The time....1941....the place...Ste. Anne's...the people...Jane Blaffer and Kenneth Owen...the story...
....Mr. Blaffer retired in 1941. That same year, preparations were made for daughter Jane’s marriage to Kenneth Owen of Indiana. An addition was built on the east end of the house. Called the Wedding Room by the Blaffers, it is now known as the East Suite. When it was built, it had a fieldstone floor to accommodate dancing after the wedding. Mrs. Blaffer planned the details so carefully she even timed the planting of buckwheat. The day of the wedding, the fields surrounding Ste. Anne’s were snow white. The ceremony took place outdoors and was conducted by Reverend Nind from St. George’s Church in Grafton. The bridesmaids wore chiffon dresses in shades of pink, lavender and white, echoing the colours of the petunias in the garden. Members of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, exiled from their country during the war, were always welcome guests at the Blaffer’s summer house. As a tribute to the newlyweds, they flew in “V” formation over Ste. Anne’s, dropping messages of goodwill. Many guests to the wedding came from far away, but all the farmers from the neighbourhood were also invited. Mr. Waldie, who raised ducks and geese on his farm across the road, presented the couple with an eiderdown quilt which Mrs. Owen has to this day.
....Mr. Blaffer retired in 1941. That same year, preparations were made for daughter Jane’s marriage to Kenneth Owen of Indiana. An addition was built on the east end of the house. Called the Wedding Room by the Blaffers, it is now known as the East Suite. When it was built, it had a fieldstone floor to accommodate dancing after the wedding. Mrs. Blaffer planned the details so carefully she even timed the planting of buckwheat. The day of the wedding, the fields surrounding Ste. Anne’s were snow white. The ceremony took place outdoors and was conducted by Reverend Nind from St. George’s Church in Grafton. The bridesmaids wore chiffon dresses in shades of pink, lavender and white, echoing the colours of the petunias in the garden. Members of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, exiled from their country during the war, were always welcome guests at the Blaffer’s summer house. As a tribute to the newlyweds, they flew in “V” formation over Ste. Anne’s, dropping messages of goodwill. Many guests to the wedding came from far away, but all the farmers from the neighbourhood were also invited. Mr. Waldie, who raised ducks and geese on his farm across the road, presented the couple with an eiderdown quilt which Mrs. Owen has to this day.
What a lovely way to celebrate love at Ste. Anne's.
ReplyDelete