Laura & Aaron Kopetsky
The Big Day: June 29, 2013The Photos: Heidi Reuter Photography
How They Met
Laura and Aaron met as students at Albright College and became college sweethearts in 2007 when she was a senior, he was a junior, and they had an education class together. Aaron asked Laura on their first date that summer, and the dating continued until she moved home, two hours away, after student teaching in the fall. After a year away from each other, they found their way back. “When you let something go and it comes back to you, it’s yours forever,” explains Laura.
Their engagement happened just two days before Christmas morning in 2011, she recalls. “My absolute favorite time of the year is Christmastime, especially decorating the tree. That morning, I woke up and found Aaron had already made breakfast and brewed coffee. I thought it was sweet. I sat down in my PJs with my cup of coffee and opened a magazine. After a few minutes, Aaron just couldn’t contain himself. ‘Did you notice anything about the Christmas tree?’ he asked me. I squinted and noticed what appeared to be more Christmas ornaments. ‘Did you put more ornaments on the tree?’ I asked. I got up and in that moment realized that each ball had a letter on it, and the letters spelled out ‘Will you marry me?’ On the ball with the question mark was the ring. Aaron got down on one knee, took the ring off the Christmas ball and popped the question. In my morning fog, I didn’t cry, but I did say ‘YES’ immediately,” she recalls.
The Big Day
Laura and Aaron were married June 29 in Holy Guardian Angels Church, Reading, in front of their parents: Paul Winder and Linda Hammer and Leonard and Michele Kopetsky, respectively. Aaron’s grandparents, Carl and Victoria Nuding and Alice Kopetsky, were also in attendance. Lauren’s Maid of Honor was her sister, Kristen Posey. Aaron’s Best Man was Theodore Seaman, his best friend. The theme was vintage, with tones of pink, cream and gray. Looking back, Aaron says his favorite memory of the day was their first dance as husband and wife to Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me. Laura loved the moment they were pronounced man and wife.
The Details
The bride purchased her gown at a small boutique near her hometown: Coronet Bridal of Feasterville. She and her bridal party had their hair and makeup perfected at Tranquility Day Spa and Salon in Leesport, and they carried stunning bouquets of peonies and roses crafted by The Nosegay Florist of Bernville. The groom and his groomsmen wore suits from Men’s Wearhouse. The beautiful engagement ring and wedding bands were purchased at Van Scoy Jewelers in Spring Township.
Infinity Limousine transported the wedding party to the reception at Stoudt’s Brewing Company, the bride and groom being beer lovers. Stoudt’s provided their guests with brews, fabulous food and old-fashioned German décor that the bride and groom loved. It was all topped off with cupcakes from Kupkake Kouture of West Reading that Laura describes as “simply divine.” Photographer Heidi Reuter captured the couple's special moments throughout the day with her stunning photography.
The Honeymoon
The couple celebrated their honeymoon in historical colonial Williamsburg, Va., over the July 4th holiday. They stayed in a cozy bed & breakfast and toured Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. As Laura says, “It was very patriotic!”
Future Plans
Just one month following their wedding the couple purchased a home in Wernersville. Laura teaches first grade learning support at Muhlenberg School District and Aaron teaches fourth grade in the Reading School District. They plan on starting a family soon!
VENDORSVenue & CateringStoudt’s Brewing Company, AdamstownFlowersThe Nosegay Florist, BernvilleCakeKupkake Kouture, West ReadingDJDJ Mike Zachowski, aka DJ MZ HammerHair & MakeupTranquility Day Spa and Salon, Leesport
Jessica & Justin Bodor
The Big Day: October 12, 2013The Photos: Tania Colamarino, Ama Photography
How They Met
Jessica and Justin met in a bit of an unconventional place for a couple: in court. Neither was in trouble, mind you; each worked in the court system. Jessica is an adult probation officer and Justin is an attorney. They became friends in that environment, but lost touch when Justin took a position at a private law firm. Later, they reconnected on Facebook and began emailing and talking on the phone, which led to getting together for dinner and drinks in October of 2009. And they’ve been together ever since!
So how did he ask for her hand in marriage? Here’s how Jessica recalls it: “One of our first dates that I’ll never forget was taking a hike up at Hawk Mountain one fall day back in 2009. We had a great time there and we have a great picture of ourselves standing at the North Lookout. It was a memorable time for both of us, as our relationship was developing at that time. Justin wanted to recreate that moment for the proposal, so we went to Hawk Mountain in the late afternoon. I knew something was up around the time that Justin proposed. The day he proposed we hiked back up to the North Lookout where it all began. The only problem was that there were a lot of other people there that day, so Justin had me hiking all over as he was trying to find a perfect, secluded spot to propose. We ended up hiking back to North Lookout and he proposed right before sunset. It was the most amazing thing; at one point he had to make sure I was saying ‘yes’ through all my happy tears. Our proposal was capped off by a romantic dinner at the Nutty Pear in Schuylkill Haven.”
The Big Day
Jessica and Justin were wed in Atonement Lutheran Church, Wyomissing, by Rev. Rick Summy. Her cousin, LeAnn Smith, served as her Maid of Honor, and Justin’s bother, Brandon, was Best Man.
On a day filled with memories, Jessica says she cherishes the gift she was able to give her now-husband. “My gift to Justin was an embroidered handkerchief with a message to him. I also gave him a journal to document trips and life events that we have in the future, as we both love to travel. In the front of the journal I placed a picture of us that we took on our first trip to Hawk Mountain and the caption below it read, ‘Where it all began.’”
For Justin, the most memorable part of the big day was “seeing Jessica at the first look during pictures. I also just enjoyed having all of our friends and family together and having a great time at the reception.”
The Details
Jessica’s gorgeous gown was purchased at David’s Bridal. The bridesmaids wore dresses from bridesmaids.com and were dolled up by Shear Envy Salon in Reading, and makeup was perfected by Melissa Perez. The groomsmen wore tuxes from Jack O’Reilly’s in Muhlenberg Township. The engagement and wedding rings were purchased at The Jewelry Source, Blandon.
Elite Coach transported the wedding party to the reception held at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, which was decked out in a rustic country theme featuring tones of yellow, navy and white. Berks County musician Mike Noecker sang and played acoustic guitar during the cocktail reception. Lighting and draping was provided by Majestic Florals of Reading. Guests dined on dishes by Rhein’s Classic Catering, Reading, and Diane Pilgrim provided bar service. It was topped off with a delicious creation by Cake A Fare, Myerstown. Guests also enjoyed fun with a photo booth from Chariot Photo Booths. Wedding photography for the day was shot by Tania Colamarino of Ama Photography.
The Honeymoon
Their honeymoon was a dream come true: traveling to Hawaii for two weeks, with four days spent in Oahu followed by a week-long cruise around the Hawaiian islands.
Future Plans
Jessica and Justin live in a small townhouse in Mount Penn, but hope to buy a larger house out in the country in the near future and start a family.
VENDORSVenue & CateringGoggleWorks Center for the Arts andRhein’s Classic Catering, both of ReadingFlowersReading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center Horticulture ProgramCakeCake A Fare, MyerstownStationaryNostalgic PrintsHair & MakeupShear Envy Salon, Reading, and Melissa Perez
Lauren & Red Martin
The Big Day: July 27, 2013The Photos: Sarah Alderman, AGP Collective
How They Met
Lauren, 29, and Red, 38, grew up in Morgantown; they first met was when he came into Hartz Natural Food Store, where Lauren worked as a teenager. Recalls Lauren, “He asked me for some buckwheat pancake mix and was very annoyed at me when I said we were all out.” Over the years, they bumped into each other now and again, having mutual friends, but then Red moved to Barcelona, Spain, and in the summer he would tour with his band, Gadjo. It was his routing for about five years until he came home one winter to visit. Lauren ran into him at a party at her friend’s local farm. Red invited her to go on tour with his band that summer, and she did. By the end of the tour, he told her he was ready to quit the band and move back home. He did just that, and six years later, Lauren says, “He finally got the nerve to propose to me.”
Here’s how she remembers it happening: “I knew he had something up his sleeve because he was acting so strangely. He lured me down by the pond at the 86-acre farm we were renting. He had prepared a lovely picnic of all of our favorite foods and drink. It was actually a little awkward, but very sweet, when he got down on one knee and finally presented me with a beautiful antique Edwardian cut diamond ring, which he purchased at Renninger’s Antique Mall in Adamstown. I later had the ring resized at Justin Bortz Jewelers in West Reading. After that, I knew that we had some major planning to do.”
The Big Day
The wedding was a real team effort. Lauren and Red knew they wanted to have the wedding at the farm they had rented for the past six years, and set the date for July 27, 2013, much to Lauren’s mother’s chagrin, as she was sure it would be fatally hot that day; but as a special ed. teacher it was important for Lauren to set a day when she knew the extended school year would be over. As Lauren started planning the construction of her invitations, gown and bridesmaids’ dresses, her mom, Barbara Geiger, and her neighbor, Patience Kaltenbach, got to work planning the menu: no small feat for a guest list of more than 300!
On her wedding day, Lauren had seven bridesmaids – all her Maids of Honor! She and Red were joined by their parents, Barbara and Bob Geiger and Eva and Dennis Martin, respectively, and Lauren’s grandparents, Betty Geiger and Mary Hacker.
The Details
The theme was that of a Pennsylvania Dutch farm wedding, so Lauren used designs from hex signs and the famous “distlefink,” or “thistle finch,” as a motif on the invitations and cake and appliqued to the dresses and men’s vests. She made all of the invitations, the wedding dress, and her seven bridesmaids’ dresses. She had the men’s vests and dress appliques embroidered with distlefinks by Laila’s Embroidery, Virginville.
With the help of her fiancé and some of her students, Lauren silkscreen printed the invitations onto colorful floral vintage handkerchiefs. The bridesmaids’ dress bodices were made out of vintage handkerchiefs. Lauren ended up using the extra handkerchief invitations (which were seconds) to create decorative banners to hang on the bar, which was in the woodshed, and around the milk shed, which was a focal point during the reception. She took lace doilies and used them as banners as well. Lauren also planted a lot of flowers and used props in the gardens for added interest. One of the most amazing gifts she recalls receiving was all of the fresh cut flowers that friends put together. A wonderful group of local ladies worked all day arranging gorgeous flowers and making bridal bouquets which they had grown in their gardens and purchased at local farms.
On her big day, Lauren wore heirloom jewelry, her grandmother’s necklace and a pair of simple diamond stud earrings. She decided to keep her bridal look simple, as outdoor weddings can be sweaty affairs. Kim at Salon Shine in Elverson braided her hair and gave her a manicure and pedicure. Her bridesmaids helped her put baby’s breath in her hair and she did her own makeup.
Patience taught the couple how to make homemade limoncello and smoked salmon and helped during the wedding, making sure things ran smoothly. Says Lauren, “My mother is a crazy collector of beautiful dishes, as well as ideas. She is also a food connoisseur so she helped add tons of vision and plan the menu.” Jen Dengler or Morgantown’s Wild Flour Cakes made the gorgeous cake, which was also a very generous wedding gift from Lauren’s friend, Quriosity. Al Dukeman, Morgantown, did the catering. Lauren and Red raised cattle in the front yard, and therefore had roast beef and also a pig roast.
Red knew some people who played in the Brooklyn-based Hungry March Band, so the couple hired them to play the wedding, which was a fantastic addition to the magic of the day. They marched around and followed the betrothed in a procession through a field of butterflies down to the pond where they exchanged vows. They played on top of the old stone walls, serenaded guests and would make impromptu dance circles everywhere. At the end of the night, they played around the raging bonfire for hours and had everyone moving.
Future Plans
Since their wedding, Lauren, a special education teacher at Camphill Special School, Phoenixville, and Red, a general contractor, have moved to a new home near French Creek State Park, outside of Geigertown, which they are in the process of completely remodeling. They look forward to a beautiful future spent together and good things yet to come.
