On August 25, 2006, Elizabeth Craig, age 43, a small business owner and office manager, and Hugh Henry, age 44 and a small business owner and graphic designer, married in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, after a long, long time between their very first kiss and their very first kiss as husband and wife. Life took them on several paths after their teenage connection, but their paths converged again when the time was right. And in a symbol of new beginnings, butterflies played a big part in their wedding plans.

Here is the story of their casual, 2nd wedding, filled with family, friends, and faith…
 
“Ever since Hugh and I ‘remet’ we have been followed by butterflies. They keep appearing wherever we are and are an inspiration to us both. Butterflies are a symbol of new beginnings and so we thought it would be the perfect theme for us, in that we were starting over, beginning a new life together.” Elizabeth and Hugh brought the theme of butterflies into their wedding in several ways, which you’ll find out about later in their story.

“Since it was a second wedding, and since we have four children who are either entering into or already in post secondary schools, we didn't want to spend a lot of money. Our budget for our 75-guest wedding was $5,000,” so they found smart ways – and got some great breaks – to make the most out of their available funds. “It mattered not where we got married so long as our minister was there to perform the ceremony, but our church offered their hall at no charge to hold our reception.” So they got married in a place they loved, and it was free to them.

How the Groom Helped Out:

“Hugh helped in every way! He designed and printed and addressed the invitations, he designed some of the decorations, and he planned the whole honeymoon (which was a secret to me until we reached our destination). It truly was a team effort.”

As full wedding planning partners, Elizabeth and Hugh told their families and friends that they didn't want any help. Elizabeth’s mother insisted that she would pay for the wedding shoes and so when the bride found the perfect shoes on eBay for 99 cents, that’s what her mother paid! Beyond the shoes, the couple paid for everything themselves.

About the Wedding Gown:

“Yes, I knew it was THE dress the moment I saw it,” beams Elizabeth.

“I wanted a dress that was suitable for a second wedding, a dress that  suited my age (not something puffy or strapless), a style from years gone by, a cream coloured dress and something that I could wear again.

“We were in a small town killing time before my son's hockey game when we happened upon a small antique shop. I saw the dress but didn't have time to try it on. I wasn't officially engaged yet, but I knew it was coming. When we left the store, I told Hugh that that was THE dress. He said that if it was meant to be, it would still be there when I needed it.

“In the meantime, I tried on 2 other dresses but only to make Hugh happy (LOL) .... I knew I wanted the other dress.

“Almost a year later, I called the shop and yes, the dress was still there. The owner believed it to be my size but wasn't sure because there weren't any tags inside. She put it aside for me and emailed me some pictures of it. It took several more weeks to get back to the shop because it was 6 hours away.

“I emailed my friend the pictures and she tried to talk me out of it! She said the dress looked boxy and old fashioned (she apologized for her comments at the wedding, though.)

“I tried it on. It fit like a glove. The only thing I did to it was to remove some shoulder pads, have it steam cleaned and reattached a small bit of lace.

About the Bridal Party:

“Our four children were in our bridal party. My eldest, Shannon was my maid of honour. Hugh's daughter, Alexandra, was my bridesmaid. Hugh's eldest, Jason was his best man. My son, Justin was his groomsman.”

About the Bridal Party Wardrobe:

Elizabeth and Hugh asked the bridemaids to pick out a casual dress in a pastel medium color, at knee length. Like most wedding couples, they wanted their daughters to have something that they would wear afterwards, and they paid for their dresses. Elizabeth’s son already had a suit, and they paid for Hugh’s son to get a dark suit as well.

About the Ceremony:

“It was held on a Friday evening,” says Elizabeth. “I walked into the church with my children, and Hugh was already at the front of the church with his children. Our very dear friend, our minister, Derek performed the ceremony, and we also asked two friends of ours who are also ordained ministers to do the readings. A young girl (13 yrs) performed 3 of our favorite songs. The ceremony was much like a regular church service but one of the nicest things about it was that the first thing Hugh and I did together as husband and wife was to distribute the elements of communion together.”

About the Reception Style:

Elizabeth and Hugh’s reception was held just outside the sanctuary doors. They had decorated the hall the day before, hanging strips of gauzy pale green material along the ceiling, as well as hanging numerous butterflies from fishing line to fit the theme. “The ladies of the church warmed and set out (buffet style) the food and drink that we had purchased. We rented an amplifier and played music that we had chosen ourselves.”

“We wanted to have a casual garden party type, an all-hors d'oeuvres reception so the menu was pretty easy,” says Elizabeth, who shares her menu below. “My brother donated the wine glasses, coffee cups, napkins, plates, etc. but we bought the serving platters & large bowls & serving utensils from the dollar store.”

About the Food and Cake:

“This is what we offered to nibble on:”
Mini Quiches
Croissant Sandwiches – “We ordered 2 platters of sandwiches ready made and cut each sandwich in half.”
Shrimp & Cocktail Sauce – “We bought the large shrimp frozen - it was  less expensive than their pre-made platters”
Assorted Cheese & Cracker Platter – “We bought everything separate and  cut up the cheese ourselves the day before.”
A tossed salad - straight from the bag :)
Veggies and Dip Platter – “We bought everything separately and cut up the veggies ourselves the day before.”

To drink -
White and Red Sangria
Rum Punch
Flavored Water
Regular Water
Pop
Raspberry Lemonade
Tea
Coffee

For Dessert -
Petit Fours
Fruit Cocktail - frozen
A Chocolate Fountain with various dippers (yummy!) and a small wedding cake

“I didn't make the cake but I decorated it, and Hugh
made the decorations for the cake.”

“Just before it was set out at the reception we added two butterflies on wires that stuck out the top of the cake.”

About the Centerpieces:

They didn’t have any centerpieces, because their reception design didn’t include any tables set out. They decorated  one table with butterfly confetti, a butterfly house, a butterfly guest signature platter and a "look alike" bride and groom that the couple had made. This was their gift table, which was all they needed…and decorated beautifully within their very meaningful theme.

About the Favors:

“Our DIY butterfly-themed wedding favors were 3 butterfly note cards & envelopes, tied with ribbon and decorated with a seed paper butterfly,” says Elizabeth. “We found the images online, printed them and glued them to a raised panel of the card stock. There were really supposed to be 4 cards per pack but we ran out of card stock and it was too late to order more. :) We also gave little flower design boxes filled with mints, with an origami butterfly attached.”

Elizabeth and Hugh danced their first dance as husband and wife to The Prayer by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. “The words just fit us perfectly.”

A Long-Time-Coming Love Story:

Elizabeth says that the most unique and amazing thing about the wedding was that it happened at all!

“In 1978, Hugh and I were friends. We used to meet at the local dances most every weekend and we had even shared a kiss or two. So when he asked me to the prom in 1978, I said yes.  In keeping with Montreal grad night tradition, after the dance, we went up to the lookout point to watch the sun come up with all the other grads dressed in their finery. He asked me to go steady and I said….No. Duh! I panicked - he was 17 and I was 15 and I honestly thought he liked me just as a friend. I didn’t see him again for a very long time after that. He moved into town to go to college and I stayed in the burbs to finish high school.

“We both got married, had two kids each and ended up separated. I started a website for our high school, Hugh signed up, I welcomed him  and we started to ‘chat’. 23 years after I last saw him, we re-met and we formed an instantaneous bond! At that time, it didn't even seem possible that we could overcome all that was standing in our way, to be married in the future.”

“We love this photo because at this point, we
were already married. :)  Hugh's parents
couldn't be at the wedding due to his father's
health, but this photo was taken as soon as we had
a moment to call them  both, making our
first call as the new Mr. & Mrs. Henry.”

About the Honeymoon:

“It was fantAAAAbulous! I had no idea where we were going to spend our wedding night or our honeymoon. Hugh had planned it all. Well, we spent our wedding night, Saturday and Sunday night at the Chateau Vaudreuil - http://www.chateau-vaudreuil.com . I felt so pampered and spoiled!

“Hugh and I set out on Monday and he took the long & scenic route. He really had me wondering when the road that we were on ended and we went onto a ferry! We ended up in Picton, Ontario and we stayed at a little country inn called the Waring House - http://www.pec.on.ca/waringhouse/vt21.html . Hugh booked us into the most luxurious private suite -- a converted stone ice house which overlooked a vineyard. We stayed for three nights there. We went antique shopping, beach walking around Lake Ontario, visited several of the area’s wineries & even took in a drive in movie :) On the way home we spent one night at The Sam Jake's Inn http://www.samjakesinn.com/index.aspx in Merrickville, Ontario. We spent the next day antiquing & visiting the area’s craft stores.”

Our Wedding Journal:

“Please feel free to check out our journal for more details and photos:”
- http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingforums/showthread.php?t=3770

Elizabeth’s Best Advice For You:

“Always remember the reason that you are getting married, and don't sweat the small stuff. 20 years down the road, it won't matter where you were married, who was there or what you wore ... what will matter is that you decided to commit yourselves to each other, that day.  Remember your vows each and every day afterwards.”

Our Pash Wedding Journal
http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingforums/showthread.php?t=3770

“Almost everything that was wedding related was made by either Hugh or myself.”

Visit Elizabeth and Hugh’s website:
Serendipity Crafts
Personalized Plates, Signature Platters & Gifts
http://www.serendipity-crafts.com