1. Real Weddings

Megan & Lance: A Home Wedding in Winlock, WA

The planning for Megan and Lance's wedding at the bride's parents' home was a joint effort on everybody's part. Their work was well rewarded with a wo

The planning for Megan and Lance's wedding at the bride's parents' home was a joint effort on everybody's part. Their work was well rewarded with a wonderfully warm wedding celebration. THE BRIDE Megan Raubuch THE GROOM Lance Bunker THE DATE September 9 Megan and Lance met the summer they both worked for the Lewis County road crew, flagging cars and flirting in the hot sun. As the weeks passed, their flirtation gradually morphed into a romance. They dated for three years, criss-crossing the state regularly as they visited between Western Washington University, where Megan studied, and Central Washington University, where Lance attended school. When Lance finished school he joined Megan in Bellingham. One day, as they moved into a new house, Lance repeatedly urged Megan to open the boxes that held the watering cans and plant care products. He kept asking, 'Don't the plants need water?' remembers Megan, And I kept saying, 'No, no, they're fine.' Finally, to appease Lance's unprecedented concern for the health of their houseplants, Megan unpacked the box to find an engagement ring hidden inside.

Megan tried without much success to find her dream wedding dress. Fortunately, her cousin, Becky O'Connor, is a talented seamstress who eventually spent tons of time making not only the bride's gown, but dresses for the entire bridal party. She's wonderful, says Megan, who was shocked at the effort involved.
Megan started planning her wedding long before there was any potential groom on the horizon, and she knew that she wanted to be married at home, where she had grown up playing in the gardens and orchards on her parents' five acres in Winlock. Megan's family was enthusiastic about a home wedding. Our families were absolutely incredible, says Megan, and so were our friends. We had these great working parties when we'd all get together and do things, like embossing the invitations or making favors. Megan's family is very involved in Winlock life, and in the days before the wedding, Megan says, there were always at least 20 people in the house, just pitching in and helping to get things ready for the wedding day.
A buffet dinner and dancing followed in the tents set up in the orchard. An ice sculpture, created by Megan's dad (stepping in at the last minute for Lance's brother, whose wife had just had a baby, glittered on the table). The trees were lit with hundreds of twinkling white lights, and once the bride and groom had their first dance, the floor was constantly full of guests in celebration mode. The couple left around midnight when the rain -- which had so thoughtfully paused for duration of the wedding -- returned. Guests were given sparklers and packages of personalized matches, and the bride and groom took off in a 1931 Model A Ford amid a shower of glittering sparks.
As the sun was setting, Megan and Lance were married before a crowd of 275 guests. They exchanged their vows beneath a huge maple tree in the Raubuch's front yard, which still held the remnants of the tree forts that Megan and her sister had built as kids. The aisle, which ran from the front porch to the tree, was lined with flowers collected from the bride's grandparents' garden. Three scene-stealing flower girls reached the end of the aisle, then turned their baskets of petals upside down and shook them to be sure they were empty. Later, when the bride and groom kissed at the end of the ceremony, the girls covered their eyes.
The Couple
Of course, Megan and Lance considered the weather when they made their plans for an outdoor celebration. This is the Seattle area, after all, and rain was definitely a possibility. They consulted the almanacs and were pleased to learn that it had not rained on September 9 in Seattle for the past 27 years. By noon on the day of the wedding, it was pouring. Megan's mother, who had to make the call about whether to keep the wedding at home or move it to a nearby church, staunchly decided to stay at home base, betting that the rain would abate before the 7 p.m. ceremony. Miraculously, before the event was to begin, the rain stopped.
Like any family faced with hosting a home wedding, the Raubuchs set about making improvements to their house, eventually doing some significant landscaping and putting on a new roof. Fortunately, the wedding was an outdoor affair set in three tents, so the work was mostly limited to the yard and gardens. Even so, reports Megan, My sister, Kaitlin, who was my maid of honor, still runs around telling everyone that she is going to elope.
The Programs
The Rings
The Ring Bearer
The Cake