82-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, June 18, 1994
The Marriage Of
A Dairy Princess
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Remember Rebecca Sonncn
the 1987 Pennsylvania Dairy Prin
cess and the Pennsylvania FFA
president, who was active m many
other agricultural-related
activities?
In April, Rebecca, or “Becky”
as she is more often called, married
Fred Bubc, a neighbor to her
parents’, Paul and Marilyn Son
nen’s, Lebanon County farm.
Like many couples who have
finished four years of college,
finances arc light, and novel ways
to reduce wedding costs become a
prime objective.
Becky and Fred believe it is
more important to pul their money
into buying a house rather than
having an elaborate wedding.
Alter graduating from Penn Stale
in December, Becky began work
ing for Middle Atlantic Milk
Marketing Association in Mary
land. Fred, a mechanical engineer,
works in Reading.
Becky offers her tips for having
a beautiful but economical wed
ding to our readers.
She said, “Remember, even the
simplicst wedding is beautiful
because it’s a wedding.”
But, like all brides, Becky
wanted a memorable wedding day,
one that both the bridal couple and
the guests would recall with plea
sure. And one that would not cost
their bridal attendants unccccssary
expense.
Although Becky and Fred dated
five years, they were only engaged
four months.
“People often say that you can’t
plan a wedding that quickly,”
Becky said, “but we proved it can
Love For
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
BEDFORD (Bedford Co.) “I
had a little talk with the Lord,”
said Reverend John Sammel at the
wedding of Barb Falvey and
Vaughn Wood, “I told Him this
was my first international wed
ding and these were good people.
And, look at the day we got!”
Pastor Sammel’s prayer was
undoubtedly answered as the long
awaited wedding of the two sheep
shearers arrived with a robin’s egg
blue, cloudless sky, just right
solar-heated temperatures, and
spring flowers in abundance.
Barb, a native of Bedford Coun
ty, who took her first shearing les
son from local shearer Karl Kauf
man, was wed to Vaughn Wood, a
professional shearer from New
Zealand.
From the beginning, Barb knew
she wanted to be wed in front of
the family bam, near her own
beloved Merinos. She wanted to
be pulled up the lane in a carriage.
She wanted a break from most
wedding traditions but with old
fashioned flavor. In short, she
wanted to have her cake and eat it
too.
And, that she did! Even the
fresh lilac decorated and home
baked wedding cake carried out
the country-style theme.
Guineas and assorted other
unusual breeds of hens clucked
and roosters crowed, adding har
mony to the folk band composed
of various sheep shearing friends
who were using a groom designed
portable sheep shearing stand as a
stage.
Other music was provided by a
be done.”
The couple decided that tuxedos
were one unnccccsary expense for
their bridal parly. Foregoing the
high costs of tuxedos, the guys
purchased identical dress spits for
almost the same price of a tuxedo
rental, and now have permanent
suits to wear. Becky and Fred pur
chased men’s suits at a one-half
price sale at a local department
store. Because it was a one-day
only sale, four of the suits needed
to be purchased without being fit
ted because the men were unable to
make the trip to the store. But with
a few simple alterations, the suits
fit.
Tuxedo shirts, cumbcrbunds,
and ties were rented for $l2 for
each person. On the day of the
wedding, many people were not
even aware that the suits were not
tuxedos.
Dresses for the two flower girls
were the first purchase made for
the bridal attire. The off-white
dress suits were bought at an outlet
sale.
Becky, who believes in being
practical, did not want to require
her bridesmaids to purchase gowns
that would hang in the closet after
one wearing; consequently, she
and the bridal attendants shopped
for suits and ended up purchasing
tcalc blue-colored suits from a
mail-order catalogue. They
stitched lace down the front and
across the pockets to give the suits
a dressier flair.
Becky purchased matching
necklaces and bracelets at a half
price sale for the bridesmaids to
wear with the suits. And while
leather pumps were worn.
Becky set aside one day to shop
for a wedding gown. “The more I
Sheep She
barbershop singing group of men.
One of the barbershoppers was
Karl Kaufman, who, was actually
responsible for the whole wed
ding. “I often wonder what would
have happened if I would have
told Barb that I wouldn’t teach her
how to shear,” he laughs.
Among their many songs was a
specially composed rendition of
“Sleep, Sleep, Sleep”. Their ver
sion began, “Sheep, Sheep,
Sheep! Close Your Eyes Count
Sheep!”
The bridesmaids arrived in a
cart pulled by miniature horses
accompanied by a miniature colt.
The bride’s carriage was pulled by
her mother’s very special dapple
gray.
Wearing a simple, but slightly
elegant and perfectly-fitted lace
dress, the bride’s attire was set off
with matching granny boots. She
wore flowers in her hair and a
smile that could conquer even the
vast distance between Bedford,
Pennsylvania, and New Zealand.
Bridesmaids wore similar
country-style dresses, straw hats
and carried baskets of fresh cut
flowers.
The lane was adorned with
baskets of spring flowers and the
altar section in front of the bam
was lined with potted mums.
The flags of the United States
and New Zealand were painted on
the bam door. They were works of
art by the father of the groom. The
groom’s entire family all gathered
at the Falvey farm for the wed
ding. They arrived from “down
under,” from other parts of the
United States and from London,
England.
Novel Weddin
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Former Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and state FFA president, Rebecca
sought ways to make her wedding memorable but economical.
looked, the more confused I ers are beautiful even if they are
became,” she said. not roses, so why waste all that
Although she loved a dress that money on something that is going
she had tried on in the beginning of to die anyway?”
the day, by afternoon she could not Real flowers were used for bri
remember what it had looked like, dal bouquets, but Becky and a
She knew that she wanted an off- future sister-in-law used silk flow
while satin gown with an average ers for the reception table center
price. pieces, which were then given as
Becky said, “When you are gifts to those who helped with the
working on a budget, you can’t reception,
find everything that totally suits. “My sister-in-law is an absolute
You can’t be real picky about whiz with putting flower arrangc
stuff.” ments together,” Becky said.
But she was pleased to find For some of the tables, they used
exactly the dress that she wanted at brandy sniffers with candles and
a price she could afford that day. silk flowers arranged inside, and
When it comes to flowers, for some, they had black and white
Becky says, “Cut out roses. Flow- cow cups, which they used as a
>«P Jfl
and New Zealand. The ceremony In progress.
It was a wedding to be enjoyed
by all. Children played on the
green lawn or rolled small cars
around the wedding setting,
grandmothers rocked contented
babies from the sidelines.
The smell of a fresh roasting pig
filled the spring air accompanied
by the equal mouth watering scent
of fried chicken.
An old shed was converted into
a cafeteria and kegs and bottles of
brew were served from a
makeshift barrel bar.
The international guests
mingled sharing stories of their
various homelands and the humor
of New Zealanders was evident
with their affectionate joking.
Barb and Vaughn plan to spend
more than a month at the farm
helping with summer chores
before returning to New Zealand
for another season of sheep
shearing.
Ji.;.
The bride came down the lane in a horse drawn carriage-
The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.
JL
vase.
The rehearsal dinner was served
at the church after practice. The
church has a policy of providing
the preparation of the meal free if
the couple is married there. The
only requirement is that the couple
pay for the cost of the ingredients
to make the food. Since Becky
loves Italian food, the menu was
lasagna, tossed salad, homemade
bread, and ice cream sundaes.
The reception was held at the
Berks County 4-H Center, partly
because it was one of the few
places that could scat 250 people,
had sufficient space for the catcr
(Turn to Page B 4)
Together
ledford County
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