Together forever: Heather and Sean tie the knot in final episode of Fourplay

We are gathered here together on this beautiful evening to share with Heather and Sean as they exchange vows of their everlasting love. May their marriage last longer than the average marriage in Canada. 

For four weeks we followed Heather and Sean through the stages of their relationship as they fell deeply and madly in love with each other. From Episode 1, where the two met and chemistry erupted, to Episode 2 , where the magic began, became love, and wedding proposals were on the table. Then we experienced Episode 3, a night of chaos as stag party and bridal shower ran the same schedule. Finally, we made it to Episode 4, the night of the wedding.

When we arrived at Salt Tasting Room, we were asked to pull a card from a box that would assign us to a certain role for the party. Some were in the wedding party, the bride’s mom and dad, the groom’s mom and dad, the maid of honor and bridesmaid, while others were friends of the family, high school friends of Heather’s, aunts, uncles or cousins. I was asked if I wanted a big role -- the groom’s mom -- but thinking I’d have to make up a speech for a couple I didn’t really know, I politely declined.

Later, I found out that the roles with speeches were already scripted and I was kicking myself for not taking it on. The man (yes, man) who took the mother's role did a wonderful job at playing the part, though. When it came time for speeches, it was to the room’s delight that most of the roles seemed to be sex-reversed: a definite entertainment value booster.

I liked that the couple that were assigned to be kids sat at the table to the side, just as they would in a real wedding. And these “kids” were definitely grown-up size.

Of course it wouldn’t be a proper wedding without a band. Orkestar Slivovic, a local Balkan band, perused the room playing and keeping the energy high in the room. They encouraged us to sing along, and dance (or sway) whenever there was a break in the evening, before and after the wedding. They kept the party going late and had nearly everyone on the dance floor, cutting a rug. At one point, we were even coaxed in to holding each other’s hands, forming a circle-- and no, not doing the cancan but some sort of Balkan jig.

Just as in the other episodes, the entertainment value and interactive element was prevalent, through the orchestra, and through Aunt Martha who stole leftovers from people and gave the newlyweds a very inappropriate set of dolls.

There was even a moment where everyone called a loved one so that we could give them a collective "I Love You". This was also to encourage Heather to the alter, as she was having a hard time, being struck by the dreadful "cold feet". Thankfully, Aunt Martha dipped in her bag of old wives' tricks, helping the situation by getting Heather to toss some salt over her shoulder so as to "blind the devil" and give her good luck. The two combined seemed to be enough for Heather, and with her father slightly tugging her arm as he (actually, a she) escorted her down the aisle, the ceremony went on.

The ceremony was going smoothy until an interruption from a suitor, Charles, objecting the marriage (see my video at bottom.) The best man won and the wedding continued with the priest stating that Heather had chosen Sean and his rhyming couplets over Charles and his lengthy monologues of self pity. And so the wedding vows continued. Heather, who apparently loves physics, professed her love through science talk:

“There is a theory about particles in Quantum mechanics, called Entanglement. The hypothesis is that two particles, once charged by each other, will continue to affect each other across time and space without impediment. If one particle is moved, the other is affected. I feel like this describes us, that somehow in our childhoods we became entangled. Maybe it was all the friction that charged up our electrons at some subatomic level, but it tuned our strings to vibrate at this frequency so of course at some point we would be pulled back in to each other’s orbits; the gravitational pull would be too strong to prevent it. This time, what started off as driction became frisson.

I have no proof that this is so but you are all the proof I need. And so I surrender to entanglement, the chemistry, the magic, the spice of who we are together. You are the salt of my earth, the melody of my song, the nourishment to my body, mind and spirit. My promise is to treasure you always, to hold you in my heart, to love you for the rest of my life.”

To which Sean responded with:

“When I first started dating Heather I realized that the quickest way to her heart was through music, so instead of a vow I’m going to sing a song.”

(Listen to his song here. Turn on your volume!)

And to add some humor to the otherwise perfectly sentimental and beautiful moment, the priest threw in with a chuckle, “a great start to a marriage, mostly chords with the occasional discord.”  Then he brought it back to all seriousness, announced them husband and wife and stating it finally legal for them to kiss and finishing with, “May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and always remember the love that brings you here today.”

Now on to the food, because of course we were fed, it was a wedding after all! 

Tranches d'Oeuf and Caviar

This was an interesting choice for hors d’oeuvres. Caviar is not only an aphrodisiac but also a symbol of fertility. With these sitting atop chicken eggs, could this be symbolization of a little Cooper in the near future?

Anellini in Tomato Sauce with Eggplant and Cheese

To be honest this looked like Spaghettios to me. A basic tomato sauce on some o-shaped pasta, how could I not put them automatically in the same category? I suppose if you throw eggplant, cauliflower and some fancy cheese in it you can consider it suitable for a wedding? Forgive me if it wouldn’t be my top choice.

Braised Pork Belly with Squid and Roasted Red Pepper

I’m a big fan of pork belly, but many people avoid fat like the plague. I heard a few comments from guests that night (mainly women) that they couldn’t eat it, sitting there prodding it with their fork. I admit I ate around a lot of the fat as I preferred the meat slab underneath. However, due to the fat riding the meat like a saddle it kept the pork super moist. Cooked to perfection, it held a nice flavour that was briny but in a good way. The accompaniment of squid though was maybe not the best choice. It was chewier than I think squid should ever be and the fish taste consumed the sauce’s flavour, which didn’t compliment the pork that well. The vegetarian option was a portabella mushroom stuffed with cheese and a side of a salad and actually did look like a delicious option.

Wedding "Cake" - Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red velvet, how can you go wrong, right? They’re one of the tastiest cupcakes and a very suitable choice for a wedding being the color of love and all. The cupcakes were a bit dry though (attacked by the fresh air) but luckily were loaded up on icing which saved the day. As long as the cake to icing ratio matched every bite was a delight.  

All in all the wedding, and the whole #Fourplay series was a success. It was in typical style of Myriam Steinberg of In The House Festival to create an interactive experience and a new spin on theatre in Vancouver. It was a unique opportunity to live vicariously through Sean and Heather as they rode the rollercoaster of a relationship; kudos to them for making it work, and for giving me the opportunity to re-evaluate my opinions on dating and marriage.

I noticed after the wedding a tweet from Heather@Hthr4ptharmony stating that she is “Lovin married life. Off 2 Portugal 4 honeymoon. 2 wks of bliss. Wine, food, fotos.”

Glad to hear everything is going well so far. Let’s hope they continue a blissful marriage and beat the odds.

For more photos from the final episode, click here.

Follow the whole story through articles on Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3.