Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Wedding Day Part 1

A few days before the wedding I stopped by my local supermarket to pick up a loaf of rye bread. The cashier was a friendly guy I've seen a few times before. We made small talk. I asked him if he'd seen the weather forecast for Saturday. High of 25 degrees Celsius (that's 77 F) and sunny! He handed me my change with a weary smile and went on to the next customer. I didn't get a chance to explain that I wasn't just one more boring drone with nothing better to talk about than the weather.

All last week I looked for him, wanting to explain - I got married on Saturday! That's why I was so jazzed about the weather! Really, I have better things to talk about, usually! I didn't see him and I'm sure he's long since forgotten.

But DANG! What weather we had for that day. Special-ordered just for us.

I got up at 6:30 am to beautify myself and steam the crinkles out of my chiffon gown. We left on time, at the dot of 9:30. I tottered down to the parking garage in my white heels, feeling incredibly self-conscious, hoping not to run into any of the neighbours.

Ken had rented a big, fancy, black car to chauffeur me around. Our first order of business was to stop by the church and set the cake out to warm up. The baker had told me in no uncertain terms:

"This is buttercream icing. If you don't take the cake out to warm up at least four hours before you serve it, the icing texture will be all wrong, like a thick layer of cold butter. It'll be disgusting."

Ever since then, many of my pre-wedding nightmares, the kind that woke me sweating at 3:31 am, brain whirling like a gerbil on crack in a greased exercise wheel, were based on a horror of not getting the cake out of the fridge in time. I worried about it more than anything else. The pastor had offered to swing by the church to take the cake out for us, so we wouldn't have to worry about it, but I didn't trust his memory. (He's a sweet man, but somewhat disorganized, by his own admission.) When Ken returned to the car to let me know that the cake had made a successful transition upstairs and was now warming itself in the lounge, a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

By 11:00 we were at the Allan Gardens greenhouse, meeting our intrepid photographer. The next hour was spent posing in front of palm trees, ornamental ponds, colourful blossoms, and cacti. Good times. I enjoyed playing the part of Toronto's Next Top Model, and Ken was very dapper in his suit.

As time wore on we all got a bit sweaty, especially Ken in his suit and tie. A greenhouse is meant to heat up in the sun, and, as the clock ticked towards noon, the temperature soared. By the end I think it was probably more than 30 degrees (86 F), and humid. Fortunately we had brought lots of bottled water, so there was no fainting or other unpleasantness.

Finally we crawled out of the oven, gasping for fresh air. Mission accomplished.

I've already written about our issues with traffic. However, a benefit of having to detour all the way to Dufferin to get uptown was that we changed our lunch plans. The strategy, for the sake of speed, had been to stop by home and quickly eat a ham sandwich with carrot sticks, before heading back to the church. This would ensure that we'd get something in our stomachs even if traffic was really bad, and had the added benefit of not posing any threat of staining my dress.

But we were driving north up Dufferin. That meant passing right by California Sandwich, and Ken doesn't like to drive past California Sandwich. Especially not at lunchtime. So he parked, left me in the car with the radio on, and ran in to buy us two enormous Italian sandwiches with lots of toppings.

At home I tied a flannel sheet around my neck as a full-body bib, and put that sandwich away like nobody's business. Such a delicate, ladylike bride, covered up to my wrists with tomato sauce, sauteed mushrooms dripping onto my plate. Hey, it was a long day to get through, and a girl's gotta eat!

Fortunately Ken has more than one good suit, because he'd sweated right through the one he wore to the greenhouse. He showered and changed into his second outfit of the day. I washed my face and re-did my makeup. Then we were off to the church.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! I love the image of you draped in a flannel shirt bib over your wedding gown! That's rich! And that sandwich sounded yummy. :)

Anonymous said...

That full-body bib thing? I love that. I might have to do that ... for every meal.

Sweatin' it out in a greenhouse wearing a suit? BRAVE man!

Jameil said...

omg i'm loving this!! and like the others, cracking up at the full body bib! lol! of course the food captivated me. 1) there's a cali sandwich shop in canada lol 2) cheese is $1.00!! OUTRAGEOUS!! 3) in the u.s. cali-style always means lots of veggies and tofu and usually avocado, too and that place is cramming in all the meats! lol. that said, i would like the veal cutlet w/provolone, please! i bet those garden shots were gorg!! so funny that the cake was your biggest worry. you were 90 mil miles ahead of most brides to cheerio! do canadians get used to translating temps? can you do that w/o looking it up?

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

So far, it sounds perfect. Lovely. Romantic. And a bit of thinking on your toes to round out a wonderful day. At least no one broke a rib. Well, not yet at least. =)

Warped Mind of Ron said...

Am I the only one wondering how Ken could come down and simply inform you that the cake was out of the fridge? I mean the idea of coming out looking panicked with possibly a smear of icing in the hair as I explain how I "slipped" up there and the cake was destroyed. I mean am I the only one that evil out there???

Karen said...

Sounds lovely so far! Get us some pictures. Even if they have to be head-less. I want to see you in the dress.

wigsf said...

The suspense is killing me. Get the good part. You two both said "I do" right?

wigsf said...

... and a thick layer of cold butter is what I imagine Heaven tastes like.

LL Cool Joe said...

Yeah I wanna see the headless Bride and Groom too!

The cake story cracked me up. I hope it was worth all the worry. Does anyone eat Wedding cake anyway?

I have to admire your husband for having a second suit to sweat, I mean change into. I have the one suit. There's no room in my closet for anymore. My hoodies and tees take up all the room. ;)

I want to hear about the rest now!

michelle said...

i love it! i fully believe that i will go through the mcdonald's drive-thru on my way to my wedding for fries and a shake.

and i am also looking forward to a headless bride and groom shot ... you must fulfill my feminine need to see your wedding dress!

Scarlet said...

I love the visual of you in a full-body bib devouring an Italian sub (with the works) right before your wedding.

Sounds like a HOT wedding day and I can't wait to hear more about the actual ceremony and festitivies!!

Nice cliffhanger at the end there, but don't leave us hangin' for too long! :)

Anonymous said...

I like a saucy woman.

Kate said...

I love that HE'S the one that had to change.

Sparkling Red said...

darcsfalcon: That sandwich was very yummy. I ate so much that I barely had room for cake two hours later!

darcknyt: The bib is a great invention. Imagine how relaxed you could be if you wore a bib for every meal. No worries, just let that food fall. ;-)

Jameil: Yes, the California Sandwich shop has absolutely nothing to do with California. It's all Italian food. Go figure...
I can translate some temperatures without help, because my home thermostat is in Farenheit, but usually if I want to be accurate I go for an online converter.

Nilsa: Thank God, there were no broken ribs (other than the ones which were previously broken and therefore still technically in a state of recuperation).

Ron: What an idea! I don't know what I would have done... Re-broken his ribs? Refused to marry him? That would have been one ugly scene.

Karen: I can't bring myself to cut the heads off my preshus photos - but don't despair! You qualify for the full versions. See my next post for details...

wigsf: Blargh. I mean, I like butter and all, but not on chocolate cake, on a hot day. :-p

LL Cool Joe: You qualify for real photos. My next post will tell you how to get'em. Yes, the cake was a big success. It was almost all eaten, as were both pies.

Michelle: You qualify for real photos! My next post will explain all... McDonald's drive thru would be perfect. You will definitely need a bib if you get a Big Mac. Those things shed lettuce and special sauce all over the place.

Scarlet: I won't. Part 2 will be coming up quite shortly. I hope, at least. As soon as I have time to do it justice.

Unsigned: Saucy is good.

Kate: For once he had more wardrobe options than me. I didn't have a second wedding gown to slip into.

Unknown said...

What an adventure :D
I love the sauce part :)

San said...

Your wedding sounds so lovely, and you, my dear, must have been a vision of loveliness. Especially in the full-body bib.

CHEERS!