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On September 20, 1997, Dan and I were married at Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling, Virginia. We have been promising since then to post some of the photos we got from the wedding. Most of these are the product of our photographer, Jane Levine. We went out of our way to find someone who could take candid shots, and would be willing to make that be the majority of the photos. We are very happy with her work. A few of the photos were provided by friends Fran and Doug.

Remember: If you want a closer look at any of the photos, just click on the photo and you'll get the big picture!

And now, on with the show!

The Reception

Some bridal books say that it shouldn't be necessary to provide a theme for a wedding. Betsy says it was much easier to coordinate the decorations and the events with a general theme of the United Kingdom and its fair isles. That's why Dan's attendants wore kilts. The devices are actually our registered Society for Creative Anachronism devices. Dan's (on the left) belongs to Donal Galbraith. Mine belongs to Rachael of Hawkeswood. (What else!) The banners were based on cross-stitch pieces that Betsy was working on for a memory book, and were made by our friend Ann. They hang in our front entry at Hawkeswood, our house.

We walked in, unannounced, to applause. Our caterers, Touch of Class, provided us with tea sandwiches, scones and cream, sweets and an assortment of teas and punch. Even though we asked for (and got) special reserve plates, the two of us didn't get to taste much; there was too much to do, too many people to see, and too many butterflies after the ceremony to just sit there and eat!

It didn't take us too long to get to our first dance. We made sure to pick all of the music for the reception–no Chicken Dance, Macarena, Electric Slide or YMCA for us! We danced to Sarah McLachlan's Ice Cream, and then grabbed other people to get up on the dance floor with us. Since we go dancing several times a month, we picked music we knew we'd like to dance to, even if we couldn't dance to everything. We had swing, waltz, polka, the odd tango, and a couple of one-steps.

When it finally came time for Brian, the Best Man to toast the happy couple, we took it all in stride. We also heard toasts from Hilary and Susan. There was much amusement and many heartfelt sighs all around.

And then, there was the cake. A gift from Linda (a goddess), the cake was a work of art. In fact, it was really Linda's fault (inadvertantly) that Betsy registered a device at all with the SCA. When we talked about the decorations, she saw Dan's device on the goblet and suggested we use both his and Betsy's on the cake. Shortly afterward, Betsy filed the name and device, which was finally made official in November of 1997. (Please don't ask us if Linda will make a cake for you. She doesn't do them for money!)

The cake was chocolate, with a rich, faintly orange mousse, and white chocolate buttercream frosting decadence. There were alternating shield devices, fresh flowers, and the cutest cake toppers. There was a second cake, which we provided to people who weren't able to eat chocolate, which was also wonderful. We had a little left over for our house party the next day, but only a little, and that didn't last long. (Neither, for that matter, did the top layer–we devoured it on our 1st month anniversary, and it was all Betsy could do to keep Dan from grazing on it earlier!)

Dan picked the Pocket Dragons up in Germany during an Air National Guard deployment. He hoped they wouldn't be too cute. They occupy a special place in our china cabinet, with two of the shields from the cake, and a few other items we saved from the event. Jaki gave us the toasting goblets (which she hand-painted), the ceremonial wine carafes and wine.

After a brief bout of silliness, we got down to the serious business of cake cutting and distribution. It wasn't hard to feed each other. The twisted-arm toast was trickier to manage (you try it out, between a couple who are 5'2" and 6' nothing!), but with the cake we made the pieces small enough, and we didn't have the same problem with height differences. It was a little hard to tear the groom away from the bride's fingers, though...

...Much to the amusement of the audience!

Betsy's family offered their own best wishes (after asking for permission - silly people!); a loud "Mazeltov," and more applause ensued. Even Betsy's Dad appeared to finally be relaxed and having a good time!

More dancing followed, and eventually we got around to the final major act of any wedding - the tossing of the bouquet. Even here, we chose to do something a little different. Instead of rounding up all the single people in what Dan refers to as the Singles Embarrassment Ritual, we decided the lucky recipient would receive a year of good luck. It wasn't hard to get everyone involved, but in the end Kathy was in the right place at the right time!

Finally, close to 6pm, we got down to the nitty gritty, as the guests started to make their way back to the cars. The bride got to show off her shoes ("You wouldn't believe how much these shoes cost me!") to Sharon, who helped adjust the length of the gown, and we headed back to the cabin for some rest, pizza with the family, the first peek at the gifts, and more time in the hot tub!

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]
On to Part Five: Acknowledgements

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