Hello there
On a Friday night in mid-July 2005, Mark and his friend Dean went to Appetites on Main in Exton. So did Heather and her friend, Jamie. Dean, who had met Heather years earlier, introduced her and Mark. "We just hit it off," Mark said. "At first, it was her appearance - she's gorgeous, with blonde, very curly hair," he said. "But when you talk to her, she's just so full of life. She's so genuinely excited to meet you." The four hung out that night, and before the guys left, Mark asked Heather for her phone number. "Your name's Mary, right?" Mark asked. She gave him her digits anyway.
The next Saturday, Heather and Mark returned to Appetites for their first date. Mark was struck by how easy it was to talk to Heather - and by how she was just as excited to learn about him as she was to talk about herself.
How does forever sound?
Mark wanted to surprise Heather, a feat made more difficult by her observant nature. "If I had planned some sort of elaborate weekend getaway, she would have seen it coming a mile away," he said. "We got engaged on a Tuesday night."
It was November 2007, and Mark, who is now 36, suggested he and Heather, now 31, meet on Main Street in Exton for dinner at their favorite Italian place, Buca de Beppo. They'd also get in some Christmas shopping before heading home to West Chester, he told her. Mark was waiting at the bar when Heather walked in and sat down. They ordered drinks. Mark's expression told her that something was up. "You have a weird look on your face," she said.
Mark thought Heather was on to him, so he got on one knee right near the bar and presented the ring.
Heather, who had attributed his strange expression to something that happened at work, was flabbergasted. "Yes!" she said, then ran outside into the cold night air - she was too excited to sit down.
Mark followed her. They eventually returned and ordered dinner, but neither could eat. They got doggie bags and drove to the home of their friends, Ryan and Nicole, to share the news and celebrate.
It was so them
Mark, a real estate trader for ING, and Heather, a buyer for GSI Commerce's sports marketing division, were married in front of 223 guests at St. Simon and Jude Church. They held their reception at the Mendenhall Inn in Chadds Ford.
To say Heather's favorite color is pink is to understate her devotion to the hue. She dressed her 10 bridesmaids in watermelon. The flower girl wore an ivory dress with a watermelon sash. Mark knew he had to be proactive. "I'm not wearing pink, and neither are my guys!" he told her. The compromise: Mark and his 10 groomsmen wore pink boutonnieres.
The size of the wedding party made for some interesting logistics, Mark said, but they really saw no other option. "We hung on to our high school friends, and our college friends," he said.
A big, black bus of a limousine shuttled the bride, her mother, and the bridesmaids to the church, and then took the entire 23-member wedding party to the photo shoot and the reception.
Awestruck
Heather and her father, Rich, were standing in the church vestibule. "Canon in D" was playing, and the bridesmaids began entering the sanctuary, one by one. Then it was Heather's turn.
Heather was struck by the same thing Mark had been thinking about at his end of the aisle - everyone they knew was in one place. "It was pretty cool," Mark said. "Then I saw Heather, and she was trying to fight back tears and smile at the same time. That was when it got really surreal."
It was Mark who inspired those tears of happiness, Heather said.
This was unexpected
It's no secret that Heather is a worrywart. The morning of the wedding, she returned to her parents' house after getting her hair and makeup done. On the kitchen counter, she found a note. It said, "Stop stressing; everything's going to be OK. Love, Dad." And it made Heather very happy.
Discretionary spending
A bargain: Heather's brother Richie is a part-time DJ. He was busy with his role as groomsman, but the two other guys he works with provided the reception music at about half the usual cost.
The splurge: The bridal party's gifts. Heather and Mark decided this was the perfect occasion to thank them for a lifetime of love and support. He gave the guys leather and canvas bags with their initials on them. Heather gave her girls a watermelon pink beach bag stuffed with a monogrammed wineglass, key chain, and wrist wallet.
The getaway
Seven days on Mexico's Riviera Maya.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Officiant
The Rev. Jeffrey Rott, St. Simon and Jude Church, West Chester
Venues
St. Simon and Jude Church and the Mendenhall Inn, Chadds Ford
Catering
Mendenhall Inn
Music
DJs Tommy Cicero and Michael Alba, of Downingtown and Philadelphia
Photography
Craig Single, Single Exposure Photography, Philadelphia
Dress
By Marisa, purchased at Lizelle's Bridal Boutique, Havertown
Invitations
Beautifully Detailed, Wilmington, Del.
Planners
Dottie Sonsala of the Mendenhall Inn, and Heather and her mother, Cathy Orth
EndText