There is nothing in this world like a family wedding, especially one in Saskatchewan.
Television shows or movies about weddings don't seem to touch on the reality of what they are, at least for me. On those shows, it's all drama, drama, drama - crying brides, stressed out grooms, demands for a perfection that's almost unattainable, and a focus on the event as a single day, not the beginning of a long and happy marriage.
The setup of these weddings are even different than what I'm used to. In the movies, there's a ceremony and a supper, and a dance that ends in the early evening hours with the bride and groom driving away in some sort of vintage vehicle all decked out for the event, and everyone else left at the dance.
In Saskatchewan, things don't happen that way.
The focus of a wedding usually isn't perfection. And it's not about a single day. It's about two people starting off their life together.
But it's also not just about witnessing vows between two people, although that is a major part of what a wedding should be. It's also not just about feeding a bunch of people and then watching them dance for a bit in the afternoon.
A wedding is so much more than that.
It's like a mini family reunion, without the mosquitoes.
It's a time to connect with family members you haven't seen in years, to remember things you used to do when you were little, and connect with the cousins who used to be so much younger than you but now seem to have caught up to you in age.
It's a time to talk about things both serious - like career goals - and frivolous - like how to walk in extremely high heels - with your aunts, and discuss farming and hockey with your uncles.
It's a time to remember those who have passed on, and who attend the wedding in spirit, but not in body.
It's a time to let loose on the dance floor, with the bride and groom, who stay until the wee hours of the morning, ensuring they experience every moment of their wedding day.
It's a time to see your 80-plus year old uncle still dancing at 1 a.m., along with not only his family members, but the friends of the bride and groom, and the members of the other family there.
It is, in general, just a lot different than those weddings we see in films. And since I've never actually attended a family wedding outside the province, this is the only kind I have experienced.
And I have to say, I wouldn't have it any other way.
