My wedding story begins with my engagement (as all good ones should). 
    On St. Patrick's Day, 1995, my childhood boyfriend and I decided to head over to my parents house for an early lunch to celebrate some other events of the day.  He said he forgot something and after dropping me off, drove to the store.  Back he came, 10 minutes later, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.  He got down on one knee in front of my parents, presented the bouquet to my mother and said to my father:
    "Mr. Hochmayr (he never called him that...it was always Dad), I've loved your daughter for some time now and I would like your blessing to ask for her hand in marriage."
    Now, my father was, for lack of a better term, a smart-ass.  His reply, "Only if you take the rest of her too."
    Scott and I went to dinner and then headed to a local bar, known for being a little more punk and metal than we normally liked, but he liked the band that was playing.  So, we sat in the balcony above the stage for a great view and less chance of being mobbed by the mosh pit.  When the band took their break, Scott went down to the bar to get us a couple drinks.  I didn't pay much attention to where he was, until I heard the MC tap the mike and say "Someone tonight has something special he wants to say" and I peaked over the edge.  There was Scott, holding the mike and looking up at me.
    "Dawn, this morning I asked for your hand in marriage.  Your father said I had to take all of you.  So, will you marry me?"
    We're in a bar, surrounded by 20-somethings with spiked collars on their necks and beer bottles everywhere...I ducked back in the balcony.
    "Dawn, I can't hear you.  Will you marry me?"
    Patrons all around us chanting "Say Yes Say Yes," one guy close to me said "You'd better say yes, he's got balls."  Needless to say, I said yes.
    Fast forward 6 months to the day.  We had decided to get married at our nearest Renaissance Festival.  That morning, 20 of our family and best friends walked through the gate for a day of fun and merriment with a wedding thrown in for the heck of it (that was our thought, we didn't want anything big).  At the prescribed time, our guests arrive at the outdoor chapel on the festival grounds.  One of the street performers was "hawking" our ceremony by saying "Come sit and see the real wedding.  Isn't it lovely?  Try to stop them," things like that.  My grandmother was our flower girl and ring bearer.  Scott's mother was his "Best Mom" while my mother was my "Mom of Honor."  We all walked down the aisle.  My father was off to the side.  He couldn't walk me down the aisle but he still wanted to give me away. 
    Our officiant asked "Who doth give this bride away?"
    From my father "One Two Three"
    From the crowd "WE ALL DO, WE DON'T WANT HER YOU CAN HAVE HER."
    And thus our ceremony begins.
    Scott and I have been happily married since September 17th, 1995.  We started working at the same Renaissance Festival a year later and traveled with a vendor for nearly 2 years.  My father passed away in 1998 and my grandmother in 2001, but that day will be in our hearts forever.

Blessings,
Dawn Nyht
Ocala, FL