Our Wedding

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Susan & Dustin OUR WEDDING New York City and Washington, D.C. 29 Fe

b r ua ry

2008





Manhattan New York Temple OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Susan & Dustin OUR WEDDING 29 February 2008


Susan & Dustin OUR WEDDING New York City and Washington, D.C. • 29 February 2008



Contents

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Engagement photos

Arrival & preparation

Times Square

Luncheon

Broadway

Arriving at the temple

Lincoln Memorial Marriage is a friendship that blows away the chaff and takes the grain; that says I accept you as a unique person, and I love you and respect you in your personality, and I will protect you, and I’ll listen. Elder Marion D. Hanks


DEDICATION To my lovely wife, Susan, whom I love more deeply with every passing day.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Central Park

Subway

Reception

Québec

Washington, D.C.

Panoramic photo of New York City above and on dust jacket by Daniel Schwen, 6 December 2005. Used under terms of the photo’s Creative Commons license, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NYC_Top_of_the_Rock_Pano.jpg. Photo of Manhattan New York Temple on frontispiece © The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Used in this personal, noncommercial context under the licensing terms found at http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/rights-usage-information.

Thanks to all those who took pictures at our wedding, reception, and related events and whose photos appear herein—your work is beautiful; the memories, priceless. • • • • • • • •

Tania and Randy Blue Andrea Braswell Matthew Brownell Rebecca Foster Bob Gump and Karen Hibdon David Hibdon Fulton Taylor, Sr. Andrada Tomoaia-Cotisel


Engagement photos LINCOLN MEMORIAL

1

Susan & Dustin


24 DECEMBER 2007

OUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTO

O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

O u r We d d i n g

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The skyline of Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, rises behind us, over Roosevelt Island, the Roosevelt Bridge, and the Potomac River.

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Susan & Dustin


ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

O u r We d d i n g

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Arrival & preparation

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Susan & Dustin


28–29 FEBRUARY 2008

A

t

8.10 on Thursday, 28 February 2008, Amtrak train number 56, the Vermonter,

departed from Washington’s Union Station. We were on board, along with Susan’s sister and brother-in-law and their children. The train slowly pulled out

of the railyard then quickly gained speed as it made its way up the Northeast Corridor. Through Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Trenton we sped, across the countryside of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey on the way to our destination—New York City. We were officially off to get married!

We arrived at New York’s Pennsylvania Station a little over three hours later, at

11.18. We hopped aboard the 1/2/3 line of the New York City Subway and traveled uptown one stop, to Times Square-42 St. That was where we would find our hotel, the Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square at 1568 Broadway.

Dustin anxiously checked in and went to his room. In making the reservation online,

he had included a note indicating that the stay was for his own wedding and asking, if possible, for an extra-special room. And the hotel delivered! They had put him in room 3903. It was a corner room, with wraparound windows that offered stunning views up 7th Avenue to Central Park, of the Hudson River to the west, of Times Square below, and of the tops of the skyscrapers all around. The suite had a sitting area, a dining table, a separate bedroom, and two bathrooms. It was far nicer than we had expected.

That evening, Susan’s parents took us and everyone already in New York for the

wedding—Karen, Bob, M.H.G., C.H.G., Matt H., Matthew B., and Rebecca—out to eat at Our Place Shanghai Tea Garden, a Chinese restaurant at 141 East 55th Street. The food was good, but the company on the night before our wedding was best of all.

O u r We d d i n g

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M.H.G. and his mother, Karen, Susan’s sister

C.H.G.

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Susan & Dustin


ARRIVAL & PREPARATION

O u r We d d i n g

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Our hotel, the Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square, 1568 Broadway West 47th Street to the Hudson River

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We stayed on the 39th floor.


ARRIVAL & PREPARATION

7th Avenue at West 48th Street Times Square, north end

7th Avenue to Central Park O u r We d d i n g

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Matthew B., Matt H., Dustin, and Susan

C.H.G., Karen, and Mary and David 13

Susan & Dustin

M.H.G., Bob, and C.H.G.


ARRIVAL & PREPARATION

David, Matthew B., Matt H., and Dustin

Bob and C.H.G.

C.H.G.

Matthew B., Matt H., and Dustin

O u r We d d i n g

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right

Susan wasn’t sure what jewelry would best match her wedding dress, so she bought gobs of it shortly before we went to New York City. The night before our wedding she and Rebecca selected some items for her to wear. Susan returned the rest of it when we got back to Washington, D.C.

Susan’s wedding dress

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Susan & Dustin


ARRIVAL & PREPARATION

Our wedding rings

Rebecca irons Susan’s dress.

Matthew B. irons Dustin’s shirt. O u r We d d i n g

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Times Square ARRIVING AT THE TEMPLE

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Susan & Dustin


29 FEBRUARY 2008

T

he morning of

Friday, 29 February, was as close as we got to disaster during our

wedding. The prior evening had ended pleasantly enough—after dinner, we went our separate ways, Susan with Rebecca, Dustin with his buddies, for one last night

out on the town as single people. (Dustin, Matt, and Matthew had ice cream on the Lower East Side; Susan and Rebecca got a Diet Coke at Duane Reade and selected jewelry.)

The morning, too, began smoothly. Then Matthew B., who had spent the night in

Dustin’s awesome 39th-floor suite at the Doubletree Times Square and was now ironing the shirt in which Dustin would get married, noticed a problem: the iron had rusted, and faint brownish orange stains were rubbing off on to the shirt. Dustin called the hotel’s front desk to request a replacement iron, which, he was informed, should arrive shortly. But it never came. So Dustin ran down to Susan and Rebecca’s room and borrowed the iron there.

All of which made Dustin and Matthew late in meeting everyone in the hotel’s lobby.

That meant that we all risked being late to the temple, which had requested that we arrive an hour early. So we made a mad, Home Alone-esque dash across Times Square. With the two of us in the lead and everyone else in tow, we made it to the subway in record time.

Then the unthinkable happened. The fare machines at that particular entrance to

the Times Square-42 St subway station weren’t accepting credit or debit cards. Cash only. A problem for two people like us who never carry cash. The one thing we never thought would fail us—the subway—was now delaying our arrival at the temple.

Then Susan’s family realized something: they still had value on their MetroCards,

and they could pass them back to us. It worked, and within moments we were happily speeding along on the 1 train under Broadway uptown to 66 St-Lincoln Center.

O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


TIMES SQUARE

Rebecca, Andrea, Susan, Dustin, David, Mary, M.H.G., and Bob

Matthew B., Rebecca, Susan, and Dustin O u r We d d i n g

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C.H.G., Karen, Mary, and David Rebecca, Susan, and Dustin

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TIMES SQUARE

The technical glitch caused some backups. We are in the background, with Rebecca at the ticket machine; Matthew B. is at left. Note that the machines advise “this time” “cash only.”

Mary, C.H.G., Karen, and David wait for us beyond the faregates.

M.H.G. O u r We d d i n g

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Mary and David

C.H.G., Karen, Dustin, and Susan

M.H.G. and Bob

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Susan & Dustin


TIMES SQUARE

On the New York City Subway’s 1 train (note the line diagram in the background) going uptown from Times Square-42 St to 66 St-Lincoln Center

O u r We d d i n g

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On Broadway outside the temple. Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic, rises behind us.

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TIMES SQUARE

Outside the interior doors to the Manhattan New York Temple. We made it! O u r We d d i n g

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Luncheon

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Susan & Dustin


29 FEBRUARY 2008

S

hortly after

11.00 on Friday, 29 February 2008, we were sealed husband and

wife for time and eternity by Leeman Lloyd Perkins, temple sealer, in the Manhattan New York Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In sealing us,

Brother Perkins spoke briefly about the significance of the Restoration—that Joseph Smith’s prophetic mission and the restoration of the sealing power enabled us to be there that day.

After our sealing, we held a luncheon for everyone who was in New York with us.

The Manhattan New York Temple (with the Hong Kong China Temple) is currently one of just two temples in the Church that occupy only a portion—the upper floors—of the building they’re in. A meetinghouse and the Church’s New York public affairs office occupy the lower levels. We held the luncheon in a room at the northwest corner of the third floor that is often used as a Relief Society or Sunday school classroom. That meant that all our family and friends who had come to New York were able to join us within the walls of the temple.

We entered the room to spontaneous applause. Susan called on MaryAnn to offer

a blessing on the food. Then we treated everyone to some of the best soups, salads, and sandwiches you’ll find, from Pret A Manger. After people had largely finished eating, Susan and Dustin walked around and gave everyone small individual jars of personalized M&Ms with our names and wedding date on them. We also gave each person or family a copy of New York New York, a book of photographs of New York City by Richard Berenholtz, with a personal note from us written inside the front cover.

Then, spontaneously, beginning with Scott and proceeding clockwise around the

tables we had set up in a hollow square, everyone spoke about what we meant to them. Lunch, the book, and the M&Ms were our gifts to them; their words were their gift to us.

O u r We d d i n g

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PARENTS

Susan’s parents, Mary and David

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Susan & Dustin


LUNCHEON

Dustin’s mother, Tania, and stepfather, Randy

O u r We d d i n g

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FAMILY

Bob and M.H.G.

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Susan & Dustin

Martin and Heather


LUNCHEON

Karen with C.H.G. in her arms

Amanda

O u r We d d i n g

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FRIENDS

MaryAnn and Sam

Rebecca 33

Susan & Dustin

Michelle and Scott


LUNCHEON

Dale Philip

Matt H. and Matthew B. O u r We d d i n g

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Susan, Dustin, and Amanda

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Matt H., Susan, and Dustin


LUNCHEON

Dustin and Amanda O u r We d d i n g

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Susan, Dustin, and Amanda

Randy

Dustin, Amanda, Tania, and Randy 37

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LUNCHEON

Tania

Randy O u r We d d i n g

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Matt H. and Matthew B.

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LUNCHEON

Our mothers speak. O u r We d d i n g

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LUNCHEON

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Broadway

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Susan & Dustin


29 FEBRUARY 2008

T

he luncheon ended

without a glitch. When everyone was finished, we all left

and went out for the day’s next activity: photos. Our sealing didn’t end quite so glitchlessly. Unlike marriage ceremonies in other churches, exchanging rings is not

a formal part of a Mormon temple wedding. We did, however, plan to exchange rings in the sealing room immediately after the ordinance, per the Church’s guidelines. To make sure the rings were ready, Dustin had given them to Matthew B. before arriving at the temple.

At the end of the sealing, we stood at the door of the sealing room and bid goodbye

(in a manner of speaking; we were, after all, going to see everyone immediately afterwards at the luncheon) to all who had attended—Dustin’s mother and stepfather, Tania and Randy; Sam and MaryAnn; Scott and Michelle; Rebecca; Matt H.; and Dale. And Matthew B., who, of course, had our rings. So, a moment later, we asked Brother Perkins, the sealer, “What about the rings?” He called everyone back—they were all already down at the end of the hall—and we thought, We don’t really need everyone to watch this; we just want to exchange the rings! But it got the job done, and we were duly married, with the evidence on our left hands to prove it.

After the luncheon, we went out to a traffic island on Broadway to take some large

group photos with the temple as the backdrop. We then walked east on West 65th Street and a little north on Central Park West to take photos in Central Park. The long procession of our family and friends was quite a sight. All along the way, we got looks from passersby and even a few comments. Some people offered their congratulations, while others called out, “Don’t do it!” To which we replied, “Too late!” MaryAnn, Dustin, Susan, and Amanda on Central Park West. Tania and Randy follow. O u r We d d i n g

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“It’s cold!” Randy exclaims, crossing Broadway with Tania.

Martin and Heather

Rebecca

Andrea, our “chief photographer”

Susan & Dustin


BROADWAY

next page, left to right

Sam and MaryAnn, Philip, Matt H., Dustin, David, Susan, Scott, Mary, C.H.G. and M.H.G., Dale, Amanda, Martin, Tania, Karen, Randy, Bob, Rebecca, Heather, and Matthew B.

Mary, Philip, Matthew B., Karen, C.H.G., David, Dustin, and Susan

As we were getting organized for the large group photo, this man, who is a member of the Church, came up and spoke to us.

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BROADWAY

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Dustin, Susan, and MaryAnn

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BROADWAY

Sam, MaryAnn, Susan, and Dustin

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BROADWAY

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BROADWAY

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David and Mary at the tail end of the “procession�

Amanda, Tania, and Randy on West 65th Street

MaryAnn, Dustin, Susan, and Amanda on Central Park West. Andrea, right, snaps a photo while Tania and Randy follow. 55

Susan & Dustin


BROADWAY

Walking past the rowhouses on West 65th Street

O u r We d d i n g

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Amanda helps hold the train of Susan’s wedding dress.

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BROADWAY

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MaryAnn and Susan on Central Park West

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BROADWAY

“That’s not how you hold it!” MaryAnn shows Dustin how properly to hold the train of Susan’s wedding dress.

O u r We d d i n g

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Martin’s funky bag

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Susan & Dustin


BROADWAY

Tania crossing West 65th Street

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Central Park

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Susan & Dustin


29 FEBRUARY 2008

W

e knew that getting married in

New York in February would be cold. But

standing there taking photos on Broadway, we were encircled by skyscrapers that shielded us from the wind. To the southwest of the temple, the low-rise

Lincoln Center formed a break in the walls of the concrete canyons that surrounded us, which allowed the warmth of the afternoon sunshine to stream down. It wasn’t until we walked over to Central Park that we realized just how cold Leap Day in New York City could be. And that is to say, very.

Frederick Law Olmsted’s great masterpiece was sure to form a dramatic backdrop for

some additional wedding photos. We felt the best spot for these photos would be the Sheep’s Meadow, an expanse of grass where one can see the modern and postmodern geometry of midtown’s towers break to make way for the natural (though sculpted) irregularity of Central Park’s canopy. From Central Park West to the Sheep’s Meadow we proceeded, only to find locked gates with signs indicating that some sort of hazardous chemical—insecticide, fertilizer, or something similar—had recently been sprayed and that the meadow was subsequently closed to the public for several days.

So we did the best thing we could do: we took photos next to the Sheep’s Meadow.

With a chain-link fence behind us. Almost the same effect, right? It was the first opportunity in our marriage for us to learn simply to roll with the punches.

After not too long, the cold and the wind became almost intolerable, especially for

poor Susan in a wedding dress that left her largely exposed to the elements. Most of our friends and family said their goodbyes to us, and we returned to Broadway and the temple for more photos and some final farewells.

O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


CENTRAL PARK

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MaryAnn, Sam, Dustin, Mary, and Susan

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CENTRAL PARK

Karen, Susan, and Mary

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Dale takes a load off Dustin.

Michelle adjusts Susan’s dress, which has been tousled by the wind.

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Susan & Dustin


CENTRAL PARK

O u r We d d i n g

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Dale, Dustin, Matt H., and Matthew B.

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CENTRAL PARK

O u r We d d i n g

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Rebecca, Susan, and Philip

Rebecca 73

Susan & Dustin

Susan and Rebecca


CENTRAL PARK

Dale, Dustin, Matt H., and Matthew B.

Dale, Dustin, Matt H., and Matthew B.

Rebecca snaps a photo of Matthew B., Matt H., and Dale.

O u r We d d i n g

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Susan and Rebecca 75

Susan & Dustin


CENTRAL PARK

Susan and Rebecca, bundled against the cold.

Matthew B., Matt H., Rebecca, and Dale Philip and Rebecca O u r We d d i n g

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Rebecca, Susan, and Dustin

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Susan & Dustin


CENTRAL PARK

Matthew B. and Dustin

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CENTRAL PARK

David and Mary

O u r We d d i n g

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MaryAnn and Dustin & Karen and Susan Dustin and Mary

Goodbyes

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Dustin and Karen & Martin and Susan


CENTRAL PARK

Susan and Dale

Susan and Philip

Dustin and Rebecca O u r We d d i n g

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CENTRAL PARK

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Bundling Susan against the cold

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CENTRAL PARK

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Subway

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Susan & Dustin


29 FEBRUARY 2008

W

e were married in the

Manhattan New York Temple, of course, but we

really considered all of New York City to be the backdrop for our wedding. With that kind of setting, there was an endless variety of places to take great

photos, yet only so much time. And, with such cold weather, only so much patience and endurance that we—and Andrea, our “chief photographer”—could muster.

After taking photos on Broadway and in Central Park on a day when the high

was only 35°F/1.7°C and the low was 17°F/−8.3°C—versus an average high and low of 44°F/6.7°C and 31°F/−0.6°C—we were about ready to call it quits. But there was one place we both knew we had to take some photos: the subway. The nearest place to take these photos was the station under Broadway right in front of the temple, 66 St-Lincoln Center. So down we went. Countless millions have stood, walked, and waited on that platform since it first opened in 1904, but for a few moments that afternoon we made it all our own.

Our wedding day at the temple ended the same way it began: on a subway train,

this time downtown to Times Square. Those were really the first moments we had alone, together, as a married couple—shared, of course, with who knows how many fellow passengers on their own journeys to who knows where. But we knew, at least in part, where our journey was headed, and we knew that we would never again travel alone. It felt good.

The next morning, on Saturday, 1 March 2008, we checked out of the fabulous

room 3903 at the Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square. We made our way, by subway, to Pennsylvania Station, where we boarded Amtrak train number 2251, the noon Acela Express. We were on our way back home—together—to Washington, D.C., to continue the celebration with our friends and family.

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SUBWAY

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SUBWAY

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SUBWAY

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Reception WASHINGTON, D.C.

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Susan & Dustin


1 MARCH 2008

A

mtrak’s

Acela Express 2251 pulled into Washington’s Union Station—where we

went on our first date, at the Center Café in the Great Hall—at about 14.50 that afternoon. From the station we took Metro to Columbia Heights and walked to our

apartment, N° 931 at Dorchester House, 2480 16th Street NW. We then caught Metrobus H4 from the west side of the square at Columbia Road and 16th and Harvard Streets NW. That took us to Tenleytown, where we hopped on the 30s Metrobuses on Wisconsin Avenue NW and rode to Friendship Heights. From there we walked to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 5460 Western Avenue—where we first met—for our reception.

Several of our friends and family members—Tania and Randy; Dustin’s supervisor,

David, and his wife, Jillian; Karen and Bob; Susan’s roommates Lindsay and Megan; and Andrada—spent much of the day helping clean and decorate for the reception. We are still deeply grateful for all the work they did. Everything looked exquisite.

Our wedding cake was chocolate with cream-cheese frosting and milk- and dark-

chocolate truffles. Dogs can’t eat chocolate, of course, so Dustin’s mother had purchased a white cupcake especially for Katie. A highlight of the evening came shortly after we cut our wedding cake, when Dustin got out the cupcake and a very anxious and excited Katie, tail wagging, put her front legs up on a chair to eat it. That first bite was a big one.

The second highlight of the evening came at the end of the reception, when

everyone gathered in a big circle for a toast. Matthew B. offered a prepared toast, which was completely unexpected. We don’t remember verbatim what he said, but we’ll always remember the beauty of his words and of that setting with friends and family gathered round.

O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

Judy

Family and friends decorated the Chevy Chase chapel, where we met, for our reception. The result was exquisite. O u r We d d i n g

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Dustin, Matthew B., and Matt H.

Stephanie, Megan, Andrada, and Lindsay

Andy and Bethany with their daughter Simone

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C.H.G. and Amanda


RECEPTION

Jillian, Dustin, Susan, and David

Susan and Philip

M.H.G., C.H.G., and Bob

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Ashley and Lindsay

Katherine does a “finger dance” … 101

Susan & Dustin

… as does Susan.


RECEPTION

Susan and Judy

C.H.G., Amanda, and Bob

Fulton shows Amanda how to take photos. O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

Dustin asks for more frosting.

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RECEPTION

Dustin feeds Katie her cupcake as Susan and Amanda look on.

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Katie and Tania

Daniel and Katie with her glowing orbs of death 107

Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

Katie asks, “Is that for me?”

By the end of the reception, Katie was worn out.

Dustin feeds Katie her cupcake as Karen and C.H.G. look on in delight. O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

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Amanda gets her groove thing on, surrounded by Martin, Susan, Lindsay, and Ashley.

Matt H. dances. Or, rather, attempts to. (Dustin always gave Matt a hard time about his lack of rhythm.)

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Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

The main reason for including this photo: note Martin, at left.

Jillian and David O u r We d d i n g

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Matt H. and Matthew B. serve as the evening’s emcees— and give Dustin a hard time about … something.

Dustin and his buddies 113

Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

Matthew B. offers a toast as Brian, Philip, and Ashley listen.

David, Ted, Jillian, and Adriane raise their glasses as Andrada takes a photo.

Amanda offers her own toast. O u r We d d i n g

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Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

Andrada, Megan, and Lindsay hide under the train of Susan’s dress.

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Cleanup after the reception was a big job.

Thanks, Scott!

Good work, David!

And a heartfelt thanks to everyone else who helped!

Susan & Dustin


RECEPTION

According to Randy, “You know it’s a Mormon wedding when the bride vacuums.”

O u r We d d i n g

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QuĂŠbec

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Susan & Dustin


3–8 MARCH 2008

B

right and early

on the morning of Monday, 3 March 2008, we woke up and

hopped into Susan’s car, a 2001 Honda Civic that was approximately the color of eggplant, for a daylong drive to Montréal. We were off for a well-needed, weeklong,

after-wedding getaway. (We both generally dislike the term “honeymoon” and prefer something more along the lines of German’s Hochzeitsreise.)

We arrived in Montréal well after dark and checked in at a quaint boutique hotel we

found online, the All Suite VIP Loft at 329 Rue Ontario Est. The building itself dated from the eighteenth or nineteenth century and was located in an older neighborhood just north (or east, as the Montréalais think of their city’s geography) of centre-ville. At $67.69 a night, we thought it was a real steal.

New York City on Leap Day may have been cold, but Montréal was certainly colder.

And snow-covered. Yet beautiful. Because of the cold, we spent much of our time there in the RÉSO, or la ville souterraine. On one of our ventures outside, we took a stroll through the park atop Mont-Royal, where we met the friendliest squirrels. Ever. Or, at least, the most daring in their efforts to beg food from you. We were carrying a bag, and they clearly knew food was inside. They came right up and put their front paws on our shoes. Then one, when we least expected it, leapt up onto Susan’s purse. The act was so swift and stunning that the only response Susan could manage was a squeal and a quick flick of her arm to let Mr. Forward know he was not welcome there.

Early in the morning of Thursday, 6 March, we took the métro to Montréal’s Gare

Centrale and boarded VIA Rail Canada’s train 20, the 7.00 run to Québec City. The sun had just started appearing over the horizon, bathing Montréal’s skyline in soft hues of pink, Looking down Québec City’s Rue Dauphine from atop the Porte Kent O u r We d d i n g

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orange, and violet as the train chugged across the Saint Lawrence River.

By the time we reached the outskirts of Grand Montréal (Greater Montréal), the sun

was shining brightly over the driven snow through which our train was passing. The vast, frozen, snow-covered landscape glistening in the sunlight was punctuated only occasionally by small towns, remote houses, and farm buildings. It looked more like Siberia than anything we expected to find in North America.

At 10.16 we arrived at the Gare du Palais in Québec City. From the gare, we trudged

through the slush and up the steep incline of Côte du Palais to our destination: the Château Frontenac, one of the world’s grandest hotels. (Susan notes that, even though we explored the entire hotel, we found no ghosts.)

We filled our time exploring the quaint streets and alleyways of one of North

America’s oldest cities (Québec City was, in fact, celebrating the 400th anniversary of its founding the year we were there). Susan made a snow angel on the Plains of Abraham, where the British claimed final victory over the French in their conquest of Canada. We rode a toboggan on a run that had been set up on the Terrasse Dufferin, right in front of the Château Frontenac. And we pelted the invaders from atop the Porte Kent in Québec’s city wall. (Of course, as Americans in Canada, we were the invaders.)

The next day, Friday, 7 March, we took the 17.35 train from Québec City. We

arrived back in Montréal on VIA Rail Canada’s train 27 at 20.52. We stayed one more night in Montréal, at La Tour Centre Ville, 400 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest. Finally, early in the morning of Saturday, 8 March, we found Susan’s car once again and drove back to Washington, D.C., to begin our new life—together.

121

Susan & Dustin


QUÉBEC

In our room in the Château Frontenac Dustin waits for the elevator in the Château Frontenac in Québec City.

O u r We d d i n g

122


The Château Frontenac in Québec City

In front of the Château Frontenac 123

Susan & Dustin

Overlooking the icebound Fleuve Saint-Laurent


QUÉBEC

Dustin looking like the awesome American he is, drinking Starbucks hot chocolate in front of McDonald’s in Québec City. The snow was piled high. Real high. But it was no challenge for Dustin.

Susan doesn’t know anyone in Canada, but she clearly thought she was calling someone. O u r We d d i n g

124


In the Rue Saint-Jean in QuĂŠbec City 125

Susan & Dustin


QUÉBEC

Same spot

O u r We d d i n g

126


Looking sassy in front of the Porte Saint-Louis

Susan demonstrates making a snow angel. In this photo, step 1. 127

Susan & Dustin

Also looking sassy. This time in front of the H么tel du Parlement.

Step 2


The snow nearly took Susan down.

QUÉBEC

Step 3. All done! O u r We d d i n g

128


Dustin hauls a toboggan to the top of the run set up on the Terrasse Dufferin in front of the Ch芒teau Frontenac.

Dustin peeks his head over the snow piled high in front of the H么tel du Parlement. 129


QUÉBEC

“Don’t mess wit’ dis.” Atop the Porte Kent.

Dustin pelts the invaders from atop the Porte Kent.

In our room in the Château Frontenac

O u r We d d i n g

130


131

In front of the Porte Saint-Louis

In front of the H么tel du Parlement

Also in front of the H么tel du Parlement

Atop the Porte Kent

Susan & Dustin


QUÉBEC

On board the train back to Montréal. Dustin bought this delicious dinner at a convenience store just before we went to Québec City’s Gare du Palais to board our train.

O u r We d d i n g

132



‌ and they lived happily ever after.

THE END


RETROSPECTIVE

Of all the beautiful photos in this book, these are the two, we feel, that best reflect our feelings of those days. [smile]






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