Weekend Weddings

Well, it's smack in the middle of wedding season and Jordan and I have been keeping busy!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of marrying Martin & Kristie on Saturday and then Rob & Holly on Sunday. Despite the dreary weather (really July! come on!) the couples were so sweet and fun to be with. It's nice to see people who are enjoying their wedding and taking part in the moment and not getting stuck on the small stuff, like raindrops :)

This weekend I did weddings for Ray and Stacey (possibly the most punctual wedding party I have ever been with, well done Stacey!) at gorgeous Redwoods! But it was Stacey's beaming smile as she walked down the aisle that really made for a special moment.

I also got to do the wedding for Omar and Kimberly at Omar's family's home in Brookswood. Kimberly is an interior designer so their wedding was so lovely. They had put a bunch of personal touches including string trio to play the bride in and a homemade banner on the front of the outdoor bar that read "Eat, Drink and Be Married". Adorable! It was so nice to be with them and their families who, you could see, really shared in their joy.

Wedding season 2011 is in full swing, but we have already begun to get requests for 2012, so if you'd like to set up a meeting, drop us an email and we'll get you the info as quick as we can.

Happy 125th Birthday, Milner Chapel!

It's not often I can do a blog post that can be cross-posted on Langley Politics, our wedding chaplaincy site, and our church blog--but that's how important Milner Chapel is to our community.

Milner Chapel, the little white country church near Crush Cres. and Glover Road, is turning 125 this year. On Sunday, Milner will celebrate with a pancake breakfast at 10:30 a.m., followed by entertainment and ringing of the bells at 2 p.m.

The Chapel is a historic piece of Langley. I like to joke that the pioneers built it for $919.50, and 100 years later, it cost a few hundred grand to move it half a block. Moving the Chapel off of Glover was a monumental undertaking, but it completely renewed it.

For Springbrook Church, Milner Chapel has become synonymous with Christmas. Every Christmas Eve morning, we fill the chapel, sing carols, read the Christmas story and celebrate together. Christmas just wouldn't feel the same without Milner Chapel.

I love that little chapel. It's one of my favourite spots to perform a wedding ceremony, and I love telling this story when I marry couples there:

And what a perfect spot to get married—Milner Chapel. The story behind this old building is one of love—and practicality.

You see, in the early 1880s, a Milner farmer named Henry Davis wanted to marry a girl from back east named Elizabeth. Well, Elizabeth’s dad gave his approval, subject to one small requirement—Milner had to have a church of its own. After all, he couldn’t send his daughter to some barbarian town that didn’t even have a church!

So Henry got on his horse, rode around the Fraser Valley, and raised money to build a church. Singlehandedly, he raised $919.50 and a few years later, in 1886, Milner Methodist Church, led by Rev. RJ Wood, opened its doors. It’s been a local landmark ever since. Henry married Elizabeth, and their great-grandchildren still live in Milner. The Chapel was built for love—a perfect place for these two.

Congratulations, and much gratitude to the Milner Community Association, and tireless volunteers (I'm looking at you, Dot Mufford!) for their work to preserve the Chapel.