# Weddings- Merged



## pilar_breathless (10 Mar 2007)

Wheeeeeeeee!!  I cant wait until April!!  My fiance and I are finally tying the knot.  He has some 3 weeks leave and we are gonna get hitched and then go to Cancun for a wonderful Honeymoon!

Fiance has been in the Military for most of his life, since he was 18 and he is THE most wonderful man!

Any others out there hitching up this spring?


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## Cpl4Life (11 Mar 2007)

Congratulations!  I won't be hitching up this year but I will be envious of the Cancun honeymoon, that sounds fantastic.  Hope your day is great and your trip wonderful.


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## RHFC_piper (11 Mar 2007)

pilar_breathless said:
			
		

> Any others out there hitching up this spring?



My Finacee (PipersWife) and I are tying the knot April 24th, in St. Lucia.   We've been together as long as I've been in the military (8 years) and we figure it's about time we sorted this out.  So we booked an all-inclusive week at a Sandals resort in St. Lucia and told people when and where.  We didn't invite anyone directly, we just told them; if they wanted to show up, they're welcome, but we don't expect anyone to come. Thus, no pressure to invite people and/or plan a reception (the beauty of all inclusive resorts.)


Congtrats on the wedding, pilar... Have fun in Cancun.


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## rcrgruntsgirl (11 May 2007)

My husband and I got married at hte end of March, he wore his scarlets, very handsome and well worth the wait. Work up training for the tour took up most of the past year and after him being in the stan for 7 months it was absolutely perfect!


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## ms (17 May 2007)

My husband (paramedtech) and I married on Mar 24th of this year after 11 years together. Three weeks later, he was off to Edmonton to start working up for Afg 1-08. Honeymoon TBA.


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## beach_bum (17 May 2007)

And we are still waiting for pictures of The Cake.   ;D


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## ms (19 May 2007)

beach_bum said:
			
		

> And we are still waiting for pictures of The Cake.   ;D



Ha... I have just figured out how to post on the forums. Getting a photo of "the Cake" loaded up here is still out of my league.  

Mind you it really was a good cake... I'll apologize now for any random pictures of drunk wedding guests 'n family that may show up as I try to post a decent photo of the cake. May even add photo of the groom in his kilt ... next to the cake


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## geo (19 May 2007)

Married off a daughter last summer (Aug 30th)
marrying off a son this summer (Jun 30th)
One more son to go................ (+/- 10 yrs to wait  )


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## IN HOC SIGNO (19 May 2007)

I'm performing one this summer....does that count??


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## geo (21 May 2007)

Heh... are you one of the key players?


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## IN HOC SIGNO (21 May 2007)

geo said:
			
		

> Heh... are you one of the key players?



Well they can't do the ceremony without me and two witnesses so I guess you could say "key".....they are the star attraction though of course.


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## CdnArtyWife (22 May 2007)

IN HOC SIGNO said:
			
		

> Well they can't do the ceremony without me and two witnesses so I guess you could say "key".....they are the star attraction though of course.


 :rofl:


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## niner domestic (23 May 2007)

Congrats to everyone who tied the knot and best wishes for those who are about to tie the knot.  As a friendly reminder, now that the wedding and honeymoon are over, to sit down and fill out your wills, POAs and Substitute Decision Makers forms and documents.  Remember, marriage null and voids all previous wills (unless written with the marriage intent included in a clause).  Make sure you go over all your insurance documents and alter or reassign who is the beneficiary if you need to do so and make sure you complete all the necessary forms and documents with your OR.


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## juliet (28 Aug 2008)

Hi everyone,

I've done a lot of searching on this board these past few days and it's been so helpful (and sometimes humourous) to learn about what my fiance is probably going through, what to expect on my end, and what I can do to support him.  One of the things that frustrated me was the "not knowing" - when he'd get time off, when he could call, if we could write letters etc., but this board made me realize that this life of "maybe" is normal.  

We had started planning a wedding for August 2009 before he left.  During this time he should be in Gagetown completing Phases 2,3,4 of training as an Engineering Officer from what I understand - my question is, is it likely that he will be able to get time off to come home to Toronto for his own wedding??  Does this "depend" on when courses end, or his performance, or on anything else, or is it possible to definitively book time off?  Does he have to wait until he gets to Gagetown to find out?  

We've pretty much booked a venue, and I don't want to have everything booked only to find out a week before the wedding that he won't be able to come home...  Does anyone have answers to questions in the previous paragraph, or has anyone been in a similar situation?


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## aesop081 (28 Aug 2008)

juliet said:
			
		

> but this board made me realize that this life of "maybe" is normal.



It is not only normal, but you will learn to thrive in that kind of chaos.



> Does he have to wait until he gets to Gagetown to find out?



Most likely, yes.



> We've pretty much booked a venue,



Be prepared to un-book it or change your dates. When i was planning on getting married, i got suddenly sent overseas for 45 days. We moved the wedding date accordingly. Then it changed to 6 or 7 months. Once i got to the country, nobody knew when we were going to go home. We changed the dates yet again. In hindsight, i should have seen that as a hint not to get married but thats a whole other story....lol

I wold definately wait until he gets to Gagetown and has more information before booking anything at all.


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## Colin Parkinson (28 Aug 2008)

One bit of advice: "The wedding is about you and him, everyone else is just along for the ride. Don't get bullied/guilted into something neither of you want to do and DON'T assume anything on his part, talk about it and find out what you both really want. Good luck


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## juliet (28 Aug 2008)

Wow, thanks CDN Aviator for your personal experience and to you and Colin for your advice.  We've been together for 7 years (as of yesterday) and have always planned to get married after we were done schooling and he got a job (I'm in grad school) - we just didn't anticipate that his job would be what it is now!  We are definitely doing things our way   

I guess we will just have to play things by ear until he gets to Gagetown.  Just two more questions, CDN Aviator, when you changed the dates, you did so not knowing if you'd get that date off, and were hoping for the best?  Or did they say you could get that date off but then changed the plans?  Is it easier to book definitive time off after all your training is complete and you get posted?


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## aesop081 (28 Aug 2008)

juliet said:
			
		

> Just two more questions, CDN Aviator, when you changed the dates, you did so not knowing if you'd get that date off, and were hoping for the best?



We just kept pushing it back to where i thought it would work out and, of course, it never really did. We made the final date change when it became clear i would be home before xmas.....we moved it to later in Jan. I never really knew until i actualy got home if i would have to push it again.



> Is it easier to book definitive time off after all your training is complete and you get posted?



The courses he will go on will have definitive dates. He will find out alot more details on the when he gets to Gagetown. I used to teach at the engineer school and whn i was there, summer leave was a big thing. Everything shut down, courses and all. Same during the hollidays. He will have time off but until he gets to gagetown, exactly when will remain unclear.


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## armyvern (28 Aug 2008)

juliet said:
			
		

> ...
> 
> I guess we will just have to play things by ear until he gets to Gagetown.  Just two more questions, CDN Aviator, when you changed the dates, you did so not knowing if you'd get that date off, and were hoping for the best?  Or did they say you could get that date off but then changed the plans?  Is it easier to book definitive time off after all your training is complete and you get posted?



It's better to "book dates for a wedding" after he has a "definitive, signed and authorized leave pass from his Unit". As that Unit will be in Gagetown, he needs to wait until he gets here to apply for leave. They'll be able to tell him when his courses are complete and when the "block leave" period is. When he gets that info, he should submit a leave pass for that time period, and, when he gets it back all signed off and authorized as "good to go", THEN you should book the venue for a time which is within those authorized dates.

THEN, should something happen with those dates (for any myriad of reasons such as CDN Aviator suggested is always possible with jobs like ours) --- at least he had a signed and authorized leave pass and will be eligible to apply to have costs associated with, and already spent, for your wedding reimbursed to him due to his leaves's cancellation.

Keep ALL of your receipts - don't expend any funds on anything until he's got that signed leave pass.

There's always Option Two which works well for course candidates who are ALWAYS unsure of their timetables/tasks (teaches them tolerance, _I suppose_): Hit the JP on a weekend. Cheaper too.  8)


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## juliet (28 Aug 2008)

You guys are awesome, thanks for all the info.  We just might hit the JP sometime before then, but eventually we'd like to throw a partay


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## aesop081 (28 Aug 2008)

juliet said:
			
		

> You guys are awesome, thanks for all the info.  We just might hit the JP sometime before then, but eventually we'd like to throw a partay



Some of my freinds did that. They went to the JP when it was convenient for them and threw a party for everyone else when summer leave season hit and they had a predictable period of time away from work.


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## muffin (29 Aug 2008)

When I got married we were living here in Ontario, and "hubby-to-be" was in the field somewhere in Gagetown. I told everyone Sept 1st we were getting married Oct 4th, and whoever could make it was welcome to come. (Invites to the evening reception/dance were flyer-party style haha) Extra bonus: I got to plan the whole thing myself (with the occasional mother and mother-in-law-to-be assistance)   We did have one moment where we thought he wouldn't make it back in time... but he got home 2 days before the wedding. (My dad threatened to go retreive him by helicopter if necessary haha... I had to remind him the AF uniform he had on didn't mean he could fly things - he was the Padre! haha)

Of course, hubby's  WO tried to call him in the afternoon of the day we got married (you are getting married in the morning right??? Can you assist a drivers course in the afternoon???) and he had to leave again 2 days after the wedding... so I spent our "honeymoon" washing the Gagetown mud out of his combats in the tub! Ah those were the days! ha ha

All in all we had a great wedding, lots of my family made it on seat sales from the east coast, we had 2 receptions(lunch and evening dance - food, cakes, DJ's the whole deal), and the whole thing cost me $500 for the dress (Dresses are often 50-60% off in Sept !) and a few bottles of champagne. (We used every favor and freebe available to us!)







Almost 11 years later - I am getting my honeymoon this year! New Years in Punta Cana  
11 years later, 4 years in Reserves myself, and being an AF Brat, and the military still manages to throw me a curve-ball now and then too! Can't imagine how boring it would be without it!

My dad was booked to marry this one couple on the base 4 times over 3 years ... each time had to be cancelled and re-booked because the groom kept being deployed... the CO of (then) 1CDHSR took pitty on them after that and they finally got it ... haha... that is probably the "worst case" I have heard - though I am sure there are others.

Is your fiance by any chance at RMC? I have seen them work to accomidate weddings (when they can) in between phase training and school.  

muffin


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## BinRat55 (29 Aug 2008)

OMG look at at the old CF tans!!! Brings back memories!!

Juliet - I don't have much input to your date-dilemma, but I just want to commend you for supporting hubby the way you have been - reading up on this forum taken as a whole will give you a good idea of the trials and tribulations we (spouses included) go through.

It's not easy to be a military spouse - it takes a special kind of person to stand behind a soldier. My first wife never was that kind of person and we had to part ways. My wife now (of 12 years) IS that kind of person and it makes a big difference in how I go to work every day and how much I look forward to going home after the day / week / tour is done!! You have shown (to me anyway) that you and your man have a great future ahead of you. Good luck and remember - you're not alone when your family includes the Canadian Forces!!


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