'Bent and I paddled a couple of plastic pig-kayaks to visit our wedding location on Joe Lake. It's a popular canoe campsite so we're rarely able to step onshore but it's nice to paddle by and remember.
On our 10th anniversary, we paddled over with a few family members who had joined us. That time we were brave enough to ask whether we could visit for a few minutes. The campers were delighted to hear our story; the older gentleman was a justice of the peace who officiates weddings.
L to R: Dad, Mom, Mimi ('Bent's sister), Bash, 'Bent, 'Bent's Mom, Frank (Mimi's husband)
This year we got chatting with canoeists as they arrived at their campsite. The five women immediately invited us to pull up our kayaks, then one of them asked, "Wait a minute! Are you the people who got married?!" I laughed, "I don't know how to answer that!"
As we continued talking with Toni from North York, we discovered that she had been camping nearby with her daughter on our wedding day 22 years ago; she had seen us and our guests as we went by, and she was one of the many strangers who waved at the bride from shore. It has been one of her standard camping stories ever since, so all the women were as wide-eyed as she was. They asked us to show them where we stood, and we gave them the full tour: "The string quartet was over here", "We walked up the so-called aisle here", "Our guests sat on their lifejackets on this rock", etc.
This has undoubtedly improved her story for future years and it has given us a wonderful story of our own! The campers insisted on pouring small glasses of wine for all of us, and we toasted our improbable meeting along with our anniversary. Awesome. :)