My Little Brother's Wedding

Yesterday my brother got married to his long-time sweetheart, Kira.

The wedding took place in a serene corner of their backyard in Port Alberni, underneath the branches of a tree hung with paper lanterns and colourful prayer flags and beside a little Zen garden and pond.

(The Chinese stone lantern in the garden was a wedding present from me and Jeff, arriving shortly before the ceremony.)

There is something so sweet and natural about backyard weddings, especially when you're rather fond of the people getting married.

Kira looked beautiful and relaxed in a turquoise silk Tibetan wedding dress, while my brother wore a bemused grin for most of his wedding.

Sasha the dog, acting as a sort of furry flower-girl, rested between them on the grass with one paw on the bride's foot and one paw on the groom's until the marriage commissioner told them it was time to take each other's hands for their vows. Sasha, on her best behaviour, moved a foot or two away while her people exchanged silver rings carved with native frogs and moons.



They picked probably the hottest weekend of the summer to get married, but fortunately it was not one of those wedding where crowds of people sweat in uncomfortable formal wear through a long sermon in the summer heat: we were a small casually dressed lot of close family who could easily fit under the shade of one tree. It was lovely.

I have to say I became unexpectedly misty-eyed as they were pronounced married, and was still sniffling a little as I signed the registry as a witness. My brother later told me that he cried at my wedding too, fourteen years ago.

"No, you did not!" I said in disbelief.

"I did!", he replied.

Adam was eighteen at my wedding. I have to say I'm rather touched. :)

I've been to many weddings over the years, and more and more I prefer these non-formal affairs. There is simply less streess involved. Years ago, I remember a friend from high school getting married. Her guest list was near three hundred, her gown rivalled Princess Di's...and she became so anxious about the things that might go wrong, required a tranquillizer before she could enter the church. Fun, huh?

At Adam's wedding, there was thankfully no stress wasted on worrying about wedding etiquette. For instance, filling in for the bride's traditional removal of her garter, Adam did remove the bottoms of his zippered pants to turn them back into shorts. It was freakin' hot today.


Later in the evening friends of the bride and groom arrived with their children and dogs. More food was added to the tables already groaning with the weight of a seafood and salad and BBQ buffet. Apple pie and cheese-cake were devoured. Much beer and lemonade was quaffed.

People chatted and picnicked in the garden. Babies toddled around. The dogs played. A haphazard game of bocce ball broke out as the sun went down.

I got to know Kira's family a bit--they all seemed really nice. And I discovered that Kira's mom reads our blogs. "You're Spider Girl, right?", she said. Why, yes...yes, I am. :)

Heh, how about that?


Before my family left, Adam gave me some batchelor button plants from his garden for mine.... By the way, brother, your garden looked fantastic for the wedding.