3 siblings & 3 unique weddings

So its been awhile since my last post. Lots of travelling due to work, pleasure, etc, but now that I have a weekend to get through some of my 'to-do' list, I decided there could be no better post than to reflect back on the fact that all three of the Smith kids have now married! From the first marriage of Kevin & Leah, to now Heather & John, what is so exciting is that each marriage celebration was a unique reflection of the couple it showcased. No single celebration was the same, which meant that there was no way to compare each celebration- as they each reflected a different style & location!

Kevin & Leah August 13, 2009, Lake Placid, NY.
Kevin & Leah chose a place that meant the most to them. It also happened to be a long standing family vacation spot for us, and Kevin bringing Leah to Placid for the first time, was very special. They chose an intimate lakeside ceremony on Mirror Lake, with a day that lived up to the expectation. The forecast the week prior was not looking good, but like wedding magic- the day was exceptionally beautiful with a sunset overlooking Mirror Lake, that just made the day that much better! It was a true intimate style wedding, with a live band, yummy food, and close family & friends. For them, they couldn't have had a day that was more perfect for them!

Simon & Jennifer August 7, 2010, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Our wedding was a traditional Catholic wedding in one of the most beautiful churches... scratch that- the most beautiful church I have ever laid eyes on. Right away I knew that if we were going to have a church wedding, it would be in the chapel of the Basilique Notre Dame! We decided to go for vintage classic romance, in Simon's home town of Montreal- which is one of the most romantic cities in the world. History, tradition, and culture just ooze out of this city. We also chose to have our wedding conducted in French, by a priest that had known Simon almost his entire life. It made it more special that Gilles could speak from the heart about Simon, having watched him grow up from a wild child to the man he is today. It was a bit of a departure from the original wedding I had always imagined as a small girl (on the beach in Pensacola, Florida, in English) but having made our ceremony a reflection of us- I couldn't have imagined it any other way. It was a combination of all the little things that matter to us: we had 75 close family & friends attend our celebration, Simon's car Lola have a moment to shine-- with a humorous story, and an ending with dancing & fireworks on the river. It was a truly magical weekend!

John & Heather March 23, 2012, Walnut Hill, Florida
Right off the bat, Heather & John being the 3rd & final marriage of the siblings, came with a small amount of pressure to be different than the previous two, unique, and memorable. Knowing my sister, she was acutely aware of this- despite Kevin & I both supporting her and telling her that her wedding would be uniquely different and beautiful no matter what- because it was 'Heather & John's wedding' and nobody else's.

John & Heather searched high and low for where they wanted to celebrate their marriage, and after months- finally decided that their marriage would best be celebrated in a place that was unique to them- John's family farm. About an hour north of Pensacola, it was a beautiful piece of land, with green grass and trees as far as the eye could see.

Similar to Kevin & Leah's wedding, the weather the week leading up to the wedding was NOT looking good. There was a rather large slow moving storm heading straight for Pensacola, that was almost hovering... biding its time until Heather's day. My mother had done enough praying and worrying for everyone involved, as there was no back-up scenario for this outdoor wedding. A while back, I had learned of the "broom voodoo" which as the legend goes- you put brooms in the trees a few days prior to ward off storms on your wedding day. So on Wednesday, John's mother placed a broom in the tree... and would you believe... IT WORKED!! (Well, there were probably a whole lot of other things that culminated in their day being breathtaking... like countless prayers being said around North America) but it makes the story sound better that the broom did the trick :)

The morning of Heather's day was spent getting nails done, and trying to ignore the loud lightning storm going on outside the nail salon.... the boys (Simon, Kevin, cousin Christopher, John & his brother & friends) went out to the farm early to sweep (yes sweep) water out from underneath the reception tent, drop about 500 pounds of pine straw, and work like slaves to get the place ready. Boy did they do an amazing job!!

At 1:30pm the sun came peeking through the trees, and at 4pm when Heather walked down the aisle, there was a breeze and beautiful sun shining down during their entire ceremony. The ceremony was 'short and sweet' just like John wanted it, but rustic romantic like my sister wanted it. It was the perfect balance of the two of them, culminating in a ceremony that couldn't have been more perfectly suited to their tastes and styles.

The reception was a cut above the rest. The food.. including a macaroni and cheese bar, and the cakes were perfectly matched to the weather and the southern vibe and feel that was so effortlessly portrayed. The reception was topped off with a band that was the best live band I had heard in awhile. Perfectly chosen, the band played southern foot stopping music that was so perfect given the setting, and definitely made me stop on several occasions and reflect on how great it was being "back home in the south". I was excited for Simon to be exposed to this as well, because this was the music that I grew up with. While he didn't know the words to every song (but he did know sweet home alabama) he loved the vibe, and was dancing and stomping his foot to every song. As if it was planned (i assure you it wasnt) there was even 4-wheeling in 3 trucks on the field out back during 'sweet home alabama' it couldnt have been better planned! Lots of whooping and hollaring, were had by all, as John & Heather departed under the glow of sparklers. I couldnt have imagined a better day for them. It was the perfect way to top off 3 weddings, uniquely them, and a fitting finale!!! Thank goodness for the broom! ;)