The purple dress.

You may remember me writing about May 2, 2009, the day my cousins Erin and Jesse got married. Looking back, that was probably one of my hardest weekends to be in Haiti, knowing that there would be such a great party happening for them back on Canadian soil, and feeling so far away. But, thanks to my genius Uncle Rand and a strong Skype connection, I got to watch my beautiful cousins and friends enter in their purple gowns, and then I bawled uncontrollably as Uncle Pauly led Erin into the sanctuary while the pianist played a 'How beautiful' melody. For the record, I realized in that moment of running for kleenexes that it was probably a blessing I wasn't at the front of the church!

Fast forward 3 years... Following their engagement, my dear friend Sidonie and her fiancee, Mike set their wedding day for October 22, 2011. This past summer I got an e-mail from Sidonie, asking me to purchase a purple dress to be a part of their processional. With only a few weeks left before I was returning to Haiti, I began searching the stores for something suitable to wear with no luck. Finally, it dawned on mom that most of the bridesmaids from Erin's wedding still had their dresses unaltered - purple dresses! Thankfully we've all got the same body type, so it wasn't long before I was doing fittings with Cort and Kels, and then loading up the borrowed dress in my car. Upon my arrival in Haiti, I hung it up in my closet and waited for the day to arrive....

And what a day it was! I was so honoured to participate in the opening processional with Sidonie's other sisters, cousins and close friends. I was paired with Robenson, and we followed the Haitian tradition by doing a dancey-type of march down the aisle. Throughout the week we had received some coaching on this and did a few practices together, which is another story, but it definitely added to the experience! Robenson is pretty shy to begin with, so the whole idea of walking in front of a large crowd of people wasn't exactly his cup of tea. As we practiced though, I could sense his confidence growing, and yesterday just after we were seated from our entrance, I glanced over at him - He was beaming and giving me a big thumbs up. Success! :)

Following the vows, prayers, and a huge cheer for the kiss, we all made our way over to the cafeteria for a Haitian feast (including crab and lobster - yum!), with music and a lot more pictures. Unfortunately due to a poor internet connection that we've had over recent weeks, I am not able to include any with this blog, but I'll be doing my best to upload a few favourites when the connection cooperates.

Scrolling through all of my snapshots from the day, I realize how blessed I am to be a part of such a wonderful group of people, and what wonderful memories were made!

At the end of the night when I reached my apartment, I looked at my reflection and smiled. Even though I was unable to wear this same purple dress for the Moore/Czepek wedding a few springs ago, the Lord provided such a fantastic substitute. A substitute that I never would have imagined, but then again - He's really a master at unexpected blessings!

And a little shout out to Erin, Cort and Kels... Thanks for letting me carry on the purple dress! :)