The Wedding

Sara and Graham’s ceremony took place at the old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont, where Graham is from. The church is a national historic landmark and was built in 1814. We thought it was very elegant and classy as it was quite simple and painted only white on the inside. The church is non-denominational, so there was no decor associated with any particular religion. Rather than regular pews, there were small 4-person box pews, which in the early 1800s was designed to help shelter the patrons from drafts. They would even have to bring hot coals or soapstones from home to stay warm. It was very cute.

Members of Sara and Graham’s families sang or played songs composed for the wedding. Though the weather was extremely humid, the atmosphere in the church was light and joyful. Sara’s vows made us both teary and everyone laughed when she promised to be the mother to 6 foot 5 Graham’s ‘tall babies’. Jennika’s favourite part was how they confirmed their vows by saying “I will” instead of the classic “I do”. It was original and even felt more genuine.

The reception was held at Graham’s parents’ farm. Appetizers and drinks were served just behind the house followed by photos and an open toast. The fact that the toasts were voluntary meant no one felt the pressure to prepare anything and we got a good picture into the individual lives of Sara and Graham, as well as their life together. We learned about Graham’s frugality and paranoia from Kris, and Sara’s free-spirited nature from her Michigan arts crew. We learned about how they met at a cocktail club in Burlington, were both very artistic, and how they complimented each other’s weaknesses and strengths. After dating for a short time, Sara and Graham managed a long distance relationship when Sara had to move back to Kentucky. It’s nice to see how when something is right, it can withstand the distance.

Dinner was served in an old barn that Graham and his father had fixed up for the wedding. A new floor and lots of powerwashing made it shine, and it was a fantastic spot. The night continued with dancing, bonfires, and delicious food. Sara’s sister had made the wedding cake and we all agreed it was the best of all the desserts. The food was Kentucky Derby inspired and there were Kentucky quilts on the walls of the barn. Following the dinner, Graham’s cousins put on a grandiose fireworks display that outdid the Canada Day and Independence Day shows we’d seen earlier this trip. It was a great way to round out the night.

Sunday morning we woke up and had breakfast in the barn with all the guests who’d camped out. Sara’s mom brought in the best bagels that Jennika had ever had, topped with some of that delicious Vermont cream cheese. We packed up the car, said our goodbyes and had to be on our way. After traveling for 10 days, we have quite a few loads of laundry to get in and tomorrow, JM’s birthday, we plan to drive all the way to Halifax from Montreal. Hopefully Sunshine (Jennika’s car) can handle this trip. So far we’ve done almost 2000km and we aren’t even half way done.

Nighty night,

JaMs and Jennika