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A Winnipeg church is marking its 100th birthday with a celebration of love.
More than a dozen married couples renewed their vows during a ceremony honouring the centenary of the All Saints’ Anglican Church Saturday.
The spouses held hands while standing between the pews of the downtown Winnipeg congregation, whose current building was erected in 1926.
Kelly and David EisBrenner were at the anniversary event to celebrate their own anniversary, which is happening two days after the Saturday ceremony.
“To just be part of like a long tradition is something that’s really meaningful for us,” Kelly said.
“This is kind of a special moment.”
A historic display showcased wedding photographs and dressed donated by parishioners — including photos from the EisBrenners’ wedding ceremony 13 years ago.
Through those years, “we’ve gone through a lot of hardships together, of losses and joys,” Kelly said. “We’ve seen the city change and the community change a lot.”
About 2,300 weddings have been celebrated All Saints’ since the church was built according to Joy Peters, who helped organize the event.
“I love weddings. I volunteer at weddings here and and it’s one of the my favorite things,” she said before the event began. “I get teary-eyed in every single ceremony because I think about my own wedding.”
Peters herself walked down the aisle at the church 11 years ago. She and her husband were among the couples who renewed their vows Saturday.
“I would marry him so much more now than when I first married him. I’ve just fallen more deeply in love with him,” Peters said.
“I’m excited to be able to say [my vows] to him again.”
Reverends Rob and Lauren Schoeck — who are married — officiated the ceremony. People who married at All Saints’ were invited, but the event was opened to any couple who wanted to renew their vows.
Michelle Strumecki said she and Jeff Brandt had never been to the church before.
They’re renewing their vows ahead of some big life changes, with Brandt retiring and the couple set to move to B.C.
“I thought it’d be really symbolic and interesting to renew our vows” around the summer solstice, Strumecki said, having married during the winter one.
The longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere is taking place Sunday.
“This is the most light. The winter solstice is the most dark,” Strumecki said.
“Marriage is always challenging. Everything has its light and dark.”
Winnipeg’s All Saints Anglican Church marked 100 years of weddings on Saturday by opening its doors for anyone in the city to come and renew their vows in a public ceremony.
