Wedding celebrations last a lifetime

We meet through an online dating site. Sharon sent the first message that said 'Hey there!' to which Bruce responded with 'Where do you live?' A few more messages were sent back and forth before we decided to finally meet in person. Sharon was working night shifts in the Emergency Department so in between work and sleep agreed a lunch date with Bruce. The date was set for July 4th 2016. Sharon picked the location of The Lake House Restaurant on Lake Bomoseen in Castleton VT. If you ask Bruce there were multiple dates set that Sharon backed out of. Sharon does not remember any of these dates. Sharon arrived at The Lake House Restaurant early and drove by a couple times before deciding to park (the parking at the lake house can be limited as it has a very small parking lot). Bruce was standing in the parking lot and found a parking spot for Sharon so she could not drive away. After a great lunch and even better conversation we went our separate ways. Bruce pulled out of the parking lot in his convertible mustang with a smile that Sharon could not forget. Sharon was so excited that she could not sleep for her shift that night and instead kept talking to Bruce. The rest was the start of the greatest love story!!

Bruce planned the perfect date and was determined to surprise Sharon. He spoke with Jack who gave his blessing and the two were able to keep the secret for quite sometime. Sharon had been out shopping and preparing for Christmas. Bruce sent a message asking when she would be home. Little did Sharon know what he was up to. When Sharon finally arrived home Bruce let her know that they had plans. Sharon insisted that she was going to make Christmas cookies and was not going to go out. Bruce convinced her to put on her hat and gloves and get in the car. He told her that they needed to go help his Mom with something. Sharon being stubborn kept asking what they were doing. Bruce drove and kept driving without telling Sharon where they were going. We pulled into Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden VT and parked near the outdoor activity area. Sharon asked where Bruces mom was and what we were possibly going to help with here. Bruce said to Sharon that his mom was not coming but that he brought her to Mountain Top to go for a sleigh ride. Sharon quickly inquired with 100 questions like "Did you make a reservation? Because you can't just show up this kind of thing!" Bruce assured Sharon that he knew and had made a reservation. At the top of the mountain the sleigh driver let us know that we would be stopping so that we could take pictures of the view. At the top we stopped and Bruce jumped out of the sleigh and ran around towards the horses. Sharon jumped out to follow him. When we got to the horses Bruce suggested that Sharon allow the sleigh driver to take a picture. Being the stubborn one she refused instead taking a couple selfies before wanting to get back on the sleigh. Bruce quickly stopped Sharon and when she turned around he was on one knee with the most beautiful ring. Sharon said yes!!! We hopped back on the sleigh to head for the Inn where we had a wonderful dinner together complete with peppermint ice cream!

We have made the difficult decision to postpone our wedding celebration. We wanted to make sure that all our loved ones stay healthy and safe. One of Bruces favorite things to say to me is "Good things come to those that wait". This is what he would say when I would ask him on long car rides if he was ever going to propose. He has always been right about this. Waiting can be difficult as we were so excited to celebrate our marriage with all of you. This time apart from all our family and friends has been tough and we are looking forward to that day when we can all be together again. Bruce and I are working on all the details for next years celebration and will send out updates as we finalize our new plans. We will legally marry this summer with our immediate family at our home in Vermont. Next years celebration will include a ceremony to allow us to again say our vows with all our family and friends surrounding us. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate these changes. We cannot wait to celebrate with everyone next year!!!

Its been a crazy year for many and who would have thought that when Bruce proposed we would be planning our wedding 1-2-3 times. After some tears and a sad moment that our original wedding was not going to happen as planned, we planned wedding #2. A court house affair. On July 17th of 2020 after it poured all morning Bruce and I got dressed and drove to the court house here in Middlebury VT and said I Do!! It was a quick ceremony held on the steps with the judge who kept calling me by my middle name. We arrived at the court house with our immediate family and told "Ok the judge will be out in 4 minutes pick a spot to say I do." I quickly turned to bruce and said "Ok how about right here!" Socially distant but surrounded by love the sun came out and we became Mr and Mrs Bruce Meacham Jr. Our wedding day continued with a perfect afternoon at our home. I thought of my grandmother, Nanny, who I know was watching while we enjoyed sandwiches on the front porch. Definitely her style of a party, family together and enjoying the beauty of Vermont. Now we are slowly starting to plan wedding #3. We are looking forward to sharing time together with all our family and friends. Best part it will be on July 17 2021, our 1 year anniversary! We could not be more excited to share this special day and celebrate simply being together.

After the start of this year we began to think about a celebration this summer. Due to the high level of COVID at that time in areas outside Vermont we have decided to cancel our wedding celebration. Bruce and I are very thankful for the kind words we have received from our families and friends.