Custom Weddings by Tim Greathouse

Late fall and early winter in Ohio can be remarkably unforgiving… but seven couples rolled the dice and managed to squeeze in their wedding ceremonies before Ma Nature dropped some unsavory weather on our heads.

November 11: Steve & Leigh Mooney (Just the three of us at High Bridge Glens Park in Cuyahoga Falls)

November 11: Brandon & Rochelle Olivo (At Emidio & Sons Banquet Center in Cuyahoga Falls… a big shout out to Rochelle and all the rest of my fellow North High Vikings in attendance!)

November 18: Gene & Kathleen Calcei (At Mayfield Senior Center in Canton, and featuring the bagpiping talents of one Brian McElhinney – a nod to Kathy’s Celtic heritage!)

November 21: Rob & Amber Lepon (Rob and Amber defied convention and held their ceremony on a Monday – their 10-year anniversary, in fact, at the American-Croatian Lodge in Eastlake.)

December 10: Jeremy & Sandra Zelinka (At the Grotto Hall in Ashtabula)

December 16: Gary & Kali McDaniel (At Occasions Party Centre in Clinton)

December 17: Rickey & Jessica Blake (At the historic St. James Meeting House at Boardman Park)

Congratulations to all of you and good luck in the coming year!

No rest for the irreverent reverend this October! It was my second-busiest month of the year.

October 1: Michael & Allison Janaske (In the lush library overlooking the Cuyahoga River at the Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls

October 1: Addam & Kim Chasar (At Chateau Michele in Canton. This is officially the most ink I’ve seen at a wedding ceremony. Addam is an outstanding artist at the Absolute Tattoo Company in Wadsworth. I feel it is necessary to mention that I get my work done at Empire Ink in North Hill, my old hood. Who loves ya, Scott Versago?!)

October 7: Matt & Sara Casto (At Greystone Hall in downtown Akron. Matt and I go back to Mrs. Herceg’s 9th period German class at North High School. Congratulations, my old friend!)

October 8: Chris & Kristi Prochaska (At Barrington Golf Club in Aurora)

October 15: Nathan & Ashley Fela (On quite what felt like the windiest day of the century, at Howe Meadow in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In the second wedding & tattoo related coincidence of the month, Ashley and I share almost identical tattoos – the Triskelion – albeit in different places. Cool, right?!)

October 16: Adam & Sara Gill (In a Roaring Twenties/movie-themed ceremony at the Canton Palace Theater, complete with a “playbill” wedding program. In keeping with the theme, I was listed in the program as the director.)

October 22: Ian & Stephanie Kolarovsky (My second movie-themed ceremony in a week and my second ceremony of the month at Akron’s Greystone Hall. Ian and Stephanie, both understanding the fundamental importance of men having beards, specifically called out my “righteously sweet beard” in their wedding program. And what did I do just a week before? I shaved it off. I was so bummed. But they were great sports about it, and I’m happy to report that I have since grown it back. Me with no beard just wasn’t right.)

October 29: Don & Stephanie Xu (My niece Stephanie married the love of her life at the Tallmadge Historical Church on Tallmadge Circle – the same church where my brother got married almost a decade and a half earlier. What a joy it was to watch my niece grow and become the beautiful and radiant being she is today. It was a joy to watch you walk down the aisle and an honor beyond measure to join you and Don in marriage. Uncle Tim loves you lots!)

May you all be buried in a casket made from the wood of a 100-year old oak that I shall plant tomorrow!

September cooled off just in time for the early fall wedding season. Here are the lovely couples I performed ceremonies for this past month:

September 3: Matt & Jessica Reagle (at the magnificent Amasa Stone Temple on the campus of Case Western Reserve University)

September 3: Alek & Mandy Mergy (at Rosemont Country Club in Fairlawn)

September 10: George & Randi Harvey (These two actors, musicians and pilots opted for a ceremony in the hangar at MAPS Air Museum in Canton. It was incredible!)

September 10: Ray & Lindsay Halkovics (at the 1850 Historic Greek Revival Meetinghouse, known to many as the “little white chapel” at Hale Farm & Village)

September 17: Brent & Stacy Combest (at the Mingo Pavilion in Sand Run Park, Akron)

September 17: James & Kara Sandy (at the stately Greystone Hall in downtown Akron)

September 24: Justin & Meghann Hazen (on their family farm)

Congratulations to the lot of you!

Five weddings… heat indexes in the 90′s… and only one torrential downpour.  Not too shabby!

August 6: Brian & Lacey Flynn (originally meant to take place at Kendall Lake, but after waiting for the rain to stop for an hour, we had to execute Plan B and move the celebration to the reception venue, Happy Days Lodge. Sorry my no-rain streak ended on your big day, guys!)

August 20: Bill & Sharla Selsor (at Galt Park, Cuyahoga Falls)

August 20: Andrew & Jenna Isaacs (at the luxurious Glidden House at University Circle in Cleveland)

August 27: Brian & Donna Zager (my first camouflage-themed wedding!)

August 28: Steve & Amanda Erickson (they both shaved their heads to signify this monumental new beginning in their lives. Love it!)

It was worth bearing the heat to be a part of your wedding days. My thanks to all of you!

It was a busy and joyous July. Congratulations to my new friends:

July 8:  Gregory & Amanda Greathouse (Airman Gregory Greathouse to be exact – my dear nephew! – at Springlake Party Center, Lakemore, Ohio)

July 9: Jared & Heather Gold (at the Lakewood Masonic Temple)

July 16: Jacob Hall & Amina Dervisik (on the deck overlooking the Cuyahoga River at High Bridge Glens Park)

July 16:  Nicholas Varsanyi & Melissa Bright (at The Galaxy in Wadsworth)

July 23: Rich & Kate Good (in an intimate backyard ceremony)

July 29: Jeff & Darylanna Beck (At the VFW Post 1062 in Cuyahoga Falls… congratulations again to my old friend Jeff and his family!)

Thank you all!

Congratulations to the lovely couples I performed ceremonies for in June!

June 3: David & Annie Clingerman (At the gazebo in Wes Point Park in the heart of downtown Willoughby)

June 4: Robert & Jaculyn Green (On the balcony overlooking the Cuyahoga River at the Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls)

June 17: Jon & Cathy Stupar (The ceremony began on southwest side of the iconic Everett Road Covered Bridge in Peninsula and ending on the northeast side. The idea for this symbolic gesture came from a quote by David Russell: “The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”)

June 18: Jesse & Kristen Sorgi (At the gazebo overlooking Coe Lake in Berea)

June 19: Ashley & Tracy Snyder (A lighthearted and classy affair at Independence Civic Center)

June 25: Michael & Evangeline Keller (In the courtyard of the Hanna Mansion, part of the Western Reserve Historical Society)

Mike & Evangeline’s ceremony was my first in the Hanna Mansion courtyard. At rehearsal, we noticed a carving in the granite archway beneath which we were standing. It read “Lux et umbra vicissim sed semper amor.” While I don’t know Latin, I do know what amor is. I looked up the translation and incorporated it into the ceremony thusly:

Above our heads there’s a phrase carved into the stone in Latin. I won’t try to say it – for fear that one of you actually knows Latin and will marvel at how badly I butcher it – but I will tell you what it translates to. “Light and shadow in turn, but always love.” What does it mean? Your world, with each other in it, will be full of light. Your love will be as natural and as reflexive as breathing. But when life presents challenges, and it will, you’ll peer into the gathering darkness and feel like giving up. And when those times come – when love falters – come back here. Dwell in this place, in this very moment in time. When it becomes difficult to love each other passively, love each other actively. In short – always love each other.

Congratulations again and my thanks to you all!

May 20th: William & Rebecca Gilkison (the first ever wedding ceremony conducted at Sarah’s Vineyard in Cuyahoga Falls, off Steels Corners Road near Blossom Music Center… a must visit for fans of Ohio wines!)

May 21st: Paul & Amanda Scruggs (Springlake Party Center, Lakemore, Ohio)

May 22nd: Yongsong & Yan Shi (at the exquisite Hillbrook in Chagrin Falls)

May 22nd: Jim & Brett Singer (just the three of us on the deck overlooking the Cuyahoga River at High Bridge Glens Park… well, technically, the visually talented Elaine Eickhoff from Every Angle Photography was there taking photos, assisted by the musically talented Alexis Antes)

May 28th: Chris & Suzanne Straugheir (an osteopath/acupuncturist couple that came all the way from New Zealand… I wish I could say they came all that way for me!)

May 28th: James & Hilliary Savage (in the lovely hall on the grounds of the Dunham Tavern Museum in Cleveland)

May 29th: Adam & Hannah Lintz (Prestwick Country Club, Green, Ohio)

Congratulations to you all! May happiness and prosperity follow you all of your days.

Here are a few of the ceremonies I’ve performed recently. I wish I had a bit more time to tell these couples’ stories, but I’m busy preparing for four ceremonies this coming weekend and three the next.

April 30th: Adam Kue & Mai Hlee Xiong (Uniontown Community Park, Uniontown)

April 30th: Steve Siejka & Jessica Brockway (Diamond Events Center, Brunswick)

May 6th: Andrew & Irene Parker (The Fieldcrest, North Canton)

May 14th: Tony & Amanda Masri (Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland)

May 16th: Miriam Bishop & Kianna Fleming (Brandywine Falls, Sagamore Hills)

Congratulations to you all and thank you for choosing me to officiate your ceremonies!

There are always a few brave souls who decide to take the plunge in Ohio during the winter. Here are a few couples that did so and chose me to officiate. It was an honor and a pleasure!

January 8th: Josh & Megan Brunner (Avon, Ohio)

March 19th: Jeff & Jessica Harmon (Brunswick, Ohio)

March 21st: Justin Stevens & Renee Williams (Akron, Ohio)

March 26th: Chris & Bonnie Fockler (Fairlawn, Ohio)

Spring dates from late April through October are booking at breakneck speed. Contact me soon if you’re interested in booking a date.

Owing to the demands of work and family, I’ve not had much time to write overviews of the ceremonies I’ve performed recently. I would like to thank and congratulate those couples:

October 30, 2010: Karl & Amanda Youngblood (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)

October 31, 2010: Nathan & Jessica Fain (Canton, Ohio)

November 6, 2010: Trevor & Brittany Bates (Suffield, Ohio)

December 8, 2010: Harry & Amanda Cline (Akron, Ohio)

December 10, 2010: Bob & Angie Richman (Akron, Ohio)

I began the year with no weddings on the calendar at all, and I performed my 21st wedding (and presumably my last for the year) just a few days ago. With nearly that many on the calendar already for 2011, it’s shaping up to be a busy new year. Dates are booking quickly – contact me to reserve yours soon!