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Jarett Houk hugs his new bride moments after Jud Fischel pronounces them husband and wife. |
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The wedding ceremony of Jarett Houk and Emily Howell in Fauquier Hospital’s Chapel was short but sweet. The bride’s mom and stepdad were there for the event. |
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Emily Howell’s mom Kimberly Lovewell, a patient at Fauquier Hospital, checks out the wedding bouquet. |
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Jarett and Emily Houk. |
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Some traditions are essential: The Bistro on the Hill provided the wedding cake. |
Kimberly Lovewell of Marshall was disappointed that her
daughter Emily Howell had to forego a big church wedding, but was thrilled to
be a part of a simple ceremony – even though she was a patient at Fauquier Hospital.
Howell married her fiancé, Jarett Houk, in the hospital chapel the morning of
November 18. Houk will be leaving for boot camp in January, and the paperwork
for their marriage was due with the Marine Corps this week. The couple wanted
to be sure the bride’s mom was a part of the ceremony, so arrangements were
hastily made to tie the knot in the hospital.
Lisa Spitzer with Fauquier Hospital ran out to buy flowers
for the Chapel and a “bouquet” (a small pot of flowers from the Gift Shop) for
the bride. The bakers in the Bistro were enlisted to provide a cake and an
amateur photographer was located. When Kimberly Lovewell arrived in her
wheelchair, all was ready.
Local attorney Jud Fischel was the Justice of the Peace. He
noticed that after he declared the couple married, Houk didn’t need to be
reminded to kiss the bride.
Lovewell shed a few tears after the ceremony, as she shook
her head and said to her daughter, “I can’t believe you are all grown up.” The
bride’s stepdad, Steve Lovewell, just smiled indulgently.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Houk met about 18 months ago at a BMX
race where he was competing. She remembered, “We were in a bar in Virginia
Beach and I bought Gatorades for all the BMXers. I thought Jarett was cute, so
I bought him two.” Jarett proposed in that bar a year later, at the same
competition, in front of 300 people.
Houk is signed up for a four-year stint in the Marines, but
says he would like to make it a career. His goal is to work as a mechanic.
Emily Houk plans to return to college in the fall, and train hard for the 2016
Olympics in field hockey. She played as a forward for several years after high
school in Scotland, and is eager to make the U.S.A. team. Jarett knows the
first few years of their marriage will be difficult because of the frequent
separations, but is completely supportive of his wife’s dream. “If she is going
to do it, she needs to do it now.”
When the couple was asked if they felt any differently after
the ceremony, the bride shook her head no, but the groom answered in the
affirmative. “It’s a different level of happy.”