The Big Day (part l)

The day we got married, Hurricane Earl was supposed to descend upon the shores of Newfoundland, so we all awoke with a titch of anxiety. Much to our delight, the skies were blue, the sun was shining and it was gloriously balmy. Mister Man dropped me off to get my hair done and headed out to grab some brekkie. As I was having the hot curlers pulled from my hair, Mister Man came through the door of the salon, with 4 of my favourite women in tow. Annie, Lara, Diyan and Susan had come to say hola. It was a perfect way to start the day. I have this photo that was taken on Mister Man's BlackBerry, so while it may not meet our usual blogalicious tech specs, I think it captures the moment.

Then it was off to The Bungalow in Bowring Park to get ready. The team was in place: Poot and Doodie (one of the official wedding photogs), Denise, Paully and Michele and Mariette and Brian were all on hand to help with the final touches. Here's Doodie's self portrait. Cute as a bug!

The tables looked great, thanks to the finessing of the team.

And, thanks to the best maid in the world, I was feeling pretty fabulous too. I so couldn't have gone through this day without her. I wish I had a photo of her "bridal kit" which included acetate (for cleaning stains should I sip anything other than water), a needle and thread, safety pins, tissues (natch).... she was ready for pretty much anything. I'm thinking that, had Hurricane Earl made an appearance, she would have been able to MacGyver us a whole new wedding set-up!

In any event, she was there to help me into the dress, with a gentle smile and a generous laugh....

....and a needle and thread when "the girls" threatened to turn a little cleavage into a shameless nudie revue!! Yes. Yes, she IS sewing the shawl thingie to the dress!

Then, Poot, Olivia and Mariette sat back to have a look at their labour...

Shyly, I stood, in a pouffy white dress....

We posed so that Lara could snap a photo of us.

And when Mister Man's sister Janice called up to the dressing room, I felt like a Princess in a tower...

Then, my brother showed up, ready to escort me to the base of the willow tree, where we were going to exchange vows, with Cousin Don presiding.

The people had arrived, he reported, and were milling about. There were some of my aunties.

And some of my uncles.

And friends from the West Coast.

And Mister Man was getting straightened out by Brian.

So that he could strike a pose.

Meanwhile, on the lawn, friends and family gathered.

Mariette does one last inspection...

Including the all-important "check for lipstick on the teeth" inspection....

The crowd awaits.

to be continued...