Phillipa Maitland Blog: Brook Street Hotel Wedding | Jenny and Darryl 20 years in the making

Jenny and Darryl had the most beautiful wedding and reception at the Brook Street Hotel, there was a LOT of fun to photograph. The details from this wedding were simply perfect from decoration of the ballroom down to the favours-perfection.

This is my second wedding at the Brookstreet Hotel , I can't remember recommending a venue so vehemently before, but this one I will. Excellent staff to work with (which is not the case for photographers sometimes) and absolutely the best food served at a wedding bar none; I consider myself a pretty picky foodie.

Their story has been twenty years in the making and that is why I have decided to post their story with images from the wedding this time. They have been close friends since their teens and remained close even after a failed attempt at dating only to end up so visibly in love (trust me!) twenty years later.

I asked Jenny two questions; how did you meet and how did Darryl propose? Here is their story in her words.

I guess we found our spark
By Jenny B

My locker was on his floor, outside of his classroom. Our two groups of friends spent a lot of time together and would hang out in the hall during breaks. Darryl and I had an instant connection and became inseparable. Years passed and we tried to start a relationship but we felt we made better friends. Many more years (and relationships) passed and we watched each other grow into adults. Darryl got married and started a family, all the while keeping up our friendship. I watched him grow as a man and eventually become a father. I always had a special bond with his daughter and would do anything for her. When Darryl's marriage dissolved, it was a difficult time. I had grown to love that family and felt like we had all suffered a loss. We would make midnight runs to Tim Hortons and work through it.

Months passed, a year passed. The bond that Darryl and I had was growing by the day. Friends that had known us since college would ask if we would consider being together. My answer was simply that we cared about each other very much but that there was "no spark". We had "been there and done that". It didn't work for us. We had too much to lose if it didn't work out. Our friendship and my relationship with his daughter was too precious to gamble on. It meant too much to start experimenting with a romantic relationship.

Everyone could see it. Everyone but us.

How many times had I heard the words

"I married my best friend"

and thought, how cliché

My eyes started to open. I have always wanted this. I loved love. Why couldn't I just give this a shot? How many times had I heard the words "I married my best friend" and thought, how cliché. But then, I had a chance to do that, didn't I?

"It was like a light switch went off.

This woman could be my wife."

Darryl explained it to me this way:
"It was like I had put a mask on you. We were never available at the same time. You had a friend label in front of you and when the time came and were both available, the label peeled off. All of a sudden there was an infinite number of possibilities. It was like a light switch went off. This woman could be my wife."

The proposal was very much like our relationship. Easy, organic and natural. I came home from work and was greeted by his daughter Holly who looked like she had a secret. She led me into the office where I saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Darryl followed us into the office and asked me to sit down. He said such beautiful words to me but as soon as I saw the ring, my eyes welled up with tears and I could no longer focus. Holly told me it was going to be okay. I explained that I wasn't sad. It was the happiest moment of my life. The three of shared a group hug and cried.

I said yes. Yes to my college buddy, yes to a generous and caring man, yes to the most wonderful and loving father, yes to my stepdaughter and most of all, yes to my best friend.

The speeches at our wedding had a common theme; "It's about time". Twenty years may seem like a long time, but a lifetime of happiness is worth the wait.

I guess we found our spark.