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Couple ties the knot in Knot Garden at fair
By Kalea Hall
CANFIELD
Deborah Sees held her homemade bouquet of flowers slightly to the side, showing off her classy, country-style wedding dress’s intricate lacy design.
The pop of blue in the sash around her waist matched her future husband’s tie.
Her boots, visible since her dress was higher in the front, topped it off.
Her excitement glittered just like the glitter in her hair before she tied the knot in the Western Reserve Village Knot Garden on Sunday afternoon.
Her groom, David Ford – dressed in cowboy boots, hat, blue jeans, a white button-down shirt and blue tie – had a consistent smile going before, during and after the ceremony.
A crowd of people slowly gathered to watch the Canfield Fair wedding, some with french fries and lemonade in hand, but all with a fair-loving smile.
It was a picture-perfect scene in a picture-perfect setting on the picture-perfect hot day.
“It’s a small, intimate wedding in front of thousands of people,” Ford said.
Sees, 39, and Ford, 43, of Brookfield, met through family and have been dating for seven years. After dating for so long, it wasn’t much of a surprise to her friends and family that the two were going to get married.
“We are big Canfield Fair people,” Sees said. “It was brought to my attention we could do it there.”
Sees was unsure about having a Canfield Fair wedding until she learned about the MercyMe concert taking place Sunday evening at the grandstand.
“Ending the day at the MercyMe concert was just the icing on the cake,” Sees said. “That’s what sold me on it.”
A crowd of about 30 friends and family were invited and gathered on benches before the ceremony began at 3:30 p.m. Lisa Toy, Canfield Fair director of fine arts, floral and arts and crafts, officiated the ceremony.
“Marriage is going to expand you as individuals,” Toy said. “Marriage doesn’t stay still. It takes faith to go forward together.”
Then Ford and Sees held hands, and both said, “I do.”
Toy read the love Bible verse from 1 Corinthians before the vows were read. Before the almost newlyweds slipped the rings on, Toy read a Bob Marley quote:
“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can.”
The ring is a symbol of love.
“May it remind you that you are surrounded by my enduring love,” both Sees and Ford said to each other.
A final Bible verse was read, and then came the kiss.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford were greeted with bubbles and cheers as they walked down the aisle – making for an even more picturesque scene.
“It was beautiful,” said Laura Rudge, Sees’ mother, of Mercer, Pa.
The couple put a lock on their love for each other and the Canfield Fair on Sunday. After they were married, they placed a love lock on the Big Lock rooster outside the Fine Arts Building.