September 1st 2017

So a little after a month after getting engaged, Renata and I are ready to get married.  The past month has been a nightmare of paperwork and ridiculous bureaucracy, all rushed to get a date set before my tourist visa expires, which would have made the whole process even more complicated.  With the help of a lot of people here in Brazil and back in Canada we have managed to get the date set on our last possible day.  This involved begging in government offices, “bribing” workers with cookies, convincing them to rush documents, calling awesome cousins in Nova Scotia to fedex me a long form birth certificate overnight, and countless other things.  Either way, we got it scheduled in time and conveniently also on my mother’s birthday.  I know she would love Renata deeply, as well as her grandsons, and be super happy for me, so it’s nice to know that every year I’ll have yet another thing to celebrate on the 1st of september.

The day starts with Renata at the beauty salon, where our photographer stopped by to snap some picks of Renata getting ready.  I’m very very lucky to be marrying such a beautiful woman.

I go with the boys as well as Jones to the local Cartorio, a small local government office in the center of Suzano and wait for Renata to arrive.  Because /i’m marrying a Brazilian woman she is of course late, but of course it’s just a few minutes, even if it does start to feel like hours and a tiny voice in the back of my mind wonders if she’s planning to come at all.  But of course she does show up and I’m struck again by her incredible beauty. Her smile lights my day, just like every other day since I met her.

Outside the Cartorio we are forced to hire a videographer sponsored by the place just in order to get our photographer inside the ceremony.   For those of you offended at not having been invited to the wedding please do understand that this was not a big party or celebration.  This is in fact part of what makes me love Renata so much, when faced with the decision to throw have a big wedding or save the money for travel with the family she instantly decided on travel, which was, in case you hadn’t guessed, also my vote.  Maybe we’ll have a big celebration at a later date.  To celebrate 5 or 10 years together.  We’ll see.

Inside it runs surprisingly smoothly.  We sign some papers outside in the reception then are shown in to the room where we will get married alongside our friends Gilda, Lu, Katia, Tabita, Jones, and Gilda, as well as our sons Vinny and Felipe, and Renata’s mum too.  The judge like figure officiating the wedding is clearly pleased with the idea of marrying a foreigner (I can’t imagine it happens every day in Suzano) and he spends a lot more time than the allotted few minutes talking about his hopes for us as a married couple.  Finally it’s time to kiss the bride and make it official.  In that moment I become a married man.  Pretty damn cool. Renata of course laughs and cries all at once throughout the entire thing.  She is both ridiculously beautiful and beautifully ridiculous.

Now married my name becomes a truly epic one, “Lucas Harold George Robinson-Grant Porfirio Da Silva. I always joked as a kid that I could only marry a woman with multiple last names, funny the things that end up happening years later.  Now officially married we pose for more photos outside the cartorio.  Really at this point it’s all a happy blur in my mind.  Lots of kisses, hand holding, congratulations and just a general sense of fulfillment.

Next up it’s time to watch our wedding video.  Which is really pretty kind of terrible, but in the best way.  Most of the video is set to Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph” which to me is something of an odd song choice and it is full of cheesy cuts and low budget ridiculous scene transitions.  Almost absurd art really.  Still, it’s our day, to remember forever, on my mother’s birthday, and so we enjoy watching the video and do pay to buy a copy.  I won’t post it now, just imagine a very corny, very ridiculous video with my lovely face prominent.  Either way, while watching it the first time Renata’s reactions are priceless.

Outside the cartorio is a small plaza with some nice trees and a brazilian flag so our photographer instructs us to take a bunch more photos.  She did a great job, but I still wish there was someway I could serve as the photographer myself.  I love taking pictures of my wife, and let’s be honest, these photos might be more appealing without me in them, though perhaps a bit strange as wedding photos.

After lots of romantic shots we get some wedding party shots with everyone together.  And of course some family shots.  I could not be prouder to be joining this amazing family, and to officially be able to call Vinny and Felipe my step sons.  Pretty Damn cool, and a responsibility I intend to do my best to do to the highest level I possible can.  I’m a very lucky man.

Once the photo taking is done we head over to a nice breakfast spot and enjoy a nice breakfast on us for all involved, then we head back home.  It was a very simple wedding, but I couldn’t have asked for better, because I am marrying the right woman, one I probably don’t deserve to call my wife, and gaining two amazing sons at the same time.   I have no doubt that Renata, Vinny, Felipe, and I have countless incredible adventures ahead of us.  I can’t wait to live through them all!

Next up on the blog is my recent trip to Asia.  Then I will double back and cover our Family Honeymoon to Chile and Argentina, my trip to Cuba, My father’s visit here in Brazil,  Our 2018 trip to europe, and our christmas 2018 in Canada and the U.S.

I love you Renata.  Beijos!