Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Two Hearts

Back in October, Franks nephew Brendan and his beloved Margaret got married.

church16
The wedding took place in the hall across from Frank's childhood church, St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Oshawa, Ontario. His grandparents had a large part in fund raising to get the church established into the community. It's green domes are a familiar sight to those who drive past it regularly on the 401 highway, and since it sits within a few miles of Frank's old home, we've driven past it numerous times.

For years, Frank has indicated that he thought I'd like to have a look at, and to photograph its beautiful interior. We tried once or twice but our timing was off and the church's doors were closed during those times.

Brendan and Margaret's wedding (we'll get to that soon) offered us that opportunity, and at some point during the reception, we headed over to have a look.


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This stunning and intricate wall of architecture and art is the first to greet you when your eyes and camera adjust to the dim light.

"Look up" Frank said.




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And so I did.





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And when I turned around to look back toward the entrance, I saw this.





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Frank and his sisters chatted with the priest for a bit while I snapped a few more photos. And then it was time to head back to the hall.





choose a seat
This was the simple and sweet message that welcomed guests to the ceremony, earlier in the day.





guestbook tree
Instead of the ususal guest book, the groom's brother's fiancée painted this lovely birch tree with all its bare branches. On the table, there were two shades of green stamp pads, markers and a package or two of handy wipes. Guests were instructed to ink their thumbs and leave their leaf-shaped print on a branch of the tree. After cleaning the ink from our thumbs, we wrote our names on the newly-formed leaf with a marker. What a great idea and beautiful keepsake.





center pieces
Table decorations were these casual but elegant mason jar candles.





dressup
One of the fun new trends at weddings is the photo booth with obligatory dress up beforehand.





first dance
Here's the happy couple enjoying their first dance as husband and wife.

And if you like dancing - and kidlets, you might just enjoy my next post in a few days. It features one very cute little wedding guest. Stay tuned.

61 comments:

Cloudia said...

A wonderful wedding, and how special that their union should flourish where the parents planted



ALOHA to YOU
from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^=

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

The church is stunning! I've never seen one so elaborate. One brief visit wouldn't be enough to absorb all the detail, but your photos are amazing. Congratulations to the happy couple. Love the "guest tree" idea. So clever.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I love weddings. And the church - most beautiful. Seems those that sit at the front and look back often have the best view. I'm a back row person. Maybe I need to venture further into the church.

Andy said...

The church is an icon to anyone driving the 401 through Oshawa. Never realize how beautiful the interior is. Good luck to the bride and groom in their new adventure.

June said...

I am enchanted by the different details. The tree, especially. What a great idea!
Of course, the church is breathtaking, but no more so than the newlyweds. :-)

Is the littlest guest . . . Benny???

messymimi said...

That church reminds me of some that i saw in Europe -- beautiful! A lovely wedding, and i can't wait for the rest of the story.

Theresa said...

That is one beautiful building with its onion domes and amazing glass and ceiling frescos.
So few of them left in such fine condition. A tribute to the congregation for sure. Some wonderful wedding ideas too. What a celebration it must have been. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

Fabulous church! both interior and exterior areas are beautiful..

Out on the prairie said...

Lovely church, I had never seen the tree idea.

Tabor said...

Such great wedding ideas! Too bad all the young folks are married in my family!

DJan said...

What a beautiful place! And I of course love all of your pictures, setting the mood and the feeling of love all around. :-)

Hilary said...

What a lovely church. I really enjoyed seeing it.......I once went to Canterbury Cathedral, long before I had my Nikon, and long before I blogged........it, too, was incredible.

Brian Miller said...

that tree is so cool...what a gift to them...and love the inside of that church...the attention to little details...i love that about old churches...it is art...

Jackie said...

The church looks like some of those that I've seen in Europe. Spectacular...inside and out.
I love the patina on the outer copper portions and the intricate details on the inside. Just beautiful.
I look forward to each of your little wedding-guest photographs. I can't wait!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos. I hope their future is filled with much happiness and good health and prosperity.

TexWisGirl said...

the church is really awesome and full of culture. and i love this couple's idea of interactive wedding fun. :)

Gail Dixon said...

The Catholics almost always have such beautiful churches. Love the ceiling paintings and other art. I am LOVING that keepsake idea. How cool is that??!!

Anvilcloud said...

The venue looks good and was certainly historically appropriate. The tree and thumb idea was goo.

Maggie May said...

The church is beautiful and I love the paintings and also the stained glass windows.
I think there is an atmosphere in an established church like that, don't you think? All the prayers that have gone on before.

Loved the notice!
The couple look so proud and happy.
Thanks for sharing.
Maggie x

Nuts in May

ellen abbott said...

I love the simplicity of the mason jars with candles and the tree instead of a guest book is wonderful. the church is pretty nice too but I always wonder how many people in need could have been helped whenever I see opulent churches.

Pearl said...

I'm not a religious person, but I could be, in that church.

(Love the mason jars. Weddings have gotten so creative!)

Pearl

Barb said...

Stunning architecture in the church! This pair has some seriously creative ideas. I like weddings that show a little personality. Enjoy the season, Hilary.

Rob-bear said...

Wonderful pictures and a delightful story. Thanks for sharing all that.

Blessings and Bear hugs!

stephen Hayes said...

Such a beautiful venue to get married in. Great pictures. I wish the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness.

Catherine said...

That is one stunning church! What a wonderful place to marry. I love the message on the board too - my oldest son married earlier this year and I can exactly see the point of that message!

Rosaria Williams said...

Thanks for sharing this beautiful occasion with us. You always capture what most people miss!

Red said...

That is a very beautiful ,ornate church. The detail that goes into these structures is mind boggling. Who's the guy who sits down and gets all this in his head before it's done? I don't expect an answer. It's just a thought.

Susan Kane said...

What an astounding church! The new traditions they are incorporating are delightful.

Friko said...

A magnificent church, very eastern European.

Congratulations to the happy couple, may the light shine on them and illuminate their every day.

Unknown said...

As an Eastern European by descent kid, this church is a familiar setting to my eyes and so well photographed, Hilary. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Bone said...

Wow, what a magnificent building! Thank you so much for sharing these photos.

I didn't know about the dress up. I've not been to a wedding in about five years, though. Must be a drought or something around these parts.

Linda said...

What a lovely and unique wedding, and the church was absolutely beautiful, especially the ceiling and chandelier.

Reena said...

Truly a beautiful church!!! Beautiful captures.

Daryl said...

i love these ideas .. the stamp pad leaves, the mason jar table lights ... and the photos inside the church .. exquisite

Bob Bushell said...

Lovely architecture of a church, and I'm looking to see what is happening later.

Magia da InĂŞs said...

°Âş✿♫
°Âş✿
Âş° ✿✿ ♫° ·.Que sĂ©rie mais linda de fotos!
Bom Noite!!!!
¸.•°♪♬♫Âş°

Tammie Lee said...

lovely photos of the special occasion. wishing them love, joy and happiness!

Suldog said...

You know the troubles I've been having commenting, so I hope this takes...

That is a lovely church, and your photographs of it are (as always) superb. The stained glass and artwork remind me very much of my own childhood place of worship, Saint Gregory's in Dorchester (Boston), although there was not quite such a profusion of iconography in my Roman Catholic church (quite a bit, but nothing beats the Eastern churches for that.)

Also, I absolutely love the sweety admonition to choose a seat and not a side :-)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to Brendan and Margaret! That church is so beautiful!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely church. The way you have taken the photos are really superb.

A Cuban In London said...

Although atheist, I have always been attracted to churches and their interiors. I loved your pictures of this one. Best wishes to the happy couple! :-)

Greetings from London.

Unknown said...

The hall is really nice. They must have had a lovely wedding.

Unknown said...

The hall is really nice. They must have had a lovely wedding.

Unknown said...

The hall is really nice. They must have had a lovely wedding.

Unknown said...

The hall is really nice. They must have had a lovely wedding.

Rita said...

The church is beautiful. Love the stained glass windows in the sun with the dark wooden pews.
The thumbprint tree idea is really unique! Looks like a happy wedding day! :)

photowannabe said...

What a absolutely beautiful church. I'm so glad you had a chance to photograph it.
Gorgeous wedding pictures too. I love the "guest book" especially. Keepsakes like that are so unique.

Kat said...

Wow. That church is gorgeous. And I love how in the first pic you can see the shadow from the church across the street on church you are photographing.
What a lovely wedding! So many sweet personal touches really make a wedding.

sharon said...

wow what an awesome church...thanks for sharing

Terra said...

Beautiful church both inside and out, the paintings, the murals on the inside of the domed ceiling, every aspect. I like the tree and the leaves as a guest book.

Anonymous said...

What stunning photos of the church - so gorgeous.

Maria said...

Beautiful images as usual. That's what I always see when I come here. Hi Hilary.

Pauline said...

Love accompanying you and your camera-eye both outside and in! Margaret and my daughter must have looked at the same wedding ideas online - Cassie, too had a thumbprint tree, candles in mason jars and a dress-up photo booth. Such fun!

Kerry said...

What a beautiful wedding. I love the thumbprint-signature-leaf idea. Our daughter gets married next August; maybe she'll want to do that too. :-)

John M said...

It must have been a wonderful ceremony in a beautiful church.
I wish them the best.
~John M

Indrani said...

Best wishes to the newly wed!
I love the grand interiors of the church! Great pics!

Glo said...

Congratulations to B and M! Great ideas for guest book and photo ops etc. What a magnificent church ~ I can imagine that a person could spend a long time just pirouetting in the aisle looking at everything ~

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

The church and wedding are beautiful. What a lovely venue.

Betty Manousos said...

a wonderful wedding and a beautiful church! and a wonderful story.
best wishes to the newly wed!
great photos too.

big hugs!

Merisi said...

Best wishes to the newly-wed couple!
Love the message at the entrance to the church, that's the right spirit.

Mage said...

Just lovely.