Brian & Barry: Celebration of Love

June 7 2008 :: Dorchester

Photography by Dream Catcher Photography
Story by TheWeddingRing.ca

Barry Smith says that when he went on his first date with Brian Ennett, the pair were immediately lost in conversation. Both could tell that there was something truly special between them. “It just felt so right and so comfortable from the very beginning. We felt like we had known each other for a long time.” says Barry. And even though they both work opposite shifts and lead busy lives, Barry and Brian say they’ve never really been apart since. “We would meet for coffee after Brian got off work and before I left for work… Then we’d talk on the phone as I headed home to bed and he was going in to work his midnight shift…” Barry believes that they’ve always known there was no one else the wanted to be with. That’s why, for Barry and Brian, getting married just seemed to be the right next step. On June 7, 2008 (06.07.08 as it appeared on the invitations), in front of their family and friends, the two grooms tied the knot.

Friends, John and Cheryl Zinszer of Dorchester, invited the couple to hold their ceremony on their home property—a park-like setting with huge trees, a babbling brook, and a bridge, all of which were surrounded by gardens. “It’s a truly amazing place!”

Unfortunately, in June of 2007, tragedy struck John and Cheryl when their house burnt down. “We said that we would have the wedding somewhere else but Cheryl insisted that it would still happen on their property,” says Barry, thankfully. So, while the house itself remained under construction, they decided the show would go on. “John had people working around the clock to have makeshift walkways and lots of flowers…” and in the end, “the place was fantastic!”

Barry took care of most of the wedding organizing, like getting in touch with the caterer, photographer, and others. The pair created their own invitations together. Brian took on much of the decorative planning, including setting up the actual wedding site with the placement of chairs and the archway. They wanted their wedding day to be casual, relaxed and mostly about family and friends helping them celebrate their love. “Neither Brian or I think we were out to prove anything by having a same sex wedding,” says Barry. “It was simply the next step. Two people meet, they fall in love and then they get married. That is what it was for us.”

"We both got exactly what we wanted from the wedding—a partner and friend, the love and support of our family and friends and the ability to share that."

Since they wanted to celebrate with the people who mean the most to them, Barry and Brian incorporated those people into the day itself. Their minister was the mother of a friend of Barry’s and her attachment to the day was obvious. “She actually interrupted the ceremony to apologize as she was crying. She told everyone that she was so happy for us!” Brian had his friend of seventeen years stand up as his best man, and Barry had a female friend of six years stand up as his best person. They also had the son of Brian’s friend as a ring bearer, and two friends of Barry’s volunteer to sing at the ceremony and reception.

Guests (seventy-five of them, to be exact) sat on one side of the creek and Barry and Brian walked across a bridge together to stand in front of them for their ceremony.

Julie Duggan of Dream Catcher Photography, was also a friend. “Our photographer was amazing,” says Barry. “Julie had ideas of what she wanted and we did too as we met with her beforehand. She had us think of our day in terms of pictures and what we might want. The outdoor setting and landscaping provided some great shots to work with and she was open to us making suggestions as well.”

Following the ceremony they held a small catered dinner and wine reception at Barry and Brian’s home. “We have a huge deck and put in a pond in the backyard so as the day was a very nice warm one, we all sat outside and chatted, shared stories and drank wine,” says Barry of their after party style event. As the night unfolded, backyard torches were lit, one of the singers sang again and guests talked and enjoyed the relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

In lieu of wedding gifts, Barry and Brian each picked a charity—The ALS Society and The Lupus Foundation—and they asked people to make donations, raising over $1300. Each charity provided their symbol, so as favours guests received corn flowers and orange wristbands.

“We both got exactly what we wanted from the wedding—a partner and friend, the love and support of our family and friends and the ability to share that,” says Barry. “And the nice thing was that no matter where we went… flowers, cake, marriage licence, we found people who didn’t care that we were a same sex couple getting married. It was really nice being made to feel comfortable.” As for the future, Barry says that he and Brian “want to be with the person we love and support them in what they do.”