{"id":50453,"date":"2015-06-22T08:48:13","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T14:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/?p=50453"},"modified":"2016-07-15T10:02:53","modified_gmt":"2016-07-15T16:02:53","slug":"so-youre-marrying-a-beer-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/craft-beer-muses\/so-youre-marrying-a-beer-geek","title":{"rendered":"So You’re Marrying a Beer Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cSeventy-five days\u2026\u201d my lovely fianc\u00e9e kindly notified me.<\/p>\n
My jaw dropped. We just got engaged<\/i>, I thought. Funny how these things sneak up on you. I\u2019d been thinking that we had plenty of time to figure out the things that had been assigned to me, like picking out my suit…and the beer. (Mostly the beer.)<\/p>\n
It seems silly, but at this most important ceremony, the craft beer will have to be on point. Not only has the great beverage of beer played a special part in our lives and in our relationship, but the wedding itself is an opportunity for our close friends and family to celebrate and share in our love for each other as we set off on this new chapter in our lives. What am I going to do, serve them wine? Pshh.<\/p>\n
I am not kidding when I say that the phrase \u201cHell hath no fury like a beer geek getting married\u201d has been thrown around more than once in the planning of the Sparhawk-Twining Affair. So, I figured I\u2019d document for you how the future Mrs. Sparhawk and I beer-ified our wedding, without making our wedding explicitly beer-themed. Since we haven’t had our big day yet, I asked my co-workers at the Brewers Association to share some of their beer-themed wedding pictures.<\/p>\n
Nate (BA, Sr. Web Developer) and Joy Zander. Photo \u00a9 Timothy Faust Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n
Tara (BA, Office Manager) and Chris Forster eloped with a craft beer in hand.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n
The Venue\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Yes, we did consider having our wedding at a brewery. No, we\u2019re not having our wedding at a brewery. Heed these words: If the brewery does not already promote itself as a place that has or is willing to host weddings, then it probably doesn\u2019t want any part of hosting yours. It makes sense; we accepted that and you should too.<\/p>\n
Instead, we chose a venue that doesn\u2019t own a liquor license. The value you get from this is twofold. One: It\u2019s much less expensive to purchase your own beer than to deal with a venue that is going through other middlemen. Two: If a venue has its own liquor license, then it usually has a preferred supplier, with a selection of beer that is limited. This proved to be unacceptable for two beer enthusiasts getting hitched. We selected a venue that would allow us to bring in whatever we wanted; the only issue is it doesn\u2019t allow kegs. We\u2019ll see how difficult that becomes in a couple months.<\/p>\n
The Style<\/h2>\n
I\u2019d hate to be characterized as only being able to deal with the refreshments. I have other wedding-prep duties too, like what I and my groomsmen will wear. I\u2019m currently finalizing the important questions from my guys — rent or buy, suit or tux — but one of the first wardrobe decisions I made was that we would wear hop boutonnieres. These are going to be done by the florist, whom my fianc\u00e9e hired, and will look pretty cool pinned to a midnight blue lapel. So in addition to the rent\/buy\/suit\/tux, my guys and I will decide on Cascade or Chinook, too.<\/p>\n
Sarah (BA, Project Coordinator) and her husband Joey Wolf nixed the tux and went with bright colors and craft beer!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n
The Ceremony<\/h2>\n
How many times should you be able to use beer as a metaphor for your love for someone in your vows? I guess we\u2019ll find out, but even I think we might go over the top. Speaking of over the top, though, we will have hops strung through the terrace that is the centerpiece for the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The florist said that to make this work she needs about 15 continuous feet of bine (the word for plants, including hops, that climb by spiraling around a support structure). While commercially, 15-foot hop bines are common, not many home-grown hop plants reach that length. I reached out to a local farm that grows hops for aesthetics and the growers said they would sell them to me for an extremely good price, but I might hedge my bets with some other options in case of a rough harvest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Gary Glass (AHA, Director) and his good friend Danny Williams celebrated with an IPA.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n
The Reception<\/h2>\n
Let\u2019s party!\nOkay, it\u2019s not all going to be all beer — I\u2019m not a monster — but the beer selection has been given a lot of thought. We\u2019ll be serving commercial styles as well as homebrew (another benefit of a venue without a liquor license).<\/p>\n
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