living like a local: weekend of wedding fabulousness: part one!

Dan and Milka - en route to Thetis

Dan-O carrying BEER

I’m married! As of this very moment, I’ve been a Mrs for 49 hours. Even though writing a blog might not a top activity for the first few days of one’s marriage, I’m going to try to fit it in – I want a pre-wedding, wedding! and post-wedding account of it all. So, this blog is as much for you (whoever you are) as it is for me… Here goes…

PRE-WEDDING

The week or so before the big event was busy, but never stressful. People kept asking us if we were stressed or overwhelmed, if we were getting things done and if everything was wrapped up and ready to go, and the answer was always yes. We wondered if there was something that we were forgetting to do or to tend to, but now that it’s all over (yikes), there sure wasn’t. Thanks to the ample time that I had in Romania, I was able to think of and get most of the important stuff planned.

So, from Wednesday the 1st to Sunday the 5th, our lives were full, but full and fabulous. (Sounds like a tagline for some plus-sized line of clothing – not the case.) We picked up Steve’s best friend Best Man Dan and his fiancée Milka on Tuesday night, and headed back to my mom and dad’s house, where we sat on the patio with a few beers, caught up, and enjoyed the calm before the storm. It’s not so often that we get to see our friends, but it’s always sooo great to get together. To state the obvious, time with people you care about is so valuable and so amazing. Wednesday morning we were up fairly early, and had the truck packed full to the gills with clothing and food and wedding paraphernalia, and with three more sleeps to go, made our way to Thetis Island. And it was sunny! Sunny and HOT! Summer arrived in time for us to wed, and the island was just like the weather – absolutely incredible. Thetis is pretty much a gem of a place – a small idyllic island with a close community of people that share a strong mutual respect for each other and the natural environment… lovely. And Overbury Farm Resort is just amazing; I highly recommend the spot for family vacations and weddings – it was just awesome. Steve’s family arrived Wednesday night, and we got together for a dinner at the pub and were joined by more aunts and uncles and cousins later, for a drink chez Bob and Marg at their Crescent Point cottage. We had a big crew of people on deck (literally): Paul and Patti from Sioux Lookout, Ryan and Shauna from Winnipeg, Erin and Fred from Calgary, Nik from Kavasila, Greece, Bob and Marg from Bowmanville, Dan and Milka from Toronto, and me and Steve, from Winnipeg I suppose. It was a great way to kick off a four-day wedding par-tay; we started small on the 1st (Happy belated Canada Day!) and added to the party with new arrivals every day, ending with the big best bash on Saturday night.

Thursday saw the arrival of more guests, including the rest of the Osberg clan. I did a fair bit of running around, and if I had to pick the highest-level-of-stress-day, it would be this one. After I picked Claire and Chris up from the Nanaimo airport, we hit Costco and got a bunch of food for the Friday night get-together at my parents’ place. After we realized that we had a decent chance of getting back to Chemainus in time to catch the 12:45 ferry, we ripped through a Save-On-Foods (we bought a LOT of citrus fruit – Costco had no lemons or limes) and a liquor store (more beer… ugh), and put the pedal to the metal. We got to the ferry terminal in time, but alas, didn’t make the boat – the car in front of us was the last vehicle on. We had lunch and nerves and excitement settled a bit before we made it over to Thetis in time for more busy busy. Steve and a few dudes had the big job of moving a ridiculous amount of beverage (beer, wine, mix, liquor) from mom and dad’s to Overbury, and thanks to the ridiculous capacity of the Suburban, it was done in one trip. We were both kind of smoked by this point, but had to perk it up a bit – Thursday night was family dinner plus already-there Overbury guests chez nous. We quick dipped in the chilly clear water, and that did the job… we were (somehow) ready for more activity. After some organization (lasagnas in the oven! Chill that beer! Chill that wine!), the people came. It was the first time the Osbergs had been complete with all four sissies since Karin’s wedding two years ago – and we were rounded out with a great group of people. There was great food, immaculate weather and of course fabulous company and free flowing wine. With this sort of situation in mind, my Dad had built an amazing table, and somehow we managed to fit all 20 people around this thing – it was a scene out of a French movie: sunshine, a crowded table, food food food, drink drink drink, smiles, conversation and laughter, and an aura of happiness and contentment made the meal complete perfection. Hugh Pops could only really get one arm to the table, and we were wedged on the west side; it was so so so fun – so great to see everyone and laugh and eat and enjoy fabulous food and fabulous company.

Thursday night saw the arrival of another crew of people: groomsmen and dudes. Back to Overbury we went, and all there is to say (really) about the rest of the evening is … beer. A great (in size and quality) group of us drank beer and caught up until the wee hours of the night – I had to tap out around 1:30, and Steve stayed until who knows when; all I know is that I woke up next to the man I was to marry on Friday morning. We’d been counting down the sleeps every now and then, and it felt incredible to wake up and say, “One more sleep!” Hurray.

This is starting to get long, so I’m going to finish Friday off here pretty quickly. I don’t remember exact events of the day, but 4:00 saw the ceremony rehearsal – which made it all so real and fabulous – followed by an amazing dinner at our place. We had someone in to cater a casual dinner of burgers, salads and appetizers, and the food (like everything else) was absolutely amazing. After the family and bridal party dinner, guests began to arrive in numbers; we’d invited everyone to our place for a drink and some appies – better to enjoy people’s company for two or three days instead of just one, no? The deck was packed, and we were able to enjoy the amazing property that my parents have there. It was so great to see all of the people, all of our friends and family in one spot, and I think it took a bit of pressure off for Saturday; we knew who was there and we’d seen and spoken with almost everyone. After an intense evening of a mix of mingling, talk-talk and by-the-water-relaxing, we kicked the whole lot of them out just after 10:00, and dealt with the leftovers. Steve and I parted ways for the night – I dropped him off at Overbury, and after a moment together there… went home to bed for the last sleep before the best day of our lives!!