As the couple exchange 
wedding vows they will be 
affirming their love and 
making a commitment to each other. 
All the spectators are 
there to wish them well.
As the time approaches, 
I think back to other 
family weddings over many years. 
My older sisters were 
all married in the same church 
and as brides they 
carried a white Bible  
decorated with tiny roses. 
The receptions for their weddings 
were all held in 
the same church basement, 
as there was no large 
banquet hall in the local area. 
The feast was usually catered 
by a group of church members.
Today's wedding reception will 
be held in an arena 
that will be decorated 
with just the right amount 
of fall flowers in  
wonderful arrays to give it 
dignity yet a touch of glamour. 
The table decorations will 
be a masterpiece. One of 
the table decorations will 
be small  pumpkins, used as 
containers for flowers that 
were collected from family gardens, 
surrounded by a large wreath
made from long stalks of wheat. 
There will be a few coloured leaves 
placed inside the wreath. 
Maybe they will use 
oak and maple leaves 
to show the splendour 
of the autumn colours. 
The colour of the outfits 
that the bridesmaids are 
wearing will be 
fall colours as well. 
The ingenious decorations will 
be appreciated by the many guests 
attending the festivities. 
At each place setting 
there will be a special paper napkin 
with the bride and groom's name 
printed on it and 
the date of their wedding. 
It will be carefully 
folded placed on top 
and of a linen napkin. 
This will be one 
of the souvenirs the guests 
will have to commemorate 
the special wedding day. 
Also at each place 
will be a few  after 
dinner mints for the guests. 
A miniature tree will also be 
placed at each persons place. 
The intent is for the guests 
to take the little tree home
and transplant it to 
a special place. In this way, 
our environment is also improved 
and the tree will become a 
living tribute to the young couple.
The groom will carry 
her across the threshold 
as is customary for 
a young couple as they 
begin their new life together. 
The honeymoon plans will 
take them to the west coast of Canada.
They will have a week 
of privacy far away 
from friends and family. 
They will inhabit a condominium 
in the town of Whistler, 
British Columbia, in the Rocky Mountains. 
They will feel as if 
they are royalty living 
in a mansion in this little bit 
of paradise on earth. 
Thereafter, they will return home 
to Ontario where they will reside.
Their original plan to 
spend their honeymoon on 
board a yacht in 
the Mediterranean Sea was abandoned 
when world circumstances dictated that 
our country Canada was a safer choice.
Earlier this month, as 
I thought about the forthcoming marriage, 
and knew that I would be 
unable to attend, I decided 
to write a message to 
the young couple. The intent 
was that the message would be 
read aloud during the 
wedding reception. In the message, 
I wished them well and 
urged them to cherish 
each other every day.