14 months ago, on December 23rd 2015 I came home from filming my very first music video to find a big surprise in my kitchen. Fair warning before you click that link, no I’m not a singer and I’m under no illusion that I’m good but yes my brother and I record a couple of songs each year for our mom after years of her begging us to do so.
Brent had a bottle of wine (Grand Pre, the same as we shared on our first date), a branded bottle with our faces on it, and an engraved wine stopper… You can guess what that wine stopper said! Our love story began just shy of 3 years before but that’s a story for another day. In less than a month, at ages 33 (me) and 38 (him) we’ll be laughing our way down the isle (as we do through life) on a beach in Mexico. *Swoon*
Pre-Wedding Celebrations
This past weekend, some of our nearest and dearest made us feel incredibly special by planning bachelorette/bachelor parties as well as a lovely bridal shower (I’ll cover this next Friday). This post, is in celebration of that and all of the people who were involved.
Naturally, the boys didn’t take a ton of photographs but luckily one of them is a close friend/photographer and he captured a few. They started at Hunt Indoor Gun range here in Truro, moseyed over for a boys night at Bubba Rays Sports bar and finished strong with a serious poker game right here at our loft.
WARNING: ADULT CONTENT (nothing crazy, but the usual goodies you would expect).
Let’s talk bachelorette shall we? I wasn’t sure what to expect. All of the stagette’s I’ve attended were years ago…like lot’s of years…when we were in our early 20’s. That said, I really WANTED a stagette mainly because it’s an amazing excuse to get a bunch of friends together and dance our little butts off for a happy reason. So that’s exactly what we did.
I was so happy and surprised to see the ladies as they arrived at our room. Some I knew would be there (my bridal party and closest friends), some I was pleasantly surprised were able to attend – so many of my friends are mom’s now and I know it’s no simple task to get away for a night, and others were a complete shock and I had no idea they would be there. I can’t say how much it meant to me to have each one of the ladies one place and I know how difficult it is to organize a group of people (like herding cats), all with busy lives going in different directions so for all of that and so much more…THANK YOU.
Venue, Squad Theme & Stagette Silliness
Venue, Squad Theme & Stagette SillinessLet’s be honest, we’re in our 30’s…the usual dive motel’s just aren’t our thing anymore and the girls hit the nail on the head with this one. I arrived at the Cambridge Suites around 5pm and it was stunning. The 600 square foot suite featured a dining room, full scale working kitchen, and king bed draped in luxurious linens. I had been tasked to wear white and all the girls arrived in black because, let’s face it, even after your 20’s it’s still super fun to be the centre of attention for one evening. Side note: we will be revisiting this suite at our first opportunity. It was amazing!
My girls had the whole thing decorated and stocked with all of my favourite treats (and wine of course) along with the usual bachelorette goodies. Vodka gummy worms, “man part” cakes and cupcakes, a bowl full of mini chocolate bars and so much more!
A 30-something Itinerary…and the consequences
I can’t tell you how perfect the night was for me. We started in the beautiful suite, enjoying some cocktails, having some laughs and then playing a little “how well do you know each other” game. Candice, my Maid of Honor, had sat down with Brent the week prior and asked a series of questions on camera. I have to say, I did pretty darn well with my matching answers – I know that man 😉
Next we needed some real food in our bellies so it was off to Niche Lounge, in Halifax. They don’t take reservations on Friday’s (weird) so we had a little wait but didn’t mind a bit! We enjoyed some cocktails at the bar, followed by a much needed meal. It was lovely and we were so busy enjoying each others’ company that we didn’t take a single photo!
In fact, the rest of the night looked much the same – VERY few photos but ALL the good times! We stopped back at the suite to apply our bride tribe tattoos, touch up our make-up and then we hit the town to dance the night away at the Beer Market. And dance we did, so much that we all found ourselves limping around for the remainder of the weekend (old knees you know). It was worth every sore head, sore knee, and aching back 😉 
Reflections and Insights
There was a time in my life, not all that long ago, that I worked hard to be “liked” by everyone (albeit never successful but hey, I made an effort). I tried to be everything to everyone in life, business and relationships – trying to “fit in” and never really feeling like I did. What I know now, is that I don’t want to fit in. I’m surrounded by a few dear friends who mean the world to me and I’m fortunate enough to have found my way to what matters most.
Here’s to the next chapter…to Mexico…to lasting friendships…and to soul mates (because now, I’m a believer).
Special thanks to Idle Clutch Boutique for providing our awesome tattoos and my beautiful gold-dipped necklace (which you can win here).
