Ever After
Four couples tie the knot in The 330. From rustic to sportsy to classic, these weddings offer a heartfelt beginning to the rest of their lives. They share when they fell in love, how he proposed and what makes their bond last.
Brittney + Ben Weinerman
Brittney Weinerman still has the movie ticket from her first date with her husband, Ben. The two knew of each other since they were young, attending elementary and high school together. But being a year apart, they never actually met. It wasn’t until college that the two finally crossed paths.
Ben was in his freshman year at Baldwin Wallace University. Brittney was in her sophomore year at Kent State University. They met officially at an ugly sweater party. They exchanged phone numbers, and a week later — cue the foreshadowing — the pair went to see “The Vow” for their first date (not Ben’s choice).
“We’ve lost a lot of things over the six years we’ve been together, so it’s kind of amazing that Brittney still has the movie ticket from that date in 2012,” says Ben, who lives with Brittney in Akron. The Weinermans wed March 17, 2018, at Wingfoot Lake State Park in Mogadore.
From the Bride:
Off Her Feet: When we were planning our wedding, we knew we didn’t want religion to be a big factor, but we wanted to honor Ben’s family and the [Jewish] culture. We decided to do the hora at our reception. Everyone’s on their feet; it’s high energy. Some of the groomsmen got a little too excited and bucked me out of the chair. The photographer captured it. It was just so much fun.
Window Shopper: I went to the Dress [Bridal Boutique] in Medina, and as I was walking up for my appointment, I saw this beautiful dress in the window and thought, Oh, that’s it. It was the first dress I tried on. I’m the most indecisive person. I tried on several more, then ended up going back to that first one. It’s still hanging in my closet.
Stroke of Luck: Neither one of us are Irish, but being that we got married on St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to have something traditional. We had our own cake to cut but had little cupcakes topped with Lucky Charms, egg rolls stuffed with corned beef and Irish mules.
The One: I’d always known that I loved him so much differently than anything else in my past. I knew for sure when we were on vacation. Ben and my dad were on the porch listening to Kenny Chesney, talking about how much they loved each other and me. I remember vividly feeling this was the person I wanted to spend my life with.
From the Groom
A Dream: I hadn’t had the ring very long. One night I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I went and got the ring, and slid it on her finger. Brittney’s the deepest sleeper and can sleep through anything. For whatever reason, I lay back down, and not even an hour later, she wakes up and says, ‘What’s on my finger?’ I gave her my whole spiel and asked her to marry me, and she said “yes.”
Sarah+ David Hamilton
Only a week into dating, a care package showed Sarah Thaxton who David Hamilton really was. The two were set to study for a business ethics class at Baldwin Wallace University in 2011, but the session didn’t last long. Sarah felt sick. David gave her a care package with Kleenex, cough drops and vitamin C. Sarah was genuinely moved by the gesture.
“This is a guy that I wanted to have in my life,” she recalls thinking. “He doesn’t really know me that well, and he was already bending over backward to take care of me.”
Through college, grad school and jobs, David became Sarah’s rock. In 2016, David got down on one knee and proposed to Sarah in downtown Olmsted Falls, a special spot he grew up frequenting with his family.
“She started crying, which made me cry, and she said, ‘yes,’ ” recalls David, who now lives in Middleburg Heights with Sarah. “We kissed, and my brother came out of the bushes taking pictures, and he was crying a little bit.”
The pair wed at Brookside Farm in Louisville on Sept. 29, 2017.
From the Bride
Casual Fit: We wanted something a little bit more rustic. We wanted a more private setting as well as something that was very laid-back like our personalities. As soon as we walked into that chapel, we both instantly felt that connection.
It’s a Fiesta: We’re very big foodie people. We had a couple fun unique stations that spoke to us. We had a pierogi bar and a taco bar. We had a late-night snack of guacamole, salsa and cheese because we love Mexican. People are usually hungry after a couple of hours. At least we are. So mainly it was for ourselves, but we tried to save it for the guests.
Alone Time: Looking back, I’m so thankful [somebody] had given us advice to take a couple of minutes to soak in the moment, just us two. Before being introduced, we could take five to 10 minutes to eat. It was nice that we had that moment.
Ray of Light: It got to 4 p.m., and I remember [our photographer] looking over because the sky was so dark. I wanted to do pictures with my bridesmaids, so one by one they had to quickly turn, and then we booked it for the chapel. It downpoured. I swear I’m not making this up: The song that we had the [Baldwin Wallace] students play on the strings when the bridal party walked down the aisle was “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, and it stopped raining.
From the Groom
I Saw the Sign: She has such a big heart. She puts so many other people before herself. She is constantly not only supporting me, but she’s supporting her family and friends. Just seeing somebody with that heart and that passion and that wanting to give back is really something that spoke to me.
Erica+ T.J.Sutton
T.J. Sutton and Erica Mucci kept it old-school when they met each other as kids. T.J.’s dad was the athletic director of a Canton high school and Erica’s dad was the basketball coach there.
“We actually met as 10-year-olds. We definitely flirted with each other as kids and played ‘keep away’ since we were always dragged to the same events,” says Erica, a Canton native and Kent State University graduate.
Although the two might’ve played keep away, they did everything but — instead becoming friends, which led to hanging out as teens and eventually dating. They made it official more than a decade later, on Aug. 11, 2018.
“I always knew. She more than earned it after putting up with me for so long,” jokes T.J., a Hartville native.
The newlyweds married at Skyland Pines in Canton, though they now live in Chicago, following dreams of big city life after growing up in The 330.
From the Bride
Sweet Surprise: T.J. played baseball, and I was a cheerleader, so we had a lot of ballpark-themed foods. There were Chicago dogs, popcorn, sliders, Cracker Jacks. We had Pizza Oven pizza too, which is a Canton staple. Our food was mostly baseball-tied, except for the giant cookie table. My grandmother baked like 1,500 cookies.
Ever Lasting: We had a table that was the history of weddings throughout the family. There were my parents’ wedding pictures, T.J.’s parents’ and grandparents’ wedding pictures — any wedding that happened in our close family was on the table so we could share those with everyone. But there were also people we loved that had passed. It was our way of honoring that love for our families, and it gave people something to look at. It was beautiful.
Perfect View: The day went crazy fast. I couldn’t believe it, but there was a moment just before we walked out to the reception where T.J. and I were waiting on the balcony alone. Nobody knew where we were, and we could see all the family and friends we’ve accumulated after almost 15 years. It was the coolest thing.
From the Groom
All In: We wanted something for everyone to do the whole time. There was a photo booth, a bar, a cigar bar, a dance floor and, because we ate inside, a special sitting area for the reception outside. And the DJ played a wide variety of music, so everyone could feel included and have fun.
Rally Together: Something I liked that I didn’t necessarily know was going to happen was Tom Hamilton announced us as we entered the reception. It was recorded, but everyone knows his voice as the [Cleveland] Indians announcer. One of my college teammates is his son. It was cool to surprise everyone with that sound.
Marissa Eisenbrei+ Chris Biats
One unplugged day sealed Chris Biats and Marissa Eisenbrei’s destiny. A few weeks into their relationship, the two celebrated Biats’ birthday by spending the entire day disconnecting from electronics, lounging in sweats and getting to know each other the old-fashioned way: talking.
“I’ve never felt so safe and comfortable with somebody,” Eisenbrei says. “I knew after that day that I wasn’t going to let him go. I knew he was the one.”
The pair met at Ray’s Place in Kent in 2015 and have talked every day since. While their personalities are similar, their love is also a case of opposites attracting.
“She brings me out of my shell, and I kind of keep her contained a little bit,” Biats says.
Biats popped the question at Gervasi Vineyard. The two wed on Oct. 6, 2018, in the backyard of their Tallmadge home.
From the Bride:
Open House: We bought our house about two years ago, and we are completely in love with it. It was built in 1873. It has a lot of character and a big backyard. When he proposed, that was our first thought: We’re having it at home. It’s going to be small and intimate. We loved thinking about the future 50 years from now, looking out at the backyard and telling our kids or grandkids, if we have them, that we got married right at home.
Right Angle: The photographers made our wedding arch. It was so perfect. It was very simplistic, and it really fit in with our minimalistic, modern, woodsy theme.
That’s the Ticket: All the songs played at cocktail hour where songs from artists that we’ve seen live together. We had some Hall & Oates songs. We played Train, Yellowcard, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan. We thought that was a really great way to invite [guests] into our relationship.
Cheese Please: We did a giant charcuterie board, which was one of our personal favorite appetizers. Anytime we host, I always have a cheese board. There were six types of gourmet cheeses and different Italian meats with bruschettas and olive oil. That was awesome.
Tears for You: We wrote our own vows. Once our officiant pulled our vows out and I had to start reading them, I started immediately ugly crying in front of everybody and really had to take a minute to compose myself. That was such a special moment for me, reading my vows to Chris and hearing what he wrote about me.
From the Groom:
Flame Thrower: One of my brothers spins fire. Portugal the Man came over the speakers. I turned around. There he was spinning his fire poi to the music. Everyone was huddled around watching him. I had no idea it was going to happen.
Love Spell: We cut our cake to the Harry Potter theme song — everyone who went to the wedding knows it’s an odd week if we haven’t watched a Harry Potter movie in our house.