Easy, Fun, and Uncomplicated!

I love summer. I especially love summer weddings.  There were two weddings in my family this summer.  Two very different couples. One, a young couple embarking on their first wedding and the other, an older more mature couple, going down the aisle for the third time each. These weddings were as different as night and day from each other.  One was at a high-end resort hotel and the other in a community hall.  One wedding was very formal and the other more casual.  But something they both shared was stress, one more than the other, but stress none-the-less.  And both wedding parties had their share of drama. 

The anticipation leading up to the big day is so palpable you can slice it with a wedding cake knife.  The optimism, excitement, anticipation, and some old fashion anxiety tied together with a pure happiness bow that sums up weddings in a nutshell.  A mammoth ball of emotions!

Are any of these emotions minimized if the couple is older and have taken the leap of faith before? I would say absolutely not.  Young or older, a wedding makes the world seem like all things great are possible.  A young couple and an older more experience couple both see the world through rose colored glasses and their emotions are reflected in that hue. A bride is never more beautiful as on the day of her wedding, don’t you agree? Her eyes hold the promise of a forever magical love.  

However, the stress of a wedding can result in the worst day ever for some couples.  It is my observation that the amount of angst associated with weddings can be correlated with the amount time to plan and the size of the wedding.  The longer the planning and higher number of guests, the greater the emotional ups and downs.  And more importantly, the more likely the couple is to continue with the wedding even if they have some reservations. There comes a point where there is no turning back.  However, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, the people who really count are the bride and groom.  Really, what is the point, do they really need to start off their marriage under such stressful circumstances? Even the weddings that unfold without a hitch are stressful until the I dos.  There is always a possibility that something can go awry.  


Still, committed couple should get married, and maybe the tasks associated with getting married will serve them well as they begin their journey together as man and wife.   

My advice is to keep it small and intimate. 

I remember my wedding day like it was yesterday.  I wasn’t nervous as I sat in my fiancé’s kitchen sipping tea, the sun beaming through the skylight.  We had plenty of time as we sat reading the paper.   The phone rang, his mother called to tell us she had our flowers and we realized we better get ready. 

We decided to elope and only a small group of friends were going to be in attendance.  I didn’t even tell anyone in my family until the night before, leaving them no time to fly in to attend if they wanted to.  Of course, I got the “speech” but really I knew it was because they had my best interest in their hearts.  The only people who knew about our plan were our cohort, out respective assistents who coordinated the event between our two cities.  They had the utmost discretion and no one was the wiser at either of our work places. Real loyalty. 

Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. We had a beautiful low keyed wedding.  I loved that we did it for us, (even if not a bit selfish), it was romantic and naughty sneaking around as we planned.  Although I admit, on the flip side, we robbed some family of celebrating this special day with us.  Still, we managed to eliminated all the pressures associated with having to please everyone, coordinating peoples' schedule, and not to mention the expense of a big wedding. 

And, we had money not spent on a big wedding to enjoy several exotic honeymoons in Paris, Hawaii, Australia, South America and Fiji over several years before Andrew was born.  So, I opted to forgo a big swanky wedding, and enjoyed instead a fansy assed eight course dinner at the Le Jules Vernes in the Eiffel Tower, Paris.  Dinner was spectacular! 

Our motto durning our short courtship was make it -  Easy, Fun and Uncomplicated!   Eighteen years later that is still our motto.  Wishing the newly weds an easy, fun and uncomplicated marriage.  

Summer Fun

I can't believe that it is August 1st. Summer is going by so quickly,huh.  Well, as usual July has been very hot and humid in Ontario, but I'm not complaining.  As long as there is airconditioning, the heat is good.

This summer we decided to holiday in Montréal, Quebec, and rented a lovely apartment in Pointe Claire. Pointe Claire is an historic village located on the West Island of Montréal.

Sometimes, a city holiday is just the thing to do, others go to the cottage for their summer holidays, but I enjoy what the city has to offer.  This particular holiday was the best of both worlds spectacular, tranquil setting, away from the city, but only a short commute into downtown Montreal.

Normally I don't see anybody first thing in the morning at home save for my immediate family. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed being around people and seeing so many people out jogging in the morning. I saw people with dogs, on bikes and even rollerblades. I could see this type of lifestyle being quite conducive to a healthy lifestyle and just wanting to just get out doors and to get physical.

Not to mention, the scenery in Pointe Claire along the river is so beautiful. It really calls for people to come out and enjoy it. I don't know whether it is just because the weather was fantastic, scenery was perfection, or if it's just people were on holidays, but by and large everybody was quick with a smile.

This holiday unlike our previous holidays which are packed with sightseeing and activities from morning until night, this was really chilled. We spent a lot of time reading, dinning out, and basically chilling by the river. Sometimes it's great to just be able to slow down and enjoy being together as a family without the distraction of a hectic itinerary.

The highlight of the holiday was our last night. We went to Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the Park. The play was at the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montréal, what a wonderful place for a Shakespeare play. The cast was superb!

I brought the camera but unfortunately the battery was dead.  Thus, all memories are stored in our head and no app for downloading memories stored in our minds, yet.  I am certain that we will return to Pointe Claire and next time I will check that I bring a camera that I can actually use, ugh.