Column
By Beka Johnson
Dream Wedding

From a young age most girls dream about what their wedding will look like. The flowers, dress, cake, colors and music are thought about time and time again.

Crystal Schepp dreamed of her wedding but it didn't turn out the way she hoped. When she got married at the age of 18 she went to the court house and they signed their license in front of a judge. The romantic day she dreamed of was put away for the sake of reality.

In 2005 a tragic car crash took the life of Schepp's husband. She was left with four small boys to raise on her own. "Life moved into survival mode. I was just putting one foot in front of the other," Schepp said.

Schepp had many friends supporting her through the next few years. One of them was Chris Vavrinek, a friend of her deceased husband. He would come over to help with home or car repairs and offered a listening ear. As time went by they developed a deep friendship and a love.

On Oct 17, 2012 Schepp was able to have the wedding she dreamed of. After a year of planning she and Vavrinek joined their families in a church ceremony. "It was a personal ceremony for us, and a dream come true," Schepp said.

The wedding was attended by 140 guests. The bride wore a cream, strapless dress. The two bridesmaids wore plum and deep orange. The groom and his attendants wore black tuxes and orange vests. The fall theme carried through to the flowers.

The couple hosted a cake reception in the fellowship hall immediately after the ceremony. Since the couple has six kids between them, there were kid friendly activities at each table.

The next day Schepp told me that she enjoyed the day. "It was even better than I imagined as a girl. The family I have today isn't what I thought I'd have, but I'm so happy." She reminded other women to never give up on their dreams because they usually come true, even if its not the way we thought.