On the 15th of each month we feature a new and magnificent wedding! This is more than just a weekly "best site" contest with a link to the couple's wed-site. We will take you through the entire wedding process...from the planning, to the actual event, and everything in between...including every detail which made each big day special, as told by the newlyweds.

Do you feel what I feel...
Erika describes how she met Jason: "August 28, 1992 - it was my first day of my first real job at Genovese Drug Store #132. I was kind of giddy, kinda of nervous. It was probably halfway into my shift -- I turned down aisle 9, the toothpaste aisle, and saw this tall (tall!) guy with a shaved head and a Genovese shirt walking my way. He was just moping along; I told him to smile and went on my merry way. Little did I know who he would be!

The flirting between Jay and me was so incredible, people from neighboring stores had heard about us! He would swing by the pharmacy counter and flirt, flirt, flirt. We would take two hours lunches and eat General Tsos chicken down at the local Chinese food place. The tension was there, but we told ourselves we were just being friendly -- it was all simply platonic fun. Yeah right!

He would come visit a few times at college over the next couple of years, but we were always dating other people. We fell a bit out of touch, until I emailed him in May, 1999 with the lyrics to "Stay" by Lisa Loeb -- a song they always played at work that reminded him of me. A few days later, he emailed back the lyrics to "Walk on the Ocean" by Toad the Wet Sprocket, a song that reminds me of him.

I drove from Binghamton to Boston in November of that year to see him for the first time in close to two years. He opened the door, and that was it. When I left two days later, our lives together had officially begun."

Can we make it so that's part of the deal...
Erika describes their engagement: "We were up in NH for the weekend, and we were by this little stream that ran right by our bed & breakfast. I was taking pictures; he was picking leaves for me. He pulled me in for a hug, I commented on how his heart was racing. He told me mine was too; I said it wasn't and started to walk away. He called me back; when I turned around, he was holding the leaves out to me, with the ring on top. I don't remember him asking; I do remember saying, "Are you serious?"...I had to ask him later what we actually said to each other. He kissed me, and then we both had to sit down on a rock to calm ourselves down a bit. It was just simply, purely beautiful.

I wanna breathe when you breathe...
The bride discusses their 'big day': "We had a tough time making sure the wedding was uniquely ours. We come from traditional families, so we had to find a balance between what was "expected" and what would reflect "us." We settled on a small Unitarian church -- and small it was -- we ended up almost standing room only! The wonderful thing about going with a Unitarian church was that we were able to write our entire ceremony, from start to finish. It was wonderful being able to create something that so completely reflected who we are and what we mean to each other.

We had a special candlelighting ceremony. Everyone was handed a candle when they entered the church. Before we said our vows, we asked family members to come up and light a candle in memory of someone who couldn't be with us that day. We had lost a number of close family members in the previous years, and felt it was really important to honor them. Once those candles were lit, the best man & maid of honor lit their candles, walked to the back row & lit the candles there. Those people lit the candles in the row in front of them, until everyone's candles were lit. We then asked the parents to come up and light our candles.

Those candles stayed lit through our vows, until we lit our single flame from the many flames that had nurtured the flame of our relationship, whether through family, friendship or love. "

When you whisper like that hot summer breeze...
"It was really important to us that we be surrounded by the people who made us feel comfortable, and with whom we knew we would have a great time. We made sure our party reflected those closest of friends -- even if it meant seven bridesmaids & seven groomsmen - AND a flower girl! The girls wore dresses they picked out - two-piece navy satin with a taffeta drape neck.

My gown was a strapless organza A-line gown with beading at the neckline & matching beadwork along the train. I went in knowing that I would pick one of the first five dresses I tried on -- and that's exactly what I did!"

I will meet you by the witness tree...
When asked if there was anything she would do differently, Erika replied: "Gosh -- I wouldn't have freaked as much as a did the week before. I think no matter what, every bride-to-be will turn into bridezilla right about then!"

When asked what she would do the same: "Everything. We fought and battled family over the size, the location, the way it went, but in all honesty, we had a blast! One thing that was really important to us, though, was that we snuck off several times to just be alone, away from all the excitement. It gave us a chance to decompress -- and realize the hugeness of what we had just done!"

Leave the whole world behind...
To sum up their wedding day the bride answered: "One of the highlights of the wedding was during the ceremony. A close family friend knew how special "The Princess Bride" was to us, so when he got up to do his reading, he started it off with, "Mawwiage is a sacwed institushun." It was just the giggle we all needed!"

For more information about Erika and Jason's wedding visit their their website.
And check out the April 2003 "Fifteen Minutes of Fame" with Laura and Micah.

Want to submit your own website for its Fifteen Minutes of Fame? Just click here.

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