Melissa and Mark were going to be getting married at the Prince George Hotel in downtown Halifax, and we had planned to go to the public gardens for photos.  However, after a bit of a drought here in Halifax, the forecast was calling for heavy rain on their wedding day.  I knew we could figure out what to do if it rained, but let’s face it, it wouldn’t have been ideal.  Luckily, the Thursday before the wedding, the forecast shifted and it no longer looked like it was going to rain.  I know this took a lot of stress off of Melissa’s shoulders.

I met up with girls at the Prince George and the talented Chantelle Brown was working on Melissa’s makeup.  The girls all looked beautiful and they were nice and calm which probably contributed to Melissa’s calmness.  The guys were a floor above and despite Mark thinking they were disorganized, they seemed pretty well on their way.  We all know that us guys are lucky and barely take any time to get ready, so it’s not like they really had much to do.  Mark and his groomsmen were a little more energetic and cracking jokes from the get go, but I feel like with a lot of guys, the best way to keep calm is to take your mind off of things and harass each other.

With Melissa looking gorgeous in her dress and Mark looking great in his tux, we went down to the lobby for bit of a first look, it was more like a first hear. They stood on opposite sides of a door and got to say hi without actually seeing each other.  We did an actual first look at the Public Gardens, then continued on with wedding party photos before sending the wedding party back to the hotel and keeping Melissa and Mark for some photos of just the two of them.  I must say, we ran into some interesting characters while walking around the park.  We then stopped at a little spot not far from the hotel and had an encounter with an incredibly drunk bachelorette party who couldn’t comprehend that they were a real bride and groom and what we would be doing in a parking lot.  I can assure you, we knew what we were doing, and no, we didn’t get the ‘For Lease’ sign in the photos.

We got back to the hotel and had a little down time before the ceremony.  Mark spent most of that time figuring out how to get the M&M candy bar picked up from their house.  I think that was the most stressed I had seen Mark, but thankfully he got that sorted out a few minutes before walking down the aisle.

The ceremony was outside on the terrace and was beautiful.  After being together 16 years, we heard a lot on the day about how long it took Melissa and Mark to get married, but from now on I think they’ll just be hearing about how quick Mark was to say “I do”.  At least it gave us all a laugh and broke the ice during the ceremony.

After the ceremony we did family photos and that of course included Mark and Melissa’s dog Ceilidh.  As a dog lover myself, I appreciate wanting to have a photo with your dog on your wedding day.  We sent Ceilidh back up to their room and made our way to the other terrace for the rest of the cocktail hour.  It was quite the nice, comfortable spot for a cocktail hour, especially with the beautiful weather.

The reception was beautifully decorated the 16 tables had a number and corresponding photo representing a year of their relationship.  The M.C.’s did a great job throughout the night and the speeches were highlighted by Melissa and Mark’s speech which brought on a lot of laughter.  With the speeches over, it was time for dancing, and the real fun to begin.  It was a beautiful day with a fantastic couple, and after being together for as long as they have been, I don’t think very much will change for them after their wedding, except people will finally stop asking when they are going to get married, and start asking when they’re going to have kids.  Maybe they can get another dog and fend off those questions for a little while.

Congratulations Melissa and Mark!!!

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