Grocery Wedding

By Marlene & Michael Jess

On a windy day in September, we headed off along Dallas Road and through Beacon Hill Park in search of a site that would best suit us for exchanging vows on our wedding day. A few likely locations came up, but we were reluctant to commit. We were interested in a place that we frequent often, is in our neighbourhood, and is original. Within a few hours, we decided to approach Niagara Grocery in James Bay.

Niagara Grocery is a place that we go to everyday. It is our neighbourhood grocery store! We are patrons there because we can acquire local fare and fairly traded products. We enjoy the atmosphere and we find everything we need. Our grocer sheds light on a very important issue that we both feel strongly about and incorporate into our lifestyle: FOOD, How we get it, and Where it comes from.

Our wedding day was to be celebrated in low impact fashion, with a bike ride to Sooke Harbour House for a locally sourced feast in the evening. Having our close friends and family come together in a place that supports our approach to food would be the perfect way to kick off the morning. To our delight, Jennifer, Ken and the staff were more than enthusiastic about the idea.

And so, at 10 am, on October 4, 2010, my husband and I were married at Niagara Grocery in James Bay. Thank you to the woman with the dog who snapped this photograph for us and a Very Special Thank You to Niagara Grocery for hosting our wedding ceremony, and for being a strong, positive presence in our community.

See you in the morning!