Written by Amy

Sunday, August 2nd is a day that has already turned into historic legend at South Pond farms. We now lovingly refer to it as “The Tornado.” I have written in the past about the trials and tribulations of dismal weather conditions during weddings, but I will be so bold as to say I truly believe this one in particular will never be surpassed.

“A day that has already turned into historic legend at South Pond farms. “

Jessica and David are two of the sweetest people I have ever met. They are trendy, artsy, kind and wonderful people who are very much in love. They chose South Pond over a year ago as the perfect place to have their Sunday brunch wedding.

Photos by Ash Nayler

We had been busy with events all weekend and Danielle really wanted to see her daughter Olivia play in a rugby tournament since she [Danielle] wouldn’t be able to make the trek to Samoa to watch her in the Commonwealth Games representing Canada. Things were organized and running smoothly so we told Danielle she HAD to go – there wasn’t anything we couldn’t take care of without her. Cue foreshadowing here…

Photo by Ash Nayler
 

The morning was perfect. The ceremony was outside, as was cocktail hour, and the couple were able to get some beautiful photos with our friend Ash Nayler. The weather was calling for rain later in the evening, but we have served outdoors from our usual spot infront of the barn in the rain before without any issues. Dinner was about to be served and before we could even get any of the food out, the most ominous cloud I have ever seen began to roll across the hills, drawing guests from inside to come witness this natural phenomenon. It was breathtakingly beautiful, in the most terrifying of ways.

It was the calm before the storm and within moments it hit. Gail force winds that were unrelenting ripped the tent we were serving under. It took eight staff to keep it from flying away – a few guests were even brave enough to come out and help! (Whomever you are, if you are reading this, thank you!) Next, the rain came down like a monsoon followed promptly by hail. I vividly remember holding onto the tent, soaking wet in my wedding attire, being pelted in the back by hail and laughing. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

Wait, what about the food! Kitchen staff threw themselves on the chaffing dishes to keep them from blowing away and one by one a train of food was brought into the barn and stacked up on the bar. The tent was broken down (quite literally!) and taken away by Nick. There was a brief pause once we got all the staff inside – as well as a few lingering guests from the washroom! – where we all looked at each other, had a sigh of relief and said, “ok, I guess it’s time to get dinner out now.”

The aftermath of the tent

Servers, kitchen staff and bartenders alike were soaked from head to toe. We all looked like we just walked out of the pond with our clothes on. We dried off with bar rags, Lisa commandeered the setup a makeshift serving station in the centre of the barn and carried on with dinner as usual the best we could. Once dinner was over and the weather cleared, Carlyle brought out some dry clothes from the house for everyone. At one point I remember there being a staff group hug. We braved the elements and against all odds, made sure everyone had good drink, good food and were happy. Nick, Carlyle and myself couldn’t have been more proud of our little team.The guests were equally as impressed with many of them coming up and thanking everyone for braving the elements.

I can’t say enough about Jessica and David. They remained calm throughout the storm and made announcements to reassure their guests when people were visibly nervous. A wedding day can be stressful and full of emotion as it is, and they handled the most unique of situations with true grace. A few weeks after the wedding, we received the most beautiful note from Jessica and David, and I think their words sum up my sentiments the best:

“The staff were truly heroes in the way they handled the storm and ensured all of our guests were safe and fed. It was certainly a day to remember for so many reasons, but we will never forget the way everyone came together.” – Jessica & David

In the end, that’s what a wedding is all about – everyone coming together.

So thank you to Jessica & David, all of our South Pond staff and the guests that attended that afternoon. You all helped contribute to an event full of love and laughter, and our most memorable wedding yet!

A note from the talented couple