Brownie and Dev tie the knot

On Saturday, June 20th, the second "Aikens Marriage" took place in Carman, MB.  Since 1988, the only couple to ever get married after meeting at Aikens was Lise Turenne and Marty Bisson.  They got married 2001 after having worked together at the lodge in the late 90's.  Although there had been many romances at the lodge over the years since that first "Aikens Marriage", none of them had ever culminated with a wedding ceremony until now! That all changed last Saturday as Aaron Brown and Devon Schwabiuk tied the knot at the Brown family farm in Carman, MB.  This homestead recently celebrated it's centennial anniversary.  Grampa Brown originally settled here and built a home he purchased from an Eaton's catalogue.  The 3-storey mansion still oozes craftsmanship and has a rich history in the community.   This is where Aaron and Devon eventually would like to settle down, but that won't be for a while yet!     Back to the wedding.  Mona Brown, Aaron's loving mother, had the ornately decorated grounds looking absolutely fantastic.  Her green thumb is second to none, and the flowers, lawn, and shrubbery surrounding the house gave the whole event a fairy-tale like atmosphere!  To everyone's relief, Mother Nature did her part and offered an splendid day of sunshine with a light breeze to keep everything cool.  The ceremony was set in the beautiful flower terrace.  The bride and groom were each escorted down the brick walkway by their parents, and the ceremony was under way.  Devon looked stunning in her wedding gown, while Aaron had a very classy look of his own.  Everyone that attended knew that these two were meant to be with each other.  The Justice of the Peace delivered a short ceremony that was sprinkled with humor that had everyone chuckling... even the bride and groom!  After a beautiful song sung by Aaron's sister Megan, the newlyweds exchanged wedding vows, rings, and finally their first married kiss!     After the ceremony, the party got underway quickly.  Using full advantage of the spacious grounds, people mingled in all corners of the yard for several hours while champagne and hors d'oeuvres were diligently served by the groom's family.  At suppertime, the partyers converged in the main tent and enjoyed a great meal followed by a hilarious set of dances and speeches.  Bacchanalia ensued for several hours.  Later in the evening, everyone was amazed at the fireworks show.  Colored lights and great explosions fascinated everyone for miles around in a show that would have rivaled the Canada Day celebration at the Forks in Winnipeg!  The partygoers included many people you would recognize from Aikens over the years.  Pit, Julie, Andrina, Gerry, and Lorraine all attended.  As well, the Maid of Honour was Megan Schwabiuk (the other half of the Schwabby sisters!), bridesmaid Danelle Trudeau, Rachelle Vandale, Rob Jounot, and Paul Turenne.  Some other people that guests may not recognize, but that contribute a lot of their time to Aikens from year to year include Mitch Monnin, Bernie Jounot, Paul Sidley, Brigitte Jounot, Hayster Soriano, Dan Vandale, and Amanda Gilhooly.   All in all, it was a regal wedding that set the bar high and delivered even more!  These two newlyweds have a long and happy road in front of them and we would like to wish them all the best in their lives together.  Congratulations Brownie and Dev, we are so proud of the two you.  Thank you for being in integral part of the Aikens family.  You each spent many valuable summers at Aikens as fulltime employees, and you each continue to offer your time to help out year after year at the lodge!  We are truly honored to call you our friends. For a pictorial of the wedding, check out: http://blfstudios.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/aaron-devon-manitoba-wedding-photography/ ps - Sorry for the delay in getting this update out to the masses that follow the "Aikens Newsletter" religiously.  Pat and myself (Pit) are the main writers for the newsletter, and we've both been out on the lake guiding because the camp has been full for the past week!  We promise a huge update on the fishing in the next few days.