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Wedding In Maple Creek |
| FTLComm - Maple Creek - Monday, September 10, 2001 - Pictures by Timothy and Judy Shire |
 With wall to wall sunshine it was time Saturday afternoon for Kevin Mulatz and Connie Christie to marry. The two had grown up in Maple Creek and moved into the working world as young adults and their relatives, friends and members of the community came out to be a part of this occasion at the United Church. We arrived about thirty minutes ahead of time and the church was almost full then and before the service began it was standing room only. |
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| The wedding was video taped and photographer Gary Houston was on hand (above left) to photograph proceedings for the couple and their families. Not only were the members of the community present but people came from long distances to witness this marriage as both a testament to the families but to the importance of this occasion for this young couple. |
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| The ceremony began with the mothers of the bride and groom going to alter and lighting a family candle then Henry and Sheila proudly escorted their son to the front of the church to await his bride. |
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| The exchange of vows, signed the register and being presented to the congregation by Pastor Carolyn Conarroe are all seen in the composite image above. |
 The maid of honour was Kerry Weiss while Shawn Christie was the best man. The Bridesmaids were the bride's sister, Cara Darling and the groom's sister Kendra Mulatz. The groom was attended by his friends Tyler Packard and Trevor Moorhead. The flower girl was the bride's niece, Paige Darling and her nephew, Shelton Christie. Thirty-eight years ago the bride's mother and father were married in Maple Creek's United Church and in the huge congregation there were many who had attended or participated in that wedding just as many present would some day have the opportunity be a part of their grand child's marriage. The cheer and good will of the friends and relatives are part of the whole process of marriage and in a community with such a powerful connection with itself there was that feeling that this was an event that was both supported and blessed. |
 With the ceremony over the bride and grown came down the isle followed by their attendants, this composite pictures shows the new sisters-in-law, Cara, sister of the bride and Kendra, sister of the groom. The wedding party then had some pictures to be taken in the church while the huge congregation visited in the sunlit afternoon. For those of us from a distance this was an excellent opportunity to meet people we had not seen in decades, while most of the people were |
 neighbours who enjoyed each others company all of the time. Connie has become part of the community's health care administration while Kevin works at a local car dealership. Growing up and going to work in your own home town is not the norm for most young people in most Saskatchewan communities. Once out of the church the newly married couple were greeted and it was time just to get another picture or two. |
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 There were a number of babies at the ceremony and the flower girls at age two is still very young. Paige Darling found the ceremony a bit tedious and so would most two year olds. Since all of us were once two and most of us have been parents knowing full well the trials of being a young mother everyone was understanding as the exuberant Paige was able to let off steam on the lawn. It is remarkable how children develop and certain landmarks in their development are as regular as clockwork. For everyone, two is when we learn to say and understand the meaning of the simple word "no." |
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 The tradition in most communities is to hold a short parade after a wedding and honk your car horn proclaiming the event. Kevin and Connie did this in style as they road off on the back seat of a magnificent 1962 Cadilac convertible. Once this tour was over they and their immediate family went off to Cypress Hills Provincial Park for the ideal setting of some great pictures for the family album. At 6:00 the reception was held in the really impressive Maple Creek Armoury, the very place the bride's parents held their wedding reception. |
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| What set this meal off as something very special is that the meal was served. High
School students from Maple Creek brought the food to the tables and cleared away
the dishes in the traditional and family way of sharing a meal. It was truly a perfect
way to start off a marriage. About nine speeches and seven toasts would be a part of the reception. |
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| The tradition of a dance saw the two-hundred fifty guests at the reception joined by hundreds more for an evening of celebration. Below in this series of images we see the bride's dance. |
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| The armoury and is outstanding dance floor is really an exceptional place to hold
a celebration as the scene below tells the story. The mother and sister of the bride
had decorated the huge place with lights, linen table clothes and it was great. The picture below is a composite image with the bride dancing with her father Don Christie and if you look closely she is also seen dancing with someone else. |
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