Hunny Bunnies: My Wedding August 3rd, 2001 West Haven, Connecticut

Some Bunny Luvs ME

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Hunny Bunnies: My Wedding August 3rd, 2001 West Haven, Connecticut

Roughly fifteen years ago, as a student at Southern Connecticut State University did I realize that I would marry, nor even date the young, articulate, flamboyant long-haired guy that looked like he stepped out of some psychedelic time machine getting off at the wrong decade. He was known as "Zak".

Learn more about Zak in his younger days & some of the other people in our wedding, click here.

Our wedding has many sad and happy tales woven in around it. Many events surrounding it changed the definition of what my family was to me. If I were to draw a picture of my family right before, during and after my wedding, the pictures would each be very different. In part it is the tradition of the joining of two families, which I must say I have absolutely no regrets about. I can't even tell a mother-in-law joke (at least I wouldn't actually be able to relate to it!!).

A little over a month before the wedding, my parents could tease me about how they finally get the chance to give me away. At the wedding, in a very uncomfortable way, my father teased me by saying, "Now you're married and I'm single." We both would try to smile or laugh at the joke, but couldn't. In most of the wedding pictures with my dad, there are no smiles.

At my cousin Susan's wedding about 10 years or so before, I asked my dad to dance and he seemed surprised, but happy (perhaps because we weren't so close then). That moment was special to me, because he really seemed happy to be dancing with his daughter. It was from that moment that I truly looked forward to dancing with my dad at my wedding. We danced to Natalie Cole's version of "Unforgettable" because she recorded that song while singing along with tracks of her father singing it. A sort of post-humous duet that I found really touching-she still connected to her dad -it wasn't too late (for her). I wanted my dad to know that he is special. It wasn't the dance I pictured years before, because my mom wasn't there. She was the thing missing for all of us.

Members of the Wedding Party

Bride: Mary Ellen Crawford

Father: James W. Crawford, Sr.

Aunt: (mother's sister) Anne Mc Donald

Maid of Honor: Lisa Messina

Bridesmaids:

Becky Pilsbury

Heather Driscoll

Sarah Russell

Joyce Green

Flowergirls:

Liz Hurlburt & Jessica Cogill

Groom: Stephen Monroe Tomczak

Mother: Sally P. Tomczak

Bestman: Arne Ahlberg

Groomsmen:

Andrew Tomczak

George Crawford

Daniel Covino

Robert "Woody" Woodwardhttp://www.justiceforwoody.org

James W. Crawford, Jr.

A SPECIAL LINK TO PICTURES OF WOODY & HEATHER, WOODY & MY GRANDMOTHER DANCING, WOODY AS HIMSELF AND THEN THE GROUP OF MANY OF US ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS BEFORE.

Other pictures are of Woody with other friends, we are closer to the bottom http://mrwoodyw.tripod.com/pages/photogallery.htm

Ceremony Music by:

Organist:

Guitar and Vocals: Daniel Covino and Anthony Covino "The Wedding Song"

Soloist: Susan Hurlburt "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"

Guitar and Vocal: Bruce Hazard "May I have this dance for the rest of my life?"

Ceremony performed by Rev. Kimball Cartwright

Reception held at The Savin Rock Conference Center in West Haven, CT.

Photographer: India Blue (highly satisfied)

DJ: Starship DJ's (highly satisfied)http://www.geocities.com/starshipdjs/

Cake by Craig Kenney (looked beautiful as well as tasted great)

A special thanks goes out to Shana Riordan, Paula Tranchina, Patti Green and her daughters for all the behind the scenes reception hall decorating and creating that received many compliments. Compliments to the flower girl baskets also! Much time, effort and support was given by these people. I was in such an overstressed daze between my mother's death, last minute work staff shedule changes and issues, never mind the regular wedding issues that I ended up breaking out in several rashes, needing to see a doctor for that, not sleeping and for the extreme stress. I never probably will fully know the lengths they went to in pulling this lovely behind the scenes beauty together. Thank you.

Special thanks and acknowledgement to Shana Riordan, who was supposed to be a bridesmaid, but was in a bad car accident about a week and a half before the wedding and unable to participate or attend. Although Shana is doing better since then, she was and isn't forgotten. Although missed at the wedding, she was a great help and support for the entire year before. She deserves very special acknowledgement for her help.