Sometimes it feels like yesterday, other times a lifetime ago. Especially these days, our marriage has been put to the test.

The last 15 years spent with a husband I call “team mate” has only shown me that if you put in the effort, commitment and sacrifice, married life can be wonderful.

We had planned an international trip to mark our 15 year milestone, Covid19 had other plans. The kids and I decided instead to surprise my husband on our anniversary with a vow renewal in Mont Tremblant (our home away from home). The kids all wrote speeches, and planned to take turns acting as the officiant. Our youngest would be the “flower girl”.

Since our anniversary was in June, and there were still many restrictions in place. Except for some food establishments at half capacity, the hill was mostly closed. We decided to have a ceremony outside a quaint little church at the bottom of the Village called St. Bernard, rain or shine. My sister came up to help pull off the surprise, and I hired local photographer to capture the moments from a distance.

I din’t want to wear white, so I picked on off-the shoulder pale pink dress. I had the girls wear white. Mikhaela is now a pre-teen and “so over” dresses, so jumpsuit from Suzy Sheir was the perfect outfit for her. As for Alessia, a lace dress made the a wonderful flower girl choice. Giorgio just wore an H&M outfit of dress shorts and a short sleeve button up, as I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable. I packed one of Mike’s work suits, and a pale pink pocket square to match my pale pink dress. The day before the ceremony, the girls and I picked wildflowers to make their bouquets. I bought one from Michaels prior to leaving Ottawa for myself. The ceremony was absolute perfection. We managed to surprise Mike, and he started crying the minute our song played (thanks to an outdoor speaker and my sister) and he saw the kids at the outdoor “isle”.

It started raining at that very moment, but the sun came our halfway through – exactly like it had on our actual wedding day. We’ve now had the big Italian/Lebanese wedding with 425 guests, and now an intimate ceremony with just the 5 of us. I can honestly say that I am still on a high from the intimate ceremony. Having just the 5 of us allowed us to focus on our unique connection, and the love that brought us together.

For all those who have had their large weddings postponed, I am here to tell you that a small, intimate affair is a very special option.

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The world turned grey this year. I wanted to add colour back for my family. A small vow renewal may not seem like much, but planning the surprise with my kids gave us something to look forward to. This memory will last a lifetime for them. If you have it in you, I encourage you all to plan little something special to mark your love and the beautiful moments you have spent in isolation.

Thank you to the local Tremblant photographer, Nat Lapointe, for being so flexible with us and for capturing this moment from a distance.

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