Love of the Game
Abbie Swaino Miller + Braun Miller
photographer: Lindzy Nava, Lindzy Lee Photography, lindzyleephoto.com
Malone University volleyball player Abbie Swaino and Malone University baseball player Braun Miller bonded over their mutual love for sports when they met in 2017 and then became a couple.
The night before a golf outing in her late father’s honor in 2022, Braun popped the question.
“Braun took me to hole No.17 because that was my dad’s baseball number,” Abbie says. “That’s where he proposed. Then all of our family ended up joining us afterward to set up for the golf outing and to celebrate.”
The couple wed Sept. 30 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Massillon. The Canal Fulton residents each had 11 bridesmaids and groomsmen and around 400 people at the large cathedral for the ceremony before they headed to the DoubleTree by Hilton Canton Downtown for the reception.
From the Bride
One-of-a-Kind: My dress was custom-made. When I found one of the dresses, I was obsessed with the bottom. It was tight-fitting with all tulle at the bottom with a pretty long train. The designer took the top of another dress I liked and sewed it onto the bottom of the first dress. It was awesome!
Say Cheese: Our backdrop for our photo booth, one of our family members made it, and it’s these little black-and-white pictures of us and a neon sign. We have all the pictures, so it’s cool.
This is It: The doors were closed right before I went down the aisle. In the church, there was a huge organ. When the doors opened and the organ started, it was one of those moments you want to remember. That would be my moment where I was like, OK, we’re really doing it.
Misty Eyes: My stepdad ended up walking me down the aisle, and he held a picture of my dad. That’s when everyone was like, Oh my God. Lots of tears.
Heartfelt Dances: My stepdad ended up doing a speech as from my dad and we did a father-daughter dance. My cousin sang in Nashville. He wrote a song to me and my stepdad as a letter from my dad from heaven that my stepdad and I danced to. Then we ended up doing another father-daughter dance, and I was able to dance with his brothers, my grandparents and my dad’s best friend — the guys who raised me with him.
From the Groom
Party on Wheels: My favorite part of the day would be the time we spent on the party bus going from the ceremony to the [McKinley] monument to take pictures. We had each 11 of our favorite people, some of our best friends, some people that we hadn’t seen in maybe months or even years. We got to celebrate and have that moment before all the craziness.
Immediate Awe: When I saw Abbie walk down the aisle, I’d say it was definitely emotional. The previous two nights, I wasn’t with her. I was with a lot of my friends, people from out of state. So it built up emotions, and I was excited overall. // AC