Wedding Wednesday- Tweedlebud Tara's Weekend-Long Wedding

Hi there, it’s Tweedlebud Tara typing away here! Miss Tweedle and I teach together! 

When my husband I were engaged and looking for theeeeeee place to get married we had great fun traveling around Alberta and BC, checking out the various resorts and lodges. When we visited Nipika, an eco-resort tucked away off the beaten path, we knew right way that it was where we wanted to have our friends and family gather with us for an unforgettable celebration of love. 

With the majestic mountains, the peaceful Cross and Kootenay rivers,  beautiful cabins, a 100-year-old hand hewn log barn and a welcoming open meadow as our backdrop, it was easy to imagine the wedding guests loving our choice just as much as us. 

With guests travelling from BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, we decided that we wanted to plan an entire weekend of good times so we sent out invites to a BBQ and bonfire for Friday night, the ceremony, reception and dance on Saturday night, and, the brunch and a river raft on Sunday!  Suddenly there were a whole “lotta” details to plan!

The BBQ and bonfire were pretty straight forward. We enlisted the help of some of the uncles to be in charge of bison burgers and smokeys, prepared a bunch of different salads and filled some troughs with beers. Voila, the food was ready. 

The resort had wood for the fire, we set up an i-pod for some tunes and set out a basket of blankets for anyone who might want some extra warmth. All in all, guests enjoyed the chance to kick their feet up, relax after their drive and get to know one another a bit better under a clear, star filled sky. 

On the big day our wedding party was amazing. They helped with every detail. Whether they were...

Hanging paper lanterns in the barn...

Setting up chairs for the ceremony in the meadow...

setting up the table with programs and little paper bags of leaves to throw into the air after the ceremony...

...lining the aisle with flowers...unloading and setting up all of the dishware, glassware and silverware... picking up and setting up centerpieces... installing solar lights to create a lit pathway for guests to find their way back to their cabins after a wild night... photographing all of the action.... or any other random job that came up along the way, they did it! We are so lucky to have such a generous and fun group of friends!

For the ceremony, Duncan and I wanted to get back to his Scottish roots with kilts for the men and classic black for the ladies. With a few bridesmaids dresses hanging in my closet, that I will probably never wear again, I wanted my friends to choose their own dresses, something that they would wear again. The only parameter I gave them was that it had to be black. I thought that the black would tie in beautifully with the kilts. For bouquets, I had a florist friend create 4 unique bouquets with flowers and berries that were red, wild and full of texture. I loved them. 

My dress was exactly the opposite of what I originally imagined myself in. I thought that the very simple, long, figure fitting, type dress was what I wanted. Nothing poofy or big for sure! Well, when I went and tried dresses on I really did not like the look of the simple, long figure fitting dresses. They were boring and did nothing for me. When I ventured into the poofy department I eventually found the dress for me. It was so comfortable and fun. 

I wore a pearl necklace and pearl earrings with my dress, the something borrowed and something blue was a pair of socks that fit perfectly into my red cowboy boots. Grandma Sandra could not make it to the wedding, but she did leave her mark. When we had visited with her she whispered in my ear, “Shock them all and wear red boots.” Well, I made that my mission and think I made a great choice with some rockin’ red boots. Perfect for walking down the aisle in the meadow and dancing in the barn! 

Our flower girls wore white dresses accessorized by a simple piece of tartan ribbon tied in a bow. They also carry natural colored baskets decorated with tartan ribbon and filled with leaves for them to toss as they walked down the aisle.

As guests arrived to the ceremony, our friend Dave Bennett played some love songs on the guitar and our wedding “fairy” (a young niece) handed out programs and leaves to throw at the end of the ceremony. 

I got ready in the main lodge and watched from a second floor window as everyone arrived and settled in. The bagpipes began and it was time! Duncan and his groomsmen were piped into the meadow (after having a few drinks from their flasks) and then it was time for the ladies. 

My dad walked me down the aisle and there we were, ready to pronounce our love for one another in front of all those with whom we share our lives. 

We wrote our own vows and had a local marriage commissioner marry us. We asked my grandpa, who has been married for more than 60 years to say a word or two and he gave us some wonderful advice that we refer back to regularly. 

He said that, “being married is like being in a little row boat together in the middle of the ocean. You have to work together to paddle the boat in whatever direction you choose and to keep the boat afloat. Don’t rock the boat if you can help it. And, if the boat does start to be rocked, help each other out, don’t you both start rocking the boat, because that will only end badly." 

Next, Duncan was extremely brave and loving and played a Scottish love song on the fiddle for me! His one and only public performance. 

When all was said and we sealed the deal with a kiss, we headed back down the aisle, were showered with leaves and with love. We immediately invited everyone to the front of the lodge for a group shot before everyone headed their own way before the reception. 

This is one of our favorite wedding pics. Everyone who has a special place in our lives together in one place, in one photograph. Love it!

After taking pictures with our photographer friend, it was time for the reception. For the reception we rented two tents and everything you could ever think of needing for hosting a buffet style meal. Because we were in a remote location we didn’t want to forget anything so we prepared a detailed list of everything we would need for the menu. We rented tables, tablecloths, dishes, cutlery, glasses (x3 per guest), coffee cups, saucers, salad plates, dinner plates, desert plates, heaters,...you get the picture.) It was a lot of work getting the tents set up and the inside looking warm, natural and inviting for what was turning out to be a cold fall September 16^th night. 

Small details like white Christmas lights wrapped around the tent poles, tea lights, centrepieces and delicious wine uncorked all created the feeling we were hoping for. 

The two details that we were disappointed with were the tent size and the temperature inside the tents. We thought that two tents would provide enough space for everyone to be comfortable. We were WRONG. We should have had three tents. Oh well, being close (crammed like sardines!) gave everyone a bit more of a chance to take advantage of each other’s body heat and encouraged movement, discussion, and more wine…

One detail that we loved from the reception were the hand-altered (not hand-made) cake toppers that one of our M.C.’s presented to us.

Next up was the barn dance. A short, walk under the stars from the tents to the barn and there we were. A bonfire burning for those who wanted some fresh air and the dance floor was ready to heat up. We danced the night away, being among the last to leave at 4:30 in the morning. …

Oh dear, brunch! We were hosting brunch at the lodge where we were staying with our wedding party. All I can say is thank goodness for coffee! As guests packed up and got ready to check out, they wandered from their cabins to ours, some visited for a while and then hit the trail home, while others stayed on for the final event: a raft down the river. 

What a peaceful and chilled out ending to a fabulous weekend.