When it comes to wedding hotspots, move over Paris, Rome and Greece, the new trendy place to tie the knot is the Arlington Public Library’s main branch in Virginia — especially if it’s for free.
On Valentine’s Day, Katie Lettie and Vincent Bauer won Arlington Public Library’s free wedding contest, and on Saturday, the Fairfax couple were married in front of their friends, family and people browsing for their latest book club pick.
The multistoried library was packed with people of all ages watching the wedding, and blowing bubbles as the ceremony ended.
The event was the brainchild of Julia Berg, manager of programs and partnerships with Arlington Public Library.
“For a long time I wanted to do a library wedding,” said Berg. “I think our library really, really lends itself to that.”
Over 50 couples entered the free wedding contest, and after meeting the contestants, Lettie and Bauer were selected.
Berg said she loved that the winning couple were lifelong library lovers.
Lettie told WTOP that she reads 120 books a year, and her now-husband is a little more selective with what he reads. While her favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy, he likes to read rags to riches stories set in modern Asia.
“He’s very niche,” Lettie said laughingly.
If you were wondering who actually paid for the wedding, Berg told WTOP that the Friends of Arlington Public Library footed the bill.
Berg added that a lot of things were donated by the community.
“Everything from the cake and the wedding coordinators donating her time and the flowers have been donated. We had a teen volunteer who power washed our patio,” said Berg.
The couple walked down the spiral staircase, as four members of The Arlington Philharmonic played the flute, viol, violin and cello.
Not that anyone could outshine a bride on their wedding day, but someone that brought a lot of laughter to the ceremony was the officiant.
Bob Newhart and Bea Arthur would have been impressed with the one-liners Diane Kresh delivered. The director of Arlington Public Library told WTOP that she had been honing her comedic skills as a longtime fan of Johnny Carson.
Kresh, who has a theater background, told those at the wedding why she was the perfect person to be the officiant.
“I’ve been married three times, so I have a lot of experience,” said Kresh. “I’ve been married to men, I’ve been married to women.”
Just before the reception, WTOP spoke to the newly married couple and found out they would be heading to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon.
“This venue was really perfect for us. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without the Arlington library deciding to host this really super unique event,” said Bauer.
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