Geordie and Melanie 's wedding in Carlisle, Ontario

My dad and husband both love(d) old, vintage cars and in my dad's final days, he jokingly said to us that the inheritance he'd be leaving behind wouldn't be enough for me to buy him an old Mustang... probably my husband's first love! As I started exploring transportation option for us, and our guests, dad's words about the car kept running through my mind. Perhaps I couldn't buy my fiance one, but what about renting one for our wedding weekend as a thank you on dad and I's behalf for the support shown to both of us, during dad's cancer journey. Found one, booked it, and now to keep it a secret until our first look! (Perhaps the hardest part of wedding planning for me!) I happened to find a beautiful, rustic AirBnB near our venue for the girls and I to spend the night before the wedding, and with my dad's 2 sisters arriving from out of town for our big day, if was a great way to spend more time with family, and provided a perfect backdrop for pictures before our ceremony. When the Mustang arrived, we had it perfectly hidden, blindfolded Geordie as he walked up the long driveway to where I sat atop the backseat, waiting. One of the groomsmen reached out his hand to keep Geordie from falling back, and as our photographer put it, he literally, 'lost his breath!' Best surprise ever and it made our first look extra special and memorable! Ah, the victory of keeping that secret for so long!

You hear it all the time -- rain on your wedding day is good luck, so I'm counting on it! Our original desire of having an outdoor ceremony and reception wouldn't be, with Mother Nature forcing us to use our indoor backup. While I was so in the moment, I didn't notice it myself, but was told my several guests that 2 interesting things happened! At the beginning of the ceremony, together we tried to light a memorial candle, but a breeze through the slightly open door kept blowing it out.. so Geordie moved it to a different table where it stayed lit. I was later told that it was moments after that, that hints of sun started appearing! By the time the guitarist started playing our recessional song "Here Comes the Sun", indeed, the sun was inviting us outside for some air, and much anticipated pictures at our beautiful venue!

I don't consider myself a confident decision-maker, but hearing all the compliments from our guests about the food, band, and the venue made my heart so happy. And being there with the people that mattered most meant the world -- what an amazing day, with so many people coming through to make it happen!