Well the first few weeks we spent introducing Brielle to my family in Nova Scotia and Ontario, the Lynch Clan and the Stephenson Clan and of course my dad T-Jay, Kelly and their kids Zack and Haley. It had been many years since I’ve spent any appreciable amount of time with much of my family and it was such a joy and heartfelt reunion, and I was ridiculously proud to show off my beautiful new bride to be. Brielle dazzled them, T-Jay and Kelly loved her as a daughter immediately and soon as we drove around Nova Scotia meeting my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins and friends, everyone else came to love her as well. I had conversations I have been dying to have with my family for years and I felt my heart opening more and more to them as night by night passed with more laughter and love.

Out with T-Jay and Kelly

We then travelled to Ontario for a week to visit the Stephenson side of my family. I got a chance to open up to my father about the past, and hear many things he hadn’t told me before. We shared memories of my youth with Brielle and soon my grandparents and aunts and uncle showed up and shared even more stories, pictures and memories. So many things I had forgotten and came flooding back to me, so much time filled in as we all reminisced. It was like this energetic cord got plugged back in and brought an entire lifetime back into my memory and my heart. We spent as much time as we could with my grandparents who we knew could not make it to the wedding due to their health, and they told me stories of live music and bustling Toronto. My grandfathers charm and my grandmothers beauty. Brielle looked at me in a new light and realized how much better she was getting to know as pieces of me were reflected in my family. We got to talk a bit about the work we do in Peru, with happiness and self-programming through choice and the belief system. They were very open to it and interested in hearing more, which we proudly showed off.

When we returned to Nova Scotia we began to feel the day coming up. Brielle and I spent a week in Halifax touring around a bit more and meeting up with some friends. We met with planners, photographers, florists, and travelled to Wolfville to check out the venue. Choices to be made, preparations, organizations. It became very real very fast and before we knew it her family was on their way. T-Jay and Kelly organized a night at the Dingle, a beautiful watchtower in Halifax overlooking the bay, where Brielle’s family could meet mine before the wedding. Brielle and I had been anticipating this moment for so long and we watched as her father and mother embraced my father and mother, my grandparents, her brother and sister meeting my cousins and aunts and uncles. My cousin Marlie gave me a hug I will never forget and I burst into tears. It was one of the most powerful moments I have ever felt and soon Brielle was on my lap and we were both crying tears of joy watching our families connect with each other. So much love and gratitude and celebration for us was shared. T-Jay gave a beautiful speech and I felt his heart so deeply and the connection of our families had begun in the most beautiful way possible.

Crying together after T-Jay's speech

The next day we headed to Wolfville where we were to be married and I had the honor of bringing a welcome gift bag to all of our arriving guests, feeling each one of them even though we had not met yet and beginning to weave an even bigger web of connection. Soon they were pouring in from all over North America, and at a night at the pub brother Bryan and uncle Kenny had organized, I turned around to see a river of Brielle’s family pouring towards us with so much excitement to meet me and to begin the festivities. I once again burst as I met people we’ve been talking about for years. Her uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, bridesmaids, best friends, sorority sisters, brothers… it went on and on and everyone was so kind and generous with their hugs and hearts. I felt like I knew them all already and as I put names to faces and hugs I felt something enormous growing inside of me. Gratitude. All these people had travelled all this way to celebrate Brielle and I and our love.

The next day an amazing scavenger hunt around the town of Wolfville where our guests had to figure out trivia involving Nova Scotia and Brielle and I to get to know everyone a little better. A huge hit and everyone had a blast and we all had many more conversations which continued into the evening when my whole family and friends showed up and thus began the weaving together of everyone at our wedding. I have never seen so many beautiful people in one place in all my life and they were all there for us! Brielle and I walked around like the King and Queen and mingled and had little chats here and big warm hugs there, heart openings and handshakes. My family and friends met her family and friends under a beautiful valley sky, with my brother Tyler singing amazing jazzy songs to add the sexy funk to the whole evening. Connection strengthening. The energy was growing. At a certain point Brielle had been asking me about a hashtag about the wedding where people could post pics to. #hurricanesexy came to my mind as we are known as the Sexies and I could literally feel a hurricane brewing.

That great family scavenger hunt

Well. The next day seen that hurricane set at full force. I took my new brother Bryan for a drive right before we headed to the venue with my groomsman and had a conversation about how powerful it was connecting our families together, and how much more I was feeling him, Keith, Marcy, Hayley and all of Brielle’s family as my own. My heart had been opening to family for weeks now and it just became more and more powerful the closer we came to the moment. Me and my groomsman got dressed together and I welcomed Bryan as a brother into our 876 family. Jake, Taylor, Brandon, Matt, Tyler, Joey and Dave. It was so cool to have all the boys together again, as it had been literally since high school.

And then it began. Before I knew it I was walking down a beautiful stretch of vineyard overlooking the Bay of Fundy over a path of roses to a string quartet, strutting like a King through a crowd of people I loved dearly, and soon watched as my groomsman escorted her beautiful bridesmaids, then our parents, and then Keith escorted the most beautiful sight I had ever seen in my entire life. Brielle, dazzling, shining like a princess in her wedding gown. I could barely keep myself together but as soon as we locked eyes I became her strength and she she never took her eyes off of me. I shook Keith’s hand and took Brielle with me to stand and listen to the officiant marry us and her Aunt Ginger tell the amazing story of how Brielle made the choice to come to Peru to be with me. Her words were beautiful. The day was perfect, and Bryan set a glass down in Jewish tradition for me to shatter to seal the deal. We walked down the aisle together as husband and wife to the beautiful strings of “Bittersweet Symphony”.

Finally we are husband and wife!

Finally we are husband and wife!

Of course. Now it was time for the party to start. We were introduced by Jake my best man as husband and wife and came storming into the tent with a live band roaring out “Wild Thing” to which we boogied and fired it right up. Everyone was so happy to come up and give us hugs and congratulations and we could both feel their hearts and love. I’ve never felt more gratitude in my life as the magic we had created unleashed in full force and everyone’s hearts were bursting open.

I found Keith and gave him the biggest hug ever embracing him as my father and thanked him for making all of this possible. I poured my heart out to Marcy of how grateful I was that she had put in so much work on organizing and creating the most perfect wedding and festivities we could ever imagine. She tried to be modest but I wouldn’t let her. I seen her full pride shining in her beautiful eyes as they teared up and she embraced me as her son. Grandparents, smiles, cousins, dancing, friends. I took my mother’s hand and danced with her for the first time since I was a child to “Simple Man” and told her how proud I was of her, that she had drove for 17 days across Canada to be there with me on our most magical day. I felt her heart and it broke mine wide open. The energy building, the connection growing stronger, I felt Brielle as if she was me and we both held each other in utter disbelief at how magical this all was. Human connection. Family. Friends. All there to celebrate our love. True magic!!!

Me and my new Dad, Keith.

Bryan put a song on the P.A. and the crowd began forming a large swirling circle. Soon Brielle and I were placed on chairs and raised above the crowd by the young strong men and the Havah Nagila began. I felt as if it was some ancient shamanic ritual to celebrate us, and as I looked down I seen for the first time the hurricane I had been imagining. With Brielle and I in the very center and our hearts bursting wide. We had created this. We had shared our love of each other with our family and friends and had created a hurricane of love and gratitude and FUN!!! It felt like such an honor to take place in such a cool ritual, and soon it was repaid when the band struck up some East Coast tunes and soon my friends were taking hers and teaching them to jig. If I had ever wondered how a predominantly Irish and Scottish East Coast crowd would get along with a Jewish crowd from America I can now say it couldn’t have possibly gone any better or been more magical or more full of energy and smiles and laughs and jokes and hugs and love and all the beautiful things that attract one heart to another. The hurricane grew stronger and the crowd got louder and the dancing even more wild. Brielle and I in our glory in the spotlight surrounded by everyone we loved most in the world. The last song the band played we were surrounded by a circle of family and friends all cheering for us and showing us so much love.

Magical. Human connection. The webs we had woven between our families came to absolute fruition that night. Keith and Marcy made possible our absolute dream wedding, and the bringing together and forging of our lives. Bringing family together, choosing to make them all one, and to share our love with all of them. Magic. This human connection. This absolutely amazing human connection. I now know even deeper layers of love than I ever imagined. Being truly one with is taking entire lives and history and weaving them together to create something even bigger. I have proudly welcomed not only Brielle but her entire family into mine and I am absolutely honored to become a part of hers. The connection we have created the last month was pure magic, and I it is my absolute intention to watch that connection grow even stronger through the years.

Thank you so much for everyone that traveled so far to celebrate with us, and be one with us, on the most magical day of our lives. Thank you for making our dream come true.

The happy couple