[00:00.00]As the couple exchange
[00:01.42]wedding vows they will be
[00:02.95]affirming their love and
[00:04.92]making a commitment to each other.
[00:06.67]All the spectators are
[00:08.31]there to wish them well.
[00:09.73]As the time approaches,
[00:11.92]I think back to other
[00:13.90]family weddings over many years.
[00:16.19]My older sisters were
[00:18.16]all married in the same church
[00:19.80]and as brides they
[00:21.44]carried a white Bible
[00:22.76]decorated with tiny roses.
[00:24.72]The receptions for their weddings
[00:26.91]were all held in
[00:28.12]the same church basement,
[00:29.21]as there was no large
[00:30.85]banquet hall in the local area.
[00:32.93]The feast was usually catered
[00:35.12]by a group of church members.
[00:37.30]Today's wedding reception will
[00:39.60]be held in an arena
[00:40.80]that will be decorated
[00:42.01]with just the right amount
[00:43.21]of fall flowers in
[00:44.41]wonderful arrays to give it
[00:45.95]dignity yet a touch of glamour.
[00:48.46]The table decorations will
[00:50.10]be a masterpiece. One of
[00:51.86]the table decorations will
[00:53.60]be small pumpkins, used as
[00:55.46]containers for flowers that
[00:57.11]were collected from family gardens,
[00:58.31]surrounded by a large wreath
[01:00.61]made from long stalks of wheat.
[01:02.68]There will be a few coloured leaves
[01:05.42]placed inside the wreath.
[01:06.63]Maybe they will use
[01:08.15]oak and maple leaves
[01:09.47]to show the splendour
[01:11.00]of the autumn colours.
[01:12.42]The colour of the outfits
[01:13.96]that the bridesmaids are
[01:15.16]wearing will be
[01:16.03]fall colours as well.
[01:17.57]The ingenious decorations will
[01:19.42]be appreciated by the many guests
[01:21.06]attending the festivities.
[01:22.71]At each place setting
[01:25.01]there will be a special paper napkin
[01:26.54]with the bride and groom's name
[01:28.18]printed on it and
[01:29.28]the date of their wedding.
[01:31.13]It will be carefully
[01:32.44]folded placed on top
[01:33.75]and of a linen napkin.
[01:35.40]This will be one
[01:36.93]of the souvenirs the guests
[01:38.24]will have to commemorate
[01:39.23]the special wedding day.
[01:40.43]Also at each place
[01:42.51]will be a few after
[01:44.15]dinner mints for the guests.
[01:46.34]A miniature tree will also be
[01:48.30]placed at each persons place.
[01:51.37]The intent is for the guests
[01:53.23]to take the little tree home
[01:54.77]and transplant it to
[01:55.86]a special place. In this way,
[01:58.16]our environment is also improved
[02:00.12]and the tree will become a
[02:01.98]living tribute to the young couple.
[02:04.61]The groom will carry
[02:06.80]her across the threshold
[02:08.11]as is customary for
[02:09.54]a young couple as they
[02:10.84]begin their new life together.
[02:12.59]The honeymoon plans will
[02:14.24]take them to the west coast of Canada.
[02:16.75]They will have a week
[02:18.83]of privacy far away
[02:19.82]from friends and family.
[02:21.67]They will inhabit a condominium
[02:23.54]in the town of Whistler,
[02:25.18]British Columbia, in the Rocky Mountains.
[02:27.91]They will feel as if
[02:29.34]they are royalty living
[02:30.32]in a mansion in this little bit
[02:31.96]of paradise on earth.
[02:33.71]Thereafter, they will return home
[02:36.12]to Ontario where they will reside.
[02:38.42]Their original plan to
[02:40.17]spend their honeymoon on
[02:41.48]board a yacht in
[02:42.46]the Mediterranean Sea was abandoned
[02:44.43]when world circumstances dictated that
[02:46.84]our country Canada was a safer choice.
[02:49.90]Earlier this month, as
[02:52.31]I thought about the forthcoming marriage,
[02:54.50]and knew that I would be
[02:55.92]unable to attend, I decided
[02:58.22]to write a message to
[02:59.20]the young couple. The intent
[03:00.95]was that the message would be
[03:03.03]read aloud during the
[03:04.23]wedding reception. In the message,
[03:05.55]I wished them well and
[03:07.84]urged them to cherish
[03:09.16]each other every day.