Biker bride and groom

By ELISE FRANCO

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

Journey once sang, “They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family,” but for Lori Layton and Dave Bianco, the road is the only place.

The couple, who have been dating for one year, will wed today in Boardman Park in the most nontraditional of ceremonies.

Layton, 53, of Youngstown, said she and Bianco, 59, also of Youngstown, have decided to incorporate their love for motorcycles and riding into the ceremony.

“We’re both bikers, and we wanted something that was completely our own,” she said. “Our families know how much motorcycling means to us. Dave has been on a motorcycle since he was 12.”

Bianco said the idea was something of a combined effort.

“We don’t like traditional stuff. I’ve never done traditional,” he said. “I wanted to go down to Vegas or something, but she said we should do a motorcycle wedding.”

In lieu of a white dress and tuxedo for the bride and groom, Layton said she and Bianco will wear black jeans and personalized T-shirts. She said her shirt will be white with blue sleeves, the color of her bike. Her fiancé will wear a white T-shirt with red sleeves to match the color of his bike.

“We’ve asked everyone attending to wear jeans and T-shirts as well,” she said.

Layton said they are handing out do-rags printed with their names and the wedding date as favors.

“As guests walk in, they’ll be handed one and asked to wear it,” she said. “We’d like to pull in that park and see a bunch of do-rags — that would be neat.”

Lori said everything from the bridal party to the reception is a bit nontraditional as well.

“The reception is a picnic,” she said. “We wanted something that was completely our own.”

Bianco’s granddaughter will stand at the altar with him, and Layton’s best friend and riding partner, Terry Lipe, is her “Man of Honor.”

Lipe said he’s happy to play the role of Layton’s second-in-command on her wedding day.

“She asked me to stand up there for her,” he said. “It’s all for her and Dave. I just hope that they’re happy, and I wish them the best.”

Lipe said he and Layton have known each other for years but weren’t good friends until recently.

“We went to school together,” he said. “We reconnected on the Internet two or three years ago and have been friends since then.”

The couple have even gone as far as incorporating some of their favorite “biker sayings” into their vows: “May our sunshine be shared and our rains be gentle. May our ride through life have the wind blowing on our faces, and may our tires always stay on the road.”

“One of the things Dave has always told me as he and I depart on our bikes is, ‘Keep the tires on the road,’” she said. “That’s my favorite saying.”

Layton said wedding guests should expect nothing short of a good time from beginning to end.

“They should expect a lot of laughter and a lot of fun,” she said. “We’ve got friends who said they were bringing water balloons and squirt guns, so we’re just really expecting this to be a good time.”

efranco@vindy.com