If you’ve been married, or are planning a wedding, you know just how much work goes into it.  Some couples take it upon themselves to do as much as they can themselves, that would be Melissa and Mike for sure.  I think you can imagine how you would feel if your wedding venue told you the building might not be structurally sound enough for you to get married there.  Now think if that happened just weeks before the wedding.  This is exactly what happened to Melissa and Mike when it was discovered that one of the steel roof trusses at the Kentville arena was cracked and warped.  With the arena in Brooklyn (near Windsor) having a roof collapse just months before, I think they were being extra cautious, and with the ceremony being held at centre ice, a good 30 metres from the problem area, the city allowed the wedding to go on.

If you know me, or have seen my Twitter feed, then you know I’m a pretty big hockey fan, so this wedding was a perfect marriage (yeah, I went there) of my two passions, hockey and photography.  It was also the first wedding of my season this year, so I was anxious for it to finally arrive.

I met up with Mike and the guys at his parents house and found them all pretty relaxed.  They were talking sports when I walked in, so I knew I wouldn’t have to try too hard to fit in.  A good group of guys, they were all great to hang around for the day.  It was nice to see Mike include his brothers in the wedding party, even with their large age differences.

After some shots of the guys getting ready, and a couple more, I went to see Melissa and the girls.  With an hour until the ceremony, I expected to walk in to a bit of chaos, but it was the exact opposite. Every bridesmaid was completely ready, and Melissa needed only to put her dress on.  She was anxious to get the day going.  If she could have held the ceremony an hour early, she would have without hesitation.  With everyone ready, we were able to take a bunch of photos before heading to the rink.

The white aisle runner was lined with flower petals and hockey pucks and went right to centre ice where a small stack of pucks sat at the base of a paper flower background hand made by Melissa and a friend.  The Zamboni was parked to be visible in the background on the bridesmaids’ side, and a net with a couple of sticks was on the groomsmen’s side.  Melissa and Mike signed their paperwork in the penalty box of all places, and when their ceremony came to a close and it was time to walk out, another awesome thing happened.  They had placed a hockey stick under the seats at the ends of each row of seats, and the sticks were then raised and crossed over the aisle for the wedding party to walk out beneath them.  A very fitting end to the ceremony.

We took some photos around the arena before heading to the Research Station (Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre) for more portraits.  With the Rhododendrons in bloom, it was a fantastic place for photos.

The reception was held at the Louis Millett Centre in New Minas and had some great speeches.  I think alcohol helped with that, but it sure made for some great laughs.  As dinner ended, and the dance got going, I noticed quite a few people making their way over to Melissa and Mike’s Photobooth with their custom made paper flower wall.  Their props made for some great photos.

They took great care to ensure every detail was taken care of, including the cake, with its hockey themed topper. But most importantly, Melissa and Mike are simply a great match for each other.  Any guy that can find a girl who has the idea to hold a wedding ceremony in an arena, has found the right girl.

Here are some photos of Melissa and Mike’s Day together;

Enjoy!!!

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