“ I have found the person I have been looking for my whole life.”
I will tell you more about that quote but first let me take you to the start of the Wedding Day. August 18, 2018.The day my daughter married the love of her life Thomas Matthews.
4:45 am. My husband David gets up. Why so early? Well , the person who will be doing the makeup for the bride and the bridesmaids is arriving at 5:00am. The bride, my daughter Breanne, scheduled the ceremony for 11:00 am with photos before the ceremony as there were going to be children involved and she felt it would be best for them all to be fresh. Hence the early start.
5:00am The makeup artist arrives and Bride Breanne is already up and ready. My husband drives to the local Tim Hortons to pick up coffee canteens ( holds 20 cups and keeps it warm) and a tray of donuts, Danish pastries and cookies.
5:45 Having showered and reviewed the days schedule, I have English Breakfast tea and donuts for my start to the day. I then go out and sweep the deck at the back of the house. The previous day had been windy and raining. But on this day the clouds were gossamer thin and the sun was rising.
6:00 All the bridesmaids are up and busy. There is also a friend who is looking after the little, almost one year old, son of one of the Bridesmaids. This little fellow is one of the most composed and easy going babies I have ever know. Some yogurt followed by peanut butter toast and he was ready for the day.
After that came 6:30 and 7:00 and so on and so forth. I lost track of time. The Grooms Best Man Josh arrived and grooms parents, Craig and Theresa and the grandchildren; Tom’s daughters Taylor and Jordan and Breanne’s son Silas. I am so grateful for Craig and Theresa taking care of the youngsters the night before the wedding. At ages 10, 8 and 3 1/2 they all got a good nights sleep. Daughter Taylor chose to join the groomsmen and looked very dapper in trousers, shirt and bow tie. Daughter Jordan chose to join the bridesmaids looking like a princess in white.
8:00 am. The photographers have arrived and take some photos of the hair and makeup preparations. The wedding cake arrives delivered by the woman who baked it, Emily Callahan. Emily is the wife of the barn manager at Oakcrest Farm where I ride and Biasini lives. Breanne’s brother Pere helped to put this superb creation safely into the fridge so as not to spoil the butter cream icing.
8:15 am. A distinct aroma of excitement begins to fill the air. The bride is now ready to get into her gown. Little Silas has already had a look at the gown and approved it. Here is a beautiful photo taken by the professional photographer Allison Hadley.
As Mother of the Bride I am allowed to be present for the gown being put on. Also I have a pendant that belonged to my Grandmother that Breanne will be wearing. As I fasten the clip I feel so very proud of my daughter. She is a warrior woman who has risen above a sea of troubles and triumphed with her son as her first priority.
8:30 Time for the “first look” photos. These will be taken across the road where there is a nice open space lined with trees. Tom goes first and has to stand with his back to Breanne. He has not seen her on this morning and has never seen her in her gown. We are all told to remain in the house. This is a very private and special moment. I tried to get a photos through the kitchen window. Not too good but it will give you a glimpse.
8:45 am We all process across the road to have some family photos taken. Little Silas decides this is the time for exploration and high tails it across the field toward our neighbours house. My son Pere, runs after him, amidst cheers of: “Go get him Uncle Pere!” There is a genetic component at work here. This is just the sort of impish stuff my son did at that age. Once Pere has brought Silas back Breanne picks him up to encourage him to stay with the wedding party. Here is another lovely photo from Allison Hadley.
10:45 am Before we know it the hour for the ceremony is almost upon us. Our living room has been transformed the night before and is now ready.
Silas, who is eager for things to begin,has patrolled the staircase where his Mother will descend.
11:05 am. The guests are all arrived and seated. Tom leads his parents in to their seats and Pere leads David and I to our seats. The bridesmaids descend the staircase. There is a pause and then …..
Tom watches as Breanne comes down the stairs. Borrowed and Blue wedding organizer Jill Priestman had her husband Bill there to provide music on his guitar and as Breanne came down the staircase he played “At Last.” Perfect. Just perfect.
The ceremony was officiated by Beth MacKenzie whose opening remarks were wonderful and I wished I had a notebook to write some of them down. Tom and Breanne had written their own vows, words from the heart, about how they felt about each other and how they looked forward to their journey in a life together. There were some very emotional moments. Silas however managed to bring his own special contribution to the vows by crawling in between Tom’s legs and threatening to hide underneath Breanne’s gown.
One very special moment was the sand ceremony. Tom, Breanne, Taylor, Jordan and Silas all had glass vases filled with colored sand. All together they poured the sand into a special container; Together We Make a Family, each of their names, and the date. 
Once the ceremony was over we all went out to sunshine in the back garden, for mimosas, lemonade or juice. There were uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends both young and old.
Everyone enjoyed the sun and the friendship with Bill providing music. In this photo top left Brother of the Bride, Pere, Groom Tom, Silas and Hugo, Silas up to mischief behind his Mum and Bill on guitar.
12:00pm Time for brunch catered by a local restaurant Aninas.
There were about 38 people so everyone had room to find a seat inside or outside to eat .
Having had a couple of mimosas I had stopped watching the clock. But I knew I had to be the MC for the speeches, so I did show some restraint. I was the first to speak and I spoke about being a happy mother now that my daughter Breanne was so happy. Then Tom’s mother Theresa spoke. She told us that after Tom had met Breanne he phoned her to tell her this. “I have found the person I’ve been looking for my whole life.”
I have found the person I have been looking for my whole life.
This was the moment I felt a lump in my throat because I knew that this was exactly how Breanne felt as well. Tom and Breanne are not 20 year old star crossed love birds. They are adults who have come through the hardship of divorce and the hardwork of being single parents. They have struggled and survived. They were meant to be together. A family together.
I give you Mr and Mrs Matthews and their family.
Thank you Allison Hadley for allowing me to supplement my candid snaps with your beautiful photos. Allison can be found at https://www.allisonhadleyphotography.ca/
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