Anna and Pete held a joyous wedding celebration at the Lyon’s Farmette in Colorado.
Betty, the beverage burro, made a very special appearance during cocktail hour. All the guests really enjoyed having their photo taken with Betty.
This lovely story was shared with their guests on their wedding website, “Anna and Pete began talking on eHarmony in the fall of 2015. Pete was an electrical engineering student at the Ohio State University and Anna was working in marketing at an engineering firm nearby. The commonalities they shared were intriguing — not only did they both live abroad in Japan at the same time, but both spent childhood summers near the same small town in northern Wisconsin. Not many people know what a hodag is, but Pete and Anna both did.
The twist in this story is that Pete and Anna almost didn’t meet in person. After a week of emailing with Pete, Anna went camping in Glacier and Yosemite, where she tragically/ridiculously got bear-sprayed in the face by a defective can of CounterAssault. Returning home with a hideously swollen face and blurred vision, Anna made a point of avoiding Pete all week.
Fortunately healing happened fairly quickly and the two met up for coffee and walk. Things went well, so they had their first official date on October 15 at Aab India. One date led to another, and soon they were in love.
Five months after the relationship started, Anna and Pete took a chance on each other and relocated to Colorado for work. Second to online dating (yikes), it was the best risk they’d ever taken.
Today Pete and Anna live in a sunny little house in Arvada with two “dingos” (a dingo-looking mutt named Luna and an Australian cattledog named Apollo), a bettafish named Taki, and a bunch of houseplates. They’re also sneakily married already. Life is good.”
Anna and Pete had planned on getting married in 2020, but had to postpone the celebration. However, they did not postpone the wedding. Anna shares, “We tied the knot with just two friends and a neighbor as witness on May 1, 2020. We did this because after a year and a half of engagement, we were ready to be married, and because we were planning to buy a new house. However, because it was important to formally thank our friends and family for supporting us, we decided to hold a reception a full year later to treat everyone to food, drink, and adorable animals. A vow renewal ceremony also took place prior to the reception so we could celebrate our joy all together.”
The reception was held outdoors and included many special, personal touches, including these gorgeous handmade paper flowers.
The bride’s father and brother and the groom’s father all shared very special toasts. The groom’s father included a reading from a poem by Mary Oliver,
“When it’s over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”
Congratulations Anna and Pete!
Special thanks to the team:
Venue: Lyons Farmette Taylor@lyonsfarmette.com Taylor
Coordinator: Dahlia Events & Designs, Kayla Hinrichs
Caterer: Cured
Bartender: With a Twist
Music: Farmette Sound System
Alcohol: Hazel’s
Officiant: Michael Wood
Transportation: Best Denver Party Bus
Animals: Betty the Beverage Burro
Flower crown: Boulder Blooms
Bouquet: DIY using loose flowers from Boulder Blooms and a scrap of my mom’s old wedding dress to tie it
Flower arrangement on bar: SOL Floral
Dress: Lulu’s
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography
