Sweet 16

16 years ago today - I was an excited and glowing bride. The day is very clear in my mind and my wishes for the day as well. I desperately wanted a candlelight ceremony in a church with stained glass, no flowers on the cake - just pomegranates and gilded gold artichokes, red berries in the flowers and no plumosus fern ANYWHERE.


I had been really sick the week leading up to the day and following our rehearsal, Brian convinced me to visit the walk in clinic (quite a feat!). The exhaustion and inability to keep food down was more than just bridal jitters - kidney infection. "We'd like to admit you to make sure this clears up" a kind practitioner informed me. My determined reply - "I'm getting married tomorrow - that's not an option". After some negotiating, I agreed to a big shot (I think that needle is really for much larger land roaming mammals) of antibiotics in my delicate derriere with a trip directly to bed - no "night before" merriment!

I remember waking up the following morning feeling like a new person and thinking it was absolutely the most beautiful day on earth - overlooking Avila Beach. Not the usual scene for this girl from the frozen tundra (really just the prairies) of Canada. Brian my handsome California boy, picked me up and took me to Fat Cats where we wrote our wedding vows for later in the day over greesy spoon breakfasts surrounded by fishermen fresh off their boats. Nice!

The rest is beautiful history - the florist forgot the berries and ring pillows, added fern to the garlands, the church was a glow with candle light right at dusk, one of the ring bearer's stole the show, the stunning cake made the trip up See Canyon in one piece, my hair stayed up, we made it through our vows and my dearest friends were with us. It was completely perfect!