's her arm on the right) attempt to resuscitate the blushing (and fainting) bride. Bob very kindly lent the use of his fan.

Tim and I were very touched when the restaurant refused to let us pay for our meal. If we hadn't been "regulars" already, we would be now.

The group then went to Dianne's house, where Tim and I were delighted to find our long-time friend Ruth waiting for us in her car. Everyone went inside for a truly scrumptious pound cake, made by Dianne, and sparkling wine thoughtfully provided by Kathy and Bob.

Below: Dianne made us a two-tiered pound cake with butter cream frosting, decorated with those silver balls I still remember from my childhood and have always loved. The cake topper is a pair of frolicking dolphins. Below that: Dianne poses with the cake she baked for us. Dianne's baking is highly regarded in the community, and we all scheme to get slices of the cakes she provides for celebrations and fundraising events.

Above: Once the cake was served, there was time for some picture-taking, followed of course by the all-important joint cutting of the wedding cake. We did not attempt to feed one another, nor did anyone (thank you, all!) ask us to.

Then we all sat around eating, drinking, and laughing uproariously, despite the heat. Almost all of my photographs from this part of the afternoon are very blurry. (I wonder why.) Fortunately, I was able to get a decent photo of our friend Ruth, who joined us at Dianne's.

Above: Tim and I were so happy when Ruth surprised us by turning up at Dianne's. Like George and Sharon, she was present for our first wedding and other important events in my family's life. Shirley is seated behind Ruth.

We received some very thoughtful gifts, there was quite a bit of hugging, and then we all went home. Tim and I then shared a typical evening for the Johnson/Skelly household: We tried to watch a movie, during which I fell asleep.

Haven't had enough? Click on the image below to go to an album containing even more photos of our happy day.

Tim and Flora's Wedding