Barry Kuehnle and Leanne Harrison were married Tuesday morning in the Washington County Circuit Court wedding room. Leanne's mother, Sonja Kay, checks her photos from the event. (By Kevin G. Gilbert/Staff Photographer) |
HAGERSTOWN —
The groom’s car wouldn’t start, the mother of the bride got her first speeding ticket ever and the bride’s daughter was putting her perfect attendance at risk, but Barry Kuehnle and Leanne Harrison looked as happy as any newlyweds as they exchanged vows and crocheted wedding rings on Valentine’s Day in the Washington County Courthouse.“I’m lucky because I’m marrying my best friend,” said Barry, a computer engineer for the federal government.
“I’m lucky because I’m marrying my soulmate,” said Leanne, a nuclear engineer for the federal government.
The Kuehnles were one of seven couples that chose to be married Tuesday in the courthouse. They met at work and had known each other for about a year and a half, Barry said.
Leanne said they picked Valentine’s Day “so we won’t forget.”
Her mother, Sonja Kay of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., crocheted the white wedding rings. Barry also surprised Leanne with an engagement ring he bought the other day for $7.95 at a kiosk at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Barry said he has plans to upgrade those rings.
It was the second marriage for both the bride and groom, Barry said.
“We worked out the kinks the first time around,” Leanne said.
Kay and Leanne’s daughter, Anya Harrison, took photos of the ceremony. Anya, a student at Boonsboro Middle School, was anxious to get back to preserve her perfect attendance record, Leanne said.
The day got off to a shaky start, Barry’s car having a dead battery because he left the lights on the night before, and Kay getting her first speeding ticket in 53 years of driving. However, the Hagerstown couple and guests were all smiles as they entered the marriage room in the courthouse.
The room is small and was crowded, even with just the four people in the wedding party and Kristy Burgan of the Washington County Clerk of Court’s Office, who performed the ceremony. There was no reception planned for Tuesday, but Leanne noted the marriage room is next to the courthouse vending machines “and I can have any kind of crackers I want.”
The Kuehnles plan a church wedding later this year in Ohio where his family lives. The honeymoon will also wait for later in the year, Barry said.
“McDonald’s or Taco Bell?” Barry asked as the wedding party was preparing to leave the courthouse just before lunch.
