Maeghan & Phil's Wedding
It's time to take a little drive northward. Today's wedding destination is Miramichi, and more specifically Chelmsford, which I may or may not have known was a place until this wedding. (Cut me some slack, I'm a Nova Scotian!). Things weren't quite as crowded as they often are when I arrive on the scene where the ladies are getting ready. Although Maeghan and Phil were keeping their wedding parties small, the hairstylist still had her work cut out for her with the maid of honour's seemingly endless locks (see below).
This wedding was clearly going to be all about the details. They were going for a 50's style, and right from square one they pulled it off effortlessly. And with all those details to capture, I had a hard time whittling down the photos to plunk into the blog here today. I'd hate for you to miss anything great. But just so you know, this is less than 1/5 of the photos from that day that I delivered to Maeghan and Phil, so you are missing some great stuff. ;) If you want to see the rest, you'll have to go knocking on their door.
In case you haven't eaten anything recently, I'll spare you my full description of the grilled cheese sandwiches, and move right along with me story. Suffice to say, my usual Soylent lunch wasn't required on that day.
Once the pearls and the veil were snapped and pinned in place, it was time to head down to the field. We were still on the family property, but down by the riverside, where the clouds were parting and just the right amount of sun was coming out for the grand occasion.
The men in their tweed vests, hats, and suspenders were on point with the 50's style, and even many of the wedding guests saw fit to dress up to join them in the era. And what period wedding would be complete without the car? The shining blue 1950's Chevrolet Bel Air (forgive me if I forget the exact year of manufacture) with the father of the bride at the wheel was a parade all its own, carrying Maeghan down the field to the waiting crowd.
A very moving ceremony made for very few dry eyes (or was it the sprinkling of rain? There, now some of you have an excuse), and before you knew it everyone was laughing and clapping and congratulating in a cloud of celebratory bubbles. Side note: can we do bubbles at every wedding until further notice? That was gorgeous, and tons of fun!
Afterward we headed out to the old Miramichi bridge. It's been shut down for a few years now, so we didn't have to contend with any traffic. We did, however, have to contend with some pretty sizeable gaps in the deck of the bridge that were quite a hazard to anyone wearing heels (see below). Luckily we made it out not just alive, but also with some fun and classy photos for the books (or the computers...or wherever it is that photos go these days).
Then we were off to the Riverside Entertainment Centre in Miramichi for to take the festivities to the family and friends. We got super lucky that day (unlike a few of my other weddings you might already be familiar with from that summer), as the rain suddenly began just as we were driving to the reception, coming down in sheets at times. We quickly ran inside, where the mostly warm and dry attendees were just beginning to gather as well.
Feelings were felt and well wishes were wished during the series of speeches, and soon enough it was time for the buffet and the dancing. Although the buffet might not have been 50's themed (I guess it might have been... I assume people ate food back then as well), the dancing certainly was. The shorter dresses (not 'short short', just no train to trip or bustle to hassle) and more practical footwear made for better dancing fellows.
After much jumping a jiving, and a some intentionally ill-aimed cake sharing, I packed it up and called it a night, with a long and rainy drive home from Miramichi to Moncton ahead of me.
Congratulations, Maeghan and Phil, and thanks for inviting me to take part in your unique and wonderful wedding day!
