kate & simon, and their niagara winter wedding

i recently read an essay by a well known novelist where she shares her insights about how she puts together the stories she writes. she painted a picture of a city street, and all the subplots that are going on all in the same scene. the birds slicing between buildings, the people hurrying across the road, the twenty stories of apartments each containing people, their babies, their dreams. there are so many layers, all existing simultaneously & contributing to the overall experience.this is the story of a canadian couple who met in new zealand; the story of them coming home from where they now live in germany, to get married. it's the story of a family reunion, and of seeing friends they never get to see, all in one place. the setting -- queenston heights in niagara. the basic plot -- by the end of the day, they'll be married.but there's more, there's always more. this is also the story of six sisters, all grown up and back together again in the same place. it's south african accents and jewish traditions, mixed in with a traditional maori greeting & a ring warming. it's a cold day in december where a pair of snowboarders hope for snow. it's the family dog, it's a beautiful new blanket, it's a nephew's fifteenth birthday, it's handmade books, mulled wine, a shotski & finally getting to call simon 'uncle simon'. it's stories shared and cherished of the early days and everything that lead up to this celebration. it's dreaming of what's to come. the subplots layer on top of each other to make the bigger story.it's advice like this for a happy marriage, from katie's neice -- 'go to the highest point on the highest mountain & enjoy the view'.the layers intermix and the result is a great story, the kind you pay attention to.