My Best Friend's Wedding

Okay, first thing here, I am lucky to have about 20 best friends, but Steve sure is one of them, and he got hitched! Yay! I could not be happier! And the best thing about this? My best friend count just hit 21, because his new beautiful wife Danielle is definitely one more to add to the list.

When Steve popped the question, we all were so elated for him and Din but they chose a date that seemed SO far away, I thought I was going to die of waiting for their big day! One thing I was really grateful for, was Steve keeping his word to me and asking my sweet and feisty daughter Brooklynn to be their flower girl, he had promised this role to her about six months before the engagement but was so happy he remembered, it meant a lot to me. Danielle bought her a custom-made tutu for the big day in their beautiful colours of orange and magenta and she received numerous compliments on the get up.

The happy new fiance's chose their venue which turned out to be a place that I had never even been to, even though it was just a few blocks away from where I work. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is a hidden gem right downtown. It is one of the oldest buildings in the core and the second you are inside you can tell. It was reminiscent to me of the Banff Springs Hotel, the old charm and feel of history and years gone by were everywhere you looked. Danielle brought me for lunch there about a month before their big day and showed me around. At first glance the ballroom, as she warned seemed a little outdated and, at the time we visited, blah, but I could see so much potential in there, with the grand ceiling and the dance floor in the center of the room. The massive windows and the crown molding just added to the ambiance. I knew with the right lighting and their high impact orchid centerpieces the room would just look magical.

Danielle is the most calm and relaxed bride to be I have ever seen. Even the morning of, she was just all smiles and no jitters, and she worked extremely hard on this wedding, right up until the day before. Steve and Danielle hand made a lot of elements to the wedding, place cards, the large painted "trees" with little lamps all over them, the candy buffet and the custom bags that they made. The theme and colours were used so tactfully throughout every detail and someone like me really appreciates all these tiny pieces that make the whole thing come together.

Along with their reception venue, they stuck with a historic theme and chose Calgary Central United Church for their ceremony, the oldest church in Calgary. Their massive wedding party (seven girls and guys on each side) hardly even fit up at the alter. The ceremony was beautiful and all of us had to hold back our tears as our boy Steve became Danielle's new hubby....maybe partially because we were realizing, if all of us were 16 when we met, and Steve was getting married which means we really are getting old, but mostly from sheer happiness for him and Danielle, they really are a perfect match.

The night was a complete success with all of us dancing and hula hooping and partying until the wee hours of the morning, and seeing of our newlyweds off to their hotel to sleep for a few moments before whisking off to their month long honeymoon in Europe. As I write this they are most likely sitting around, sipping wonderful wine and enjoying their new life together, congratulations you two, we love you!

*Photo Credit: www.shutterbirdphotography.blogspot.com