"We spent more money on booze than on the DJ, Haley's dress, my suit ... combined!" -- Groom
On Monday, July 3, Aaron and I attended the wedding of our good friends Justin "Honkey" and Haley. The day and celebration were both lovely, reminding me of free spirits and wild-flower gardens.
Aaron met Honkey at Edinboro in 2003 and became involved in the Boro music crowd, specifically the band Zomo. I knew of Zomo -- because everybody knows everybody in that town -- as my friend Tim Chizmar shared an apartment with them. I actually didn't meet Honkey, though, until almost two years later, when he moved back to Erie from Washington state and began recording with Aaron on his (Honkey's) solo project, Belsapadore. Friendships developed quickly, as Honkey is one of the friendliest, goofiest people I have ever met, and he and Dobler compliment each other well.
Then, just a few months after we three had sat in the Boro Bar listening to Honkey repeat how he wanted to fall in love, live in a cabin and cuddle all day, he met Haley. The two announced their engagement last summer to us during a midnight trip to John's Wildwood Pizzeria. As we ate waffle fries with honey-mustard sauce, laughed and chatted, it was apparent how happy they were. On the way home, we discovered that the fountain in front of the Hotel was full of bubbles, which only added to the whimsical nature of the evening and newly engaged couple.
A year later found Aaron and I driving to Pittsburgh-ish (a pleasant surprise after originally thinking that we had to go all the way to Meadville) for their wedding. We had managed to leave on time despite packing everything we could possibly need medically and otherwise for the overnight campout, so the drive was low-stress -- until we realized (an hour into the trip) that our gift was still at my house in the other van. Nothing could be done, however, so we were thankful for understanding friends and that the gifts aren't opened at the reception.
The wedding and reception were held at Betsy's Barn at the Cheeseman Farm, which provided a beautiful rural backdrop for the outdoor ceremony. To be honest, I have never been a fan of outdoor weddings. I am not, nor have I ever been, a nature lover, and when I picture these kinds of weddings I typically see barefoot hippy-types on a cliff or in a field vowing to merge souls under the correctly aligned planets. Think "Aquarius" in Hair. But as soon as I arrived I could feel how perfect the day would be and how much it captured Honkey and Haley's personalities.
The barn's doors and back were fully opened, and occasionally a breeze would gently blow over the 25 tables dressed in white linens and multicolored runners topped with silver buckets of daisies. Each place setting was marked with a white kazoo -- which we were to bring to the ceremony -- personalized with "Haley and Justin - July 3, 2006." Overhead dangled Chinese-lantern-like orbs, which only became more beautiful as darkness fell, and at dusk they softened the DJ's dance-party lights at the far end of the building. We were seated opposite the dance floor at table 25, directly to the right of the presents and three-tiered flower-garden cake.
Honkey and Haley exchanged vows in a gazebo behind the barn. Before the ceremony began, everyone practiced kazooing the Bridal March, led my groomsman Dustin on guitar. The song ended-up being a sort of 'round, as the people standing in the back couldn't hear well and joined in a bit late. It added a child-like joy to the wedding, though, even if it did sound like a swarm of musically inclined bees. Honkey admitted to worrying that the kazoos may offend the guests, but from what I could tell, everyone seemed to appreciate the whimsy.
The bridesmaids themselves reminded me of flowers or a summer fruit salad, each wearing a different style and color of dress -- lemon yellow, pumpkin, bubblegum pink and grape -- and the groomsmen's vests and ties matched each maid. Each woman carried a bouquet of wild flowers, including Haley, who dawned a butter-cream-colored gown with a beaded bodice. The vows were short, sweet and secular, and we returned to the barn for the buffet and dancing.
Aaron and I were happy to discover that we were seated with another one of his friends and ex-Zomo member, Aaron Davis, his girlfriend Deirdre, and their baby girl, Nova, who is the happiest, most-alert three-month-old I've ever encountered. As we really didn't know any of the other guests, sitting with Davis and family was a pleasant relief. And I, the woman who hates babies, was won over by Baby Nova. Throughout much of the reception we remained at our table and enjoyed the company. I watched the bride and groom circle the room and tried to fluster Aaron with talk of "our wedding" (he countered well, though, with talk of "our baby"). After a while, dancing ensued, so I watched that, too.
I became overwhelmingly sad at one point, however, and could not control my emotions. The Bridal Dance polka was playing, and I kept trying to get Aaron to go up and dance with Honkey. He stubbornly insisted that he didn't dance, so I became frustrated and headed to the dance floor to at least attempt it. He followed, but by the time we got to the front, the song had ended. I was already upset about missing the last song, and as I returned to the table "YMCA" began to play. Despite my efforts, I cried through both it and "Shout." It was just too difficult to watch everyone dancing -- one of the only activities I regret not being able to do -- and I broke down.
Aaron told me later, though, that those feelings don't go away just because one can physically dance. "That longing is the feeling of every high school dance and every celebration that has ever been depicted in a movie," he said. So we made our way back to the dance floor and, both being unable to dance, boogied. And luckily, unlike the groom, my boyfriend kept his pants on.
After 11 p.m., once the DJ packed up, phase two of the reception began, and Aaron and I decided to head home. The night would've undoubtedly been full of music, booze and good times, but neither of us had any intentions of drinking, and I have too much medical equipment to set up knowing that no sleep would be had. We ended the day on a high note, hugged the sweaty newlyweds, and were home and in bed by 2 a.m.
The Ceremony
The Reception
The Craziness
Haley & Justin "Honkey" Hoenke
July 3, 2006
All photographs courtesy of Aaron Dobler's camera.
Cropping courtesy of me.
Aaron met Honkey at Edinboro in 2003 and became involved in the Boro music crowd, specifically the band Zomo. I knew of Zomo -- because everybody knows everybody in that town -- as my friend Tim Chizmar shared an apartment with them. I actually didn't meet Honkey, though, until almost two years later, when he moved back to Erie from Washington state and began recording with Aaron on his (Honkey's) solo project, Belsapadore. Friendships developed quickly, as Honkey is one of the friendliest, goofiest people I have ever met, and he and Dobler compliment each other well.
Then, just a few months after we three had sat in the Boro Bar listening to Honkey repeat how he wanted to fall in love, live in a cabin and cuddle all day, he met Haley. The two announced their engagement last summer to us during a midnight trip to John's Wildwood Pizzeria. As we ate waffle fries with honey-mustard sauce, laughed and chatted, it was apparent how happy they were. On the way home, we discovered that the fountain in front of the Hotel was full of bubbles, which only added to the whimsical nature of the evening and newly engaged couple.
A year later found Aaron and I driving to Pittsburgh-ish (a pleasant surprise after originally thinking that we had to go all the way to Meadville) for their wedding. We had managed to leave on time despite packing everything we could possibly need medically and otherwise for the overnight campout, so the drive was low-stress -- until we realized (an hour into the trip) that our gift was still at my house in the other van. Nothing could be done, however, so we were thankful for understanding friends and that the gifts aren't opened at the reception.
The wedding and reception were held at Betsy's Barn at the Cheeseman Farm, which provided a beautiful rural backdrop for the outdoor ceremony. To be honest, I have never been a fan of outdoor weddings. I am not, nor have I ever been, a nature lover, and when I picture these kinds of weddings I typically see barefoot hippy-types on a cliff or in a field vowing to merge souls under the correctly aligned planets. Think "Aquarius" in Hair. But as soon as I arrived I could feel how perfect the day would be and how much it captured Honkey and Haley's personalities.
The barn's doors and back were fully opened, and occasionally a breeze would gently blow over the 25 tables dressed in white linens and multicolored runners topped with silver buckets of daisies. Each place setting was marked with a white kazoo -- which we were to bring to the ceremony -- personalized with "Haley and Justin - July 3, 2006." Overhead dangled Chinese-lantern-like orbs, which only became more beautiful as darkness fell, and at dusk they softened the DJ's dance-party lights at the far end of the building. We were seated opposite the dance floor at table 25, directly to the right of the presents and three-tiered flower-garden cake.
Honkey and Haley exchanged vows in a gazebo behind the barn. Before the ceremony began, everyone practiced kazooing the Bridal March, led my groomsman Dustin on guitar. The song ended-up being a sort of 'round, as the people standing in the back couldn't hear well and joined in a bit late. It added a child-like joy to the wedding, though, even if it did sound like a swarm of musically inclined bees. Honkey admitted to worrying that the kazoos may offend the guests, but from what I could tell, everyone seemed to appreciate the whimsy.
The bridesmaids themselves reminded me of flowers or a summer fruit salad, each wearing a different style and color of dress -- lemon yellow, pumpkin, bubblegum pink and grape -- and the groomsmen's vests and ties matched each maid. Each woman carried a bouquet of wild flowers, including Haley, who dawned a butter-cream-colored gown with a beaded bodice. The vows were short, sweet and secular, and we returned to the barn for the buffet and dancing.
Aaron and I were happy to discover that we were seated with another one of his friends and ex-Zomo member, Aaron Davis, his girlfriend Deirdre, and their baby girl, Nova, who is the happiest, most-alert three-month-old I've ever encountered. As we really didn't know any of the other guests, sitting with Davis and family was a pleasant relief. And I, the woman who hates babies, was won over by Baby Nova. Throughout much of the reception we remained at our table and enjoyed the company. I watched the bride and groom circle the room and tried to fluster Aaron with talk of "our wedding" (he countered well, though, with talk of "our baby"). After a while, dancing ensued, so I watched that, too.
I became overwhelmingly sad at one point, however, and could not control my emotions. The Bridal Dance polka was playing, and I kept trying to get Aaron to go up and dance with Honkey. He stubbornly insisted that he didn't dance, so I became frustrated and headed to the dance floor to at least attempt it. He followed, but by the time we got to the front, the song had ended. I was already upset about missing the last song, and as I returned to the table "YMCA" began to play. Despite my efforts, I cried through both it and "Shout." It was just too difficult to watch everyone dancing -- one of the only activities I regret not being able to do -- and I broke down.
Aaron told me later, though, that those feelings don't go away just because one can physically dance. "That longing is the feeling of every high school dance and every celebration that has ever been depicted in a movie," he said. So we made our way back to the dance floor and, both being unable to dance, boogied. And luckily, unlike the groom, my boyfriend kept his pants on.
After 11 p.m., once the DJ packed up, phase two of the reception began, and Aaron and I decided to head home. The night would've undoubtedly been full of music, booze and good times, but neither of us had any intentions of drinking, and I have too much medical equipment to set up knowing that no sleep would be had. We ended the day on a high note, hugged the sweaty newlyweds, and were home and in bed by 2 a.m.
The Ceremony
The Reception
The Craziness
Haley & Justin "Honkey" Hoenke
July 3, 2006
All photographs courtesy of Aaron Dobler's camera.
Cropping courtesy of me.