A real winter-themed wedding
Couple don't let record snowfall delay their nuptials at Historic Oakland
When Steven Getz and Stephanie Ann Gilmore began planning their wedding several months ago, they settled on a theme that combined Disney and winter, complete with Disney couples nestled on pine cones as centerpieces and Minnie and Mickey Mouse cake decorations carved by Gilmore's father.
A winter theme was exactly what the couple got as they tied the knot at Historic Oakland last Sunday afternoon, surrounded by a blanket of snow that brought much of the region to a standstill.
Almost half of their guests couldn't make it because of treacherous road conditions on residential streets and a flurry of flight cancellations after a winter storm brought roughly 30 inches of snow to the Baltimore area. Gilmore, 24, ordered white roses but got red ones. Her mother prepped carnations for the bridesmaids the day of the wedding. Getz does not have a wedding ring yet — the shop where it went for engraving closed because of the weather. And their honeymoon plans to Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida were delayed. Instead of a two-hour flight, they planned to trek down on a 13-hour drive Monday, Gilmore said.
“It was just one thing after the other. I was freaking out,” Gilmore said. “I just had to accept that it is what it is.”
Despite the last-minute shuffling, the couple are happy. Getz, 27, said he loves Gilmore because she makes him “laugh and smile.”
In a separate interview, Gilmore used the same words, adding, “He's everything a man should be.”
The couple chose Historic Oakland for the wedding because of its history. Built in 1811, the venue is located in the heart of downtown Columbia.
“They have been very determined,” said Rebecca Dongarra, the facility manager for Historic Oakland. “There are a lot of players involved in making this wedding happen.”
“We battled pushing the date,” Getz said.
But with most of their family and friends flying in from as far as Connecticut, the couple decided the show must go on. Gilmore's grandfather, who was flying in from Illinois, couldn't make it; neither could her nephew, who was supposed to be the ring bearer.
But those hiccups weren't on the couple's mind right before the big moment.
“I think I've just got the regular wedding nerves,” Getz said before the wedding. “It's been a stressful day.”
Getz and Gilmore live in Pasadena, a roughly 30-mile drive from Historic Oakland. With many roads impassable, it took Getz and Gilmore nearly two hours to shovel out of their driveway and coax cars out of their street so they could get out.
“Random strangers joined us to shovel out,” Getz said, chuckling. “Once we got past the street and hit the highway, it was smooth sailing.”
Getz and Gilmore met in June 2012 at a Target in Annapolis, where they both worked, and began dating soon afterward. Getz had just begun working at the Target after serving in the Navy for four years. He now works for the Department of Defense.
With planning underway for days, Historic Oakland's staff trudged through the snow to open the center's doors in time for the wedding, which began at 4:30 p.m., said Jeryl Baker, village manager of Columbia Town Center, where the venue is located.
Getz and Gilmore revised their catering order as guests phoned in to cancel.
“There was a lot of going back and forth,” Getz said.
Several fireplaces in the center were not working early Sunday afternoon, Getz said, but as staff pulled together to keep its doors open, the wedding had plenty of warmth anyway.
“We are thrilled to be able to open our doors during this massive snowstorm to make this wedding ceremony and reception happen for Steven and Stephanie,” Baker said.
Thinking of future anniversaries, Getz says he'll remember every moment.
“I don't know how to put it into words,” Getz said. “She completes me. She's my better half.”