In no particular order, here are some post-ceremony pictures taken on The Green along the Saint John River in Fredericton, NB. If we aren't looking at the camera directly, it's because our official photographer, Julie, was demanding our attention in another direction!
The Family of Anna and Arthur Bourque with the bride and groom: Lori, Denise, Lou, Steph, Peter, Greg, Pat and Terry Missing are Karen-Anne in Alberta and Francis, who dashed off too quickly from the church!
Now add in the aunts (Alice, Helen and Monica) and the uncle (Donnie) along with spouses and significant others...
Now add in all the kids and the grandkids, bearing in mind we are missing a bunch!
The Bourque and Harris Families: Jen, Pat, Kathie and Steph with Lou, Rebecca, Charles, Mamise and Richard
Pat, Kathie, Steph and Lou
The whole Bourque clan: Pat, Kathie, Steph, Lou, Jen and Ben
The bridal party: Sarah, Emily, Jen, Steph, Lou, Richard, T.J. and Greg with Celeste and J-P
Steph and Lou chose to be married at Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton, N.B. Below are a couple of pictures I took earlier in the summer to show them the interior of the Church and what the candle pew markers looked like. Jen chose to perform the ceremony at the Low Altar so as to be closer to the congregation. The blessing was made at the High Altar after the signing of the Register by the choir stalls.
A candid shot by Ben outside the Church as Steph met up with an LSU Med School partner-in-crime, Catherine and friend, Jeff, along with Emily and Kathie MOTB
Rev. Jen as Priest officiant
The groom, Lou, entering the Church with his parents, Rebecca and Charles
Bridesmaids Sarah and Emily with flower girl, Celeste, aged 3
Rev. Jen with Aunt Georgie
Rev. Jen with Ann and Joan
Ring-bearer Jean-Pierre, aged 5
The receiving line outside The Cathedral over lemonade
With about 26 hours to go, the mother-of-the-bride (MOTB) entertained the bridal party and womenfolk of Lou's family at lunch at The Palate in downtown Fredericton. Everyone agreed it was delicious and no one had room for dessert! Afterwards, the MOTB took the immediate bridal party to the Avalon Spa for manis and pedis and more laughs until it was time to return to the Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly the Lord Beaverbrook) and get ready for the rehearsal at The Cathedral. Steph, Kathie, Mamise, Rebecca, Marie, Emily, Jen and Sarah at The Palate
Rev. Jen ran a tight ship for the rehearsal and all went smoothly! Afterwards we convened at The Blue Door a few blocks away for a wonderful rehearsal dinner hosted by the Harrises, with the menu chosen by Lou ahead of time. Below are the centrepieces ordered by Rebecca and made by the florist at the Co-op. They lasted a good week or more afterwards at the lakehouse!
Mamise, Ben, Jen and godmother of the bride, Ann
The groom's family: brother and best man, Richard, mom Rebecca, dad Charles and grandma Mamise
And The Big Day dawned sunny, clear and warm...first up after breakfast at the hotel was hair up-dos anbd make-up! Codie works her magic on the beautiful bride!
When we were all perfectly coiffed and made-up, we picked up take-out lunch at Quizno's and brought it back to the girls' room. Bride Stephie, Priest officiant and matron of honour Jen, bridesmaids Emily and Sarah.
Steph's gift to her attendants was a LONG beach towel (especially for Em) and monogrammed beach bags from LL Bean!
Ben picked up the bridal flowers at The Co-op: "exactly what I wanted! They are perfect!"
The Dress-back
and front
The accessories
The finished product!
Sisters
We walked to The Cathedral along The Green by the Saint John River, taking pictures along the way. Here's Steph and her proud Dad!
Steph and 2/3 bridesmaids Sarah and Emily (Rev. Jen had to leave to put her other "hat" on at Church!)
Some terrific shots of the bride
Sarah and Emily
It was just about 3 p.m. and we all had a wedding to get to! Hasta luego...
Jen, in her role as Matron of Honour, planned and threw a bridal shower for Steph on the Thursday evening before the wedding. It was held at Steph's godmother's new condo in Fredericton North. There was a flurry of baking at the Lakehouse prior to the event (just HOW many pounds of butter did we go through?!?), Ann bought some cute decorations, and Jen packed up some of Grannie Peyton's teacups and dishes to use on the special occasion. We picked up a veggie and fruit tray at the Co-op, made punch, tea and coffee, and the chocolate theme reigned supreme with brownies, cookies, Nanaimo bars and cupcakes! It was a lovely evening! Thanks, Jen, for all your hard work!
Here are the PJP girls from Slidell, LA: Jenee, Sarah, Sadie, Steph and Emily
Wendy (who biked from Montreal with husband, Zav!), Rebecca (mother-of-the groom) and her niece, Marie from the US
Bourque girls: Erika, Steph, Lindsay, Suzanne and Aunt Denise
Baby Ryder with Mom Melanie and Aunt Lori
Sarah with bridesmaid Sarah, who kept track of the gifts
Aunt Julianne with Baby Jessica (6 wks), Madison and Shelley from Mississauga, ON
The bride, cool as a cucumber!
POTS from Paderno! Yeah, just what we wanted!
Aunt Denise and Uncle Brian went to Newfoundland last week and brought me back a "sou-wester"! (for the NOLA hurricane season?)
First cousins from 33 years to 6 weeks! Melanie and Erika Lindsay, Jen, Baby Jessica, Steph and Allison
Steph with her new US family: Lou's grandmother Mamise, cousin Marie and mother Rebecca
Besides the pots, Jen bought some of Steph's baking items listed on her registry at Bed, Bath and Beyond and had them sent to Sarah's house in NOLA. She bought miniatures of many of these items at IKEA in Montreal and wrapped them up for Steph to have something tangible at the shower. Steph wondered why on earth her sister was giving her doll toys! It was a lovely evening, with much gratitude to Jen and Ann for all the hard work they did to bring it all together!
