Standing Tall

Erin had left to make sure Scott, his groomsmen and the guests were all situated in their places before returning to the bridal room. "We're ready when you are, Rebecca," Erin said as she opened the door.

"I'm ready," Rebecca said as she looked at her mother and smiled. One by one, the bridesmaids filed out of the room. Jean squeezed Rebecca’s hand as she made her way towards the door. Lindsey made final adjustments to the train of Rebecca's dress as she followed her out of the room.

As they made their way down the hallway, Erin handed each girl their bouquet of flowers, beautiful arrangements of pale orange and white carnations mixed with baby's breath. Rebecca was adamant with one thing, no roses on her day.

The girls lined up in order as Erin directed, with Jean at the front of the line. As they began their walk to the ceremony site, Rebecca held on to Tyler's arm. When Erin stopped the processional as they neared a grove of trees, Tyler leaned to his mother and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful mom. I don't know if I've told you yet."

"Thank you baby," she responded, trying not to let tears stream down her face, and returning the kiss on his cheek.

Kimmo escorted Jean to her seat and then took his place in line with the rest of his teammates next to Scott. Erin queued the music and "Marry Me" by Train filled the open air. One by one the girls made their way down the aisle. Johanna first, followed by Tiffany, Erica, Rachel and Renee, Rebecca’s sisters. Kimmo, Claude and Luke watched their significant others saunter towards them, each one holding their breath at how beautiful they were.

Lindsey was last, being maid of honor, but she also carried Gia who was dropping orange and black confetti onto the white runner. Scott wiped a tear from his eye at the sight and held his breath waiting to see Rebecca. Just as Lindsey handed Gia off to Jean and took her place next to the other girls, Rebecca and Tyler appeared at the far end of the aisle.

"My God," Scott moaned when Rebecca came into view. His gaze met hers and he felt his heart stop.

"Breathe buddy," Claude leaned and whispered to him.

"I can't," Scott whispered back, "she takes my breath away."

Rebecca and Scott never took their eyes off of each other, Rebecca smiling the entire time she walked with Tyler. When they finally reached Scott, Tyler kissed his mother's cheek again and unhooked his arm from hers, offering his hand to Scott. Scott shook his hand, took Rebecca’s arm and stood beside her.

"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he whispered to her.

"Thank you Mister Hartnell," she said with a wink.

The ceremony site was exactly how Rebecca and Scott had envisioned it when they visited the country club almost a year ago in the planning stages of their wedding. The space was lined with pink and white dogwood trees that shifted gently with the light breeze. The chairs their guests were seated in were white with orange sashes wrapped and tied into bows. The pastor stood in front of a gazebo that was filled with hydrangeas. Rebecca could not imagine a more perfect setting.

The pastor thanked everyone for joining them, to bear witness to this very special day. He ran through the normal opening blessing and asked Lindsey to recite a very special poem the couple has selected for the occassion. Lindsey stepped forward and unfolded the index card in her hand.

Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines, and romance in the movies. We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives. For love is the creator of our favorite memories, and the foundation of our fondest dreams. Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent, a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places. And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all -- one known only by those who love.

She stepped back, wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at Scott and Rebecca. The pastor continued with the services, reciting the definition of marriage and then reminding the couple of their duties as a married couple. "I believe you have written your own vows," he smiled. They both nodded. "Alright Scott, you're up."

Scott and Rebecca faced each other and he took her hands in his, dropping them in between them. He looked into Rebecca's eyes and took a deep breath.

Rebecca. I have loved you since our very first date and our very first kiss. I cannot express how thankful I am to have met you and how grateful I am that you gave me a shot. We went through a tough time at the beginning, but my love for you was stronger than anything that could try and come between us. You are my everything, you gave me a future when I didn't think I had one. I love that I get to fall asleep next to you each night and wake up next to you each morning. I love that you try and watch my games and act lije you know what's going on. I love everything about you. I promise to tell you every day that I love you. I promise that I will love you until I'm no longer able to draw breath. I promise to be the best husband and father I can be for you and our family.

Rebecca had a tear running down her right cheek and Scott lifted his hand to her face, wiping it away with his thumb, and said, "I love you baby." She smiled and dipped her head into the palm of his hand.

"And now your vows, Rebecca," the pastor said. Scott lowered his hand and folded it back with hers as she began to speak.

Scott, I wish I could tell you that I've also Ioved you since our first date. But we both know I can't. When we met, I had resigned myself to the fact that it was just going to be me and Tyler. I wasn't expecting anything that happened in those first few months. But what I can tell you is that when I told you I was having your baby, your reaction was priceless. When I saw how happy you were, how excited you were to become a father, I knew then that I wanted a life with you. That I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Yes, I stumbled. But we made it work. I love having you in my life. I love how you've treated Tyler as a son when you didn't have to. I love that we have that beautiful baby girl...even if she is named after Claude.

Chuckles from their guests rolled through the air as she smiled and winked at Claude who had put his hand over his heart and feigned being hurt. She looked back into Scott's eyes and continued with a smile.

I love when you and Tyler are talking about your games I have no idea what you're saying, and I love that you try to explain it to me. I promise that eventually I will learn hockey...not to play, but to at least hold an inteligible conversation. I promise that I will try and not get upset when you wake me up in the middle of the night when you come home from a road trip. I promise to love you everyday for the rest of my life. I promise that I will be the best wife and mother I can be for you and our family.

The pastor asked for the rings and Claude pulled them from his pocket. He handed one to each of them. "Scott, place the ring on Rebecca's finger and make your pledge."

Scott slid the ring onto Rebecca’s finger and said, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you."

"Rebecca, place the ring on Scott's finger and make your pledge," the pastor said.

Rebecca smiled at Scott and slid the ring on his finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you."

They laced their fingers together again, each with big smiles and mouthing 'I love you'. The pastor offered a blessing to the couple, and their family and friends erupted in cheers and whistles as the pastor pronounced them husband and wife. Before he could get out the words Scott took Rebecca in his arms and kissed her, bending her backward into a dip.

When Scott finally righted Rebecca, the pastor cleared his throat and said, "Allow me to present to you, Mister and Missus Scott Hartnell!" Scott grabbed Rebecca at her waist and lifted her up to twirl her around. He set her down after spinning twice and they proceeded to walk down the aisle as their guests all stood and cheered.