The Big Day (part lV)

When last we met, Mister Man and I had signed on the dotted line, been photographed more than a starlet on her way into rehab, and we were now ready to party down. "Let the games begin!", we cried as we headed into the Bungalow.

Our emcee, Lois Brown, all decked out in a wedding gown, got things off to a rip-roarin' start. She explained that, while some people may be judging her for her outfit, she thought there was nothing more appropriate to wear to a wedding.... than a WEDDING DRESS.

One of our favourite moments was when Lois said, "In an unexpected and unanticipated turn of events, Teri has decided to take Brian's name." Women gasped, men applauded, family members were shocked and surprised... and then to the raunchy strains of the The Squirrel Nut Zippers, "That Fascinating Thing", Lois announced, "So please welcome the newly married couple: Brian and Brian."

We made our grand entrance to hoots, hollers, cat whistles and laughter.

And then we settled in for the toasts.

Paully delivered a wonderful welcome to everyone, and we raised a glass to the folks who weren't able to be with us.

This is for you, Lori, Shayne, Sarah, Donimo + the other 20 or so folks who couldn't be with us (because we really did miss you):

The Mark stepped up to the plate to do the toast to the groom.

Mister Man enjoyed his moment in the sun.

I was a bit nervous about the toast to the bride....

....because I had a hunch that Mariette would make me cry...

She did a fantastic performance piece... (complete with slides and a song and images of friends from around the country)

she made us laugh...

and she made me cry.... (she was brilliant).

Lois set the record straight: "Mister Man, I have polled all the women who know you, and they all agreed that they HATE THAT MUSTACHE" (she was referring to the images from his past in which he sported a big ol Tom Selleck style 'stache...')

There was a pause before dinner. This involved socializing and cooling down (who knew that St. John's, Newfoundland was a tropical paradise?). Cousin Bill lollygags.

Lovely.

Katie-Jean and Collin kick their shoes off.

Ms. E. enjoys a quiet moment as the sun sets.

The cakes in all their glory!

I get to socialize with Newfoundland friends I get to see too rarely....

Mister Man pauses just before darkness falls.

Dinner is delicious. And then it's time for the Parade of Cakes.

(in which every table appoints a delegate to choose a cake for the table) (This was SO much fun)

And to a saucy jazz tune, the cakes were paraded about the venue, much to the delight of us onlookers.

Have I mentioned how much I loved the whole cake affair? From the Baking of the Caking, to the Cake Walk (AKA The Parade of the Wedding Cakes)????

These were some of the most memorable moments of my life!!

Mister Man and I did a personal cake cutting at every single table. I was wearing the amazing apron that was made with love by Janice and Andie for the Baking of the Caking...

And then we had time for some more socializing.

We had a special treat in store for everyone prior to the first dance. We were going to be blessed by none other than brilliant Newfoundland comedian, Andy Jones (as Father Dinn). He invited all couples to join hands so that they could ALSO receive the blessing.

We had to laugh, because, when Andy was getting ready, he was hanging out in his priest's garb by the bar, and some folks from the mainland thought we'd actually invited a priest!! It was delightful, and hilarious in that side splitting kind of way... Oh Father Dinn, how we love thee.....

In any event, we WERE truly blessed to have our first dance amongst some of the finest people in the world. We danced to "As Time Goes by", by Dooley Wilson (from the film Casablanca)

We were incredibly happy.

There was so much love in that room, we could have floated right up to heaven.

Speaking of heaven, Doodie headed upstairs to take some aerial shots of our lovely guests. Ms. Denise:

Mister Man's clan.

Guests from Seattle.

A puzzled Padlewski.

Mister Man looks a bit like a deer caught in the headlights....

Or maybe a moose?

Because NO wedding in Newfoundland is complete without the appearance of a moose.

Oh my, we had fun, dear reader....

Who said weddings were stressful? We had such a blast thanks to our amazing family and friends. The personalized M&M's we'd laid on tables said it all "We Love You."