[i have too much to write about this wedding. so this is part one.]

heidi & bryce’s wedding weekend started with leanne and i flying into toronto-pearson airport thursday evening. we were greeted by heidi and one of her good friends + bridesmaids, larissa. after over an hour’s drive through the toronto rush-hour traffic, we made it home to the kitchener-waterloo area, to heidi’s house. i met all four of heidi’s lovely bridesmaids that night: jody, larissa, katelyn & kaitlyn. we spent our evening snacking on kettle corn and M&Ms, watching runaway bride while the girls all had their nails done. [i also have to mention that leanne and i stayed at one of the bridesmaids homes for all 3 nights we were in ontario–a big thank-you to the kubassek family for their hospitality.] it was such a treat to hang out with these girls before the wedding–we left that night knowing friday + saturday + sunday only had great things to come.

we spent friday with the bridal party as well. so much hanging out, it was great. our afternoon consisted of helping heidi’s bridesmaids tie 600 favours for the wedding ceremony guests. bryce’s favour dessert is the nanaimo bar and heidi’s is a pink coconut square. they bought both kinds [enough for 600 people!] and we packed them individually into brown boxes, lined with wax paper, tied with a twine bow with a “thank you” tag attached. the detail that went into this wedding was astounding. friday evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at bryce’s parent’s home. because it was canada day, bryce + heidi and the bridal party [and us] went downtown waterloo for the fireworks display to cap off the evening. we felt like we were amongst friends.

next, let’s talk about the story of bryce & heidi–because without these two falling in love over a friendship of many years–there’d be no blog post. bryce and heidi both grew up in the suburbs of toronto and their parents knew one another. in grade four, heidi’s family started driving to koinonia christian fellowship, the church bryce’s father pastored. it was an hour drive each way, but heidi’s family made the trip every sunday. they knew it was where their family needed to be. everybody knew bryce’s family. and a lot of girls liked bryce, heidi included. after high school, heidi and bryce studied at their church in a one-year internship program. there were only ten students in the class and after a year of serving alongside one another, heidi felt something change in bryce. we kinda realized we both liked each other. or rather, he realized he liked me and i definitely knew i liked him. bryce later would describe it as a lightbulb moment. i was in a dark room and then boom! light. and there was heidi in front of me. that was five years ago–and since then, heidi moved to langley, BC [my town!] for a year to attend school — and when she felt like it was time to move back to ontario, bryce moved to portland for a year. almost two years after that “i think we like each other” moment: bryce & heidi started dating. officially official.

there was much mention of sports and “being a team player” throughout heidi & bryce’s wedding day. bryce, a major dallas cowboys fan, proposed 363 days before their wedding on july 4, 2010 with a dallas cowboys jersey that had “fleming” written on the back. heidi’s soon-to-be last name. bryce tweeted the day before the wedding, wedding bells! :) #shesonmyteam — and i loved reading heidi’s tweet with a picture of her “fleming” jersey, soon i get to wear this for real! so cute. bryce’s dad officiated the ceremony [that took place at their church] and delivered a wonderful message about God’s purpose for marriage. woven into pastor steve’s message were comparisons between a sports team and a marriage. values such as having a united front together, not talking smack about another player on your team, keeping your personal life private–keeping certain things top secret within the team. it was really neat. heidi walked down the aisle to the thief by brooke fraser, which is one of my favourite songs. i say that about too many songs.

Your eyes are full
Full of the future of us
The air changes as you look across
At me in that wondering way

It is as if i knew you before we spoke
Do our hearts know something we don’t?
Conspiring, converging without giving us any say

You, sing me to sleep
Talk down my walls
Look through my windows as I wait
You could be the thief
I give the key to

You’re ruining me
With secrets and gestures and looks
With sonnets from second-hand books
Playing the chords in me nobody knew how to play

[isn’t that a beautiful song? stay tuned for part two of heidi & bryce’s wedding: the reception + even more portraits.]