During my third and final co-op work term as Event Coordinator at Pier 21, I had the exciting opportunity to plunge into the world of events. Weddings, conventions, dinners, meetings, press conferences – big, small, formal, informal. Each day brought forward a new client, a new opportunity and a new experience. I was very excited when asked to work a wedding ceremony, dinner and dance on a beautiful day in late September.

Working at the Pier in the early fall means dealing with the peak of the cruise ship season. While couples are aware that a cruise ship may interfere with the scenic view of the Halifax harbour and George’s Island, for the most part – cruise ships leave before, or right before, wedding ceremonies begin.

The day was busy from the moment I stepped through the front doors of historic Pier 21. The dinner setting was ready: décor, flowers, and the three tier wedding cake had arrived on time. Everything was planned from the moment the bride arrived until the moment the happy newlyweds would charge down the aisle to celebrate with friends and family. What we couldn’t plan for was the presence of a massive cruise ship plunked right in front of the guest’s view of the waterfront. Let’s face it, 2,000 passenger cruise ship sticks out like a sore thumb when coupled with an elegant traditional Hupa and a formal ceremony setting.

As the guests arrived, I began to glance down at my watch about every two minutes. I remember hoping that the cruise ship would eventually make its way out the mouth of the harbour in time for the ceremony scheduled to begin at 5:30pm. Eventually it was 5:25 and still the guests the only view the guests had was a white canvas with tiny windows looking into the cruise ship passengers' rooms. By 5:30 the bride had arrived and was safely hiding in the office boardroom. I knew we had to get some information about when the cruise ship would be departing. Phone calls to the Halifax Port Authority were made, and we eventually learned that the ship was waiting for a container ship to make its way through the harbour. Well, this was out of our control and if there is anything I have learned from dealing with issues out of my control – it is to step back and attempt to make the very best of every situation that comes your way.

The bride and bridesmaids were soon informed of the delay in the cruise ship departure, but the dream view was still a high priority for the bride to be, and the ladies were quite committed to waiting an extra five to ten minutes before walking down the aisle. My past experience with weddings has taught me that ceremonies rarely start on time, so I was happy to make sure the bridal party was comfortable with the decision to wait it out a bit longer. The ladies in the boardroom were content with some champagne and picture-taking, while the groom and groomsmen were holding down the fort at the ceremony site.

It was officially 5:45. Guests were starting to get antsy, and so was the bride. At this point in the game it was clear the cruise ship was not about to budge any time soon. It was clear by the anxious, half-panicked look on the bride's face that cruise ship or no cruise ship; it was time to get married.

At about 5:50pm the bride and the rest of the bridal party made their way to the back of the ceremony site. One of my main duties at this point was to cue the musicians to begin playing and switch songs when the bride was ready to walk, cue each bridesmaid/groomsman to begin walking, and to make sure that the bride’s set of grandparents made it down the aisle and to their seats. Surprisingly enough, considering that she didn’t have the view she wanted, the bride’s excited glow was the center of attention when she began walking down the aisle. Who needs a view now?

I stood ground at the back of the ceremony, and more or less took the time to enjoy the ceremony. It was calm, romantic and intimate until the air shook when the loudest, most obnoxious departure horn rang throughout the venue. Luckily, it was during an informal reading and not during the sacred exchanging of vows between the bride and groom. This moment could have been awkward or funny, but the ceremony continued without a hitch as the luxurious cruise ship began to slowly move away from the Pier and make its way out to the Atlantic ocean. The ceremony site lit up with sunlight that was originally blocked by the ship. The happy couple got their view after all.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. With the usual business of coordinating a wedding, I was run off my feet by the end of the night and my shift ended about an hour into the formal dinner. Despite a tardy cruise ship, and a thunderous fog horn, it was the couple, the story, and the atmosphere that made the wedding successful in the end.

In a job that is primarily behind the scenes and requiring as much physical energy as mental, it was what happened later that night that made me love – truly love – what my job at the Pier was all about.

Later that night, a friend and I were waiting at the local bus station for another friend to arrive when I saw a limo pull up to the adjacent hotel. I jumped up and looked closer, only to see that it was the bride and groom from the wedding at the Pier were getting out of the limo. With champagne in hand and were eagerly making their way to the hotel for their wedding night. It was unreal how happy they looked, so enthusiastic to begin their new life together. It was clear: this was the best day of their lives.

I just remember thinking to myself “I was a part of that.”, it was that moment, with that realization, that I truly fell in love with my future career. And like the Pier 21 newlyweds; I will plunge into the future with as much excitement as they had on their wedding day. Let’s just hope no cruise ships get in the way.

Labels: pier 21, wedding