Stephanie Lort and Jeremy Forester July 9, 2011
Jeremy Forester and Stephanie Lort / Kristina Gwynn
THE INTRODUCTION: In August 2005, Stephanie has been out to dinner with family and friends, and during it she complained that she hadn’t met anyone all summer. One of the women there, Carrie Eastburn, convinced her to go to the Logan House in Trolley Square, where they ran into Lauren Disabatino, a friend of Stephanie’s, who was there with a group of guys. Stephanie noticed the tall, handsome Jeremy right away. They still fight about who approached who first, but both agree that each was interested in the other. He thought she was pretty; she thought he was cute, but hated the sea shell necklace he had on.
THE FIRST KISS: They left the Logan House to go back to where Carrie was staying with her Uncle Jimmy Durney. Stephanie and Jeremy talked for a long time, then kissed before he left.
THE FIRST DATE: The day after they met, Jeremy came to her parents’ house to hang out while she packed to go back to college in Wheeling, W.Va., the next week. They watched a movie, and he met her parents.
THE PROPOSAL: Jeremy, a teacher at St. Elizabeth High School, commonly created PowerPoint presentations for class and had shown a few to Stephanie. So she didn’t think much about it when he asked her in May 2010 to take a look at his latest. It started with YouTube clips the kids always watched, but then photos of her and Jeremy came onscreen, with words describing how much she meant to him. She was still clueless when the last slide came up: A big silly photo of Jeremy smiling with the words “Will you marry me?” She turned to look at him, and found him on his knee holding a ring. She said yes. He had wanted to propose for quite some time, but after Stephanie’s father, Steve, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in March 2009, the timing hadn’t seemed right for quite a while.
ACTING ON HOPE: Stephanie’s parents wanted her to have a big church wedding, so the couple set the date for July 2011. But as her father became weaker, they began to worry that he wouldn’t make it. They told him in early October that they were going to get married in a small ceremony, so they could be sure he was there. He was not happy because he wanted her to have a big wedding, but agreed. They planned an Oct. 16, 2010, wedding, with just immediate family and a few friends. But her father died Oct. 11.
THE CEREMONY: They married July 9, 2011, at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wilmington. Pictures of her father and Jeremy’s sister, Jenni Forester, who had died when she was 24 after a car accident, were on the altar with flowers, bathed in candlelight. Stephanie insisted on walking down the aisle by herself.
“I felt that it was my Dad’s place to walk me down, and I did not want anyone else to do it,” she says.
Her father had restored a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air when she was younger, but sold it. Stephanie asked the owner if he would let her use it for the day of the wedding, and he agreed, driving her and her mother to the church, and then Stephanie and Jeremy to the reception.
THE DRESS: Stephanie fell in love with two Allure Bridal gowns at Claire’s Fashions. She finally ordered a strapless taffeta gown with a fitted bodice that was ruched, a sash of Swarovski crystals and a skirt with layers of taffeta that flowed asymmetrically to the ground. When they decided on a fast ceremony, she went back for other dress because the one she ordered wasn’t in.
That slim-line gown with a lace overlay over charmeuse satin had a sculpted neckline accented with Swarovski crystals. After the hurry-up ceremony was canceled, she decided to wear the lacey dress for the ceremony and switch to the other for the reception.
SOMETHING OLD: Stephanie carried both Jeremy’s grandmother’s handkerchief and a handkerchief made from the bonnet that Jeremy wore home from the hospital as a baby.
SOMETHING NEW: A new silver chain to go with the diamond pendant that her father gave her one year for Valentine’s Day.
SOMETHING BORROWED: A sixpence from family friend Caroline Short, worn taped into her shoe.
SOMETHING BLUE: The pillow the ring bearer carried.
THE RECEPTION: The decor at the reception at the DuPont Country Club featured white flowers in birdcages and trees with white flowers hanging from them. Tables were named for Delaware bars, because they met at the Logan House. Favors were pint glasses that had their initials and the date on them. Instead of the father/daughter dance, she danced again with Jeremy as a video on a big screen played pictures of her with her father and then showed a video clip of father and daughter dancing together to the same song at his 60th birthday party.
Stephanie later surprised Jeremy with a birthday cake because he was turning 30 on their honeymoon, and everybody sang happy birthday to him.
MOST SENTIMENTAL GIFTS: Stephanie gave Jeremy an antique pocket engraved with their wedding date. He gave her a diamond bracelet that matched her wedding and engagement ring.
THE HONEYMOON: They went to Panama because it sounded like something different when the travel agent suggested it.
THE FAMILY TREE: Stephanie is the daughter of Karen W. Lort and the late Steven Joseph Lort Sr. of North Wilmington. Jeremy is the son of Madeline and John Forester of Hockessin.
WHAT’S NEXT: The couple lives in a house in Eastburn Acres with their Siberian husky, Mia. Jeremy is the dean of students at St. Elizabeth High School, and Stephanie is a research nurse at Christiana Hospital in the OB/GYN Department. Both plan to get masters’ degrees and hope to be parents one day.
Article from Delaware On Line, May 27, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment