Dan and Erin's wedding in Ottawa, Ontario

We were then left with another challenge - stay the course in 2020 or regroup next year? We chose the former, meaning that a month prior to our planned date, we had no ceremony venue, no reception venue, no caterer, no alcohol...all of the things that BYC was supposed to provide. The bakery that we had hired had permanently closed due following the lockdown.

A family member suggested we visit the Remembrance Gardens, next to Watson's Mill in Manotick. Dan's father was a military veteran (Air Force), so this location offered us a chance to honour his memory. My brother offered his backyard for the evening. Another friend recommended Take Another Bite, a Manotick-based caterer. A family friend offered to bake the cake and cupcakes. A plan began to take place.

We were married in the Gardens on August 15th. Our children and grandchildren attended us. We had a wonderful, intimate evening gathering with 15 people, all immediate family.

Favourite moments are too many to list. Seeing our precious grandsons walking the path to the "altar" ahead of me, hand-in-hand. My now sister-in-law finding vintage cufflinks belonging to Dan's dad to be worn by Dan, his brother (also BM) and my son (who escorted me). She also found an old Cameo set of Dan's mom which we integrated into my bouquet and those of my stepdaughters (my daughter chose a brooch belonging to her grandmother - my mom). My usually shy son standing up at the reception and crediting his new stepdad with being the role model he never had.

Our most favourite moment was our unity sand ceremony - our children surprised us in the days just prior to the wedding by announcing they had purchased a kit and wished to include it in the ceremony as a symbol of our new "one" family. The idea brought us to tears and the completed main vessel will be a memento that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.

When we made the decision to go ahead with a micro wedding, we also made changes to our vows, trying to put the emotions of the past several months into words. This is what we wrote:

As we all know, 2020 has been a year unlike any other. The frenetic pace of life in the 21st century has been abruptly slowed. Faced with uncertainty, we have retreated to the safety of our homes. Time spent with family has taken on new meaning as we found ourselves unable to share in some of life’s most essential moments. We have learned that we can no longer take days such as today for granted.

As each of you moves ahead with your own wedding planning, remember the reason for the day - to celebrate the love that you both share with those who are nearest and dearest to you. The rest is just icing on the (wedding) cake.

Many blessings,

Erin and Dan Mignault

15/08/2020