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Three brides share wedding-day tales

Amanda Borozinski
Sentinel Staff

Patricia “Tricia” Matson and her daughters Jaycee Souvola and Chandra Olin all share the same beautiful smile, shiny hair, and Finnish ancestry. But having the same nose shape and mannerisms doesn’t mean these women shared the same dream for their wedding day.

Here is each one’s story, along with advice gleaned from her unique experience:

Jaycee & Jered Rindge

June 7, 2003, dawned bright and clear. After a week of sunny weather, the day seemed to promise a perfect summer evening — just the kind of evening Jaycee G. Matson had been planning for.

Her marriage to Jered Souvola would, she hoped, be a fairy tale wedding — a day she would always remember.

The day did turn out to be memorable, but not for the reasons Jaycee had hoped.

It rained. It poured.

The wedding was supposed to be outside, a garden affair, held at Matson’s parents home in New Ipswich.

“I really didn’t have very many flowers. Instead, my dad had his yard landscaped and a trellis built,” Jaycee said.

There was supposed to be a horse-drawn carriage, the release of a box-full of monarch butterflies, and, of course, pictures outside — under the trellis.

More than 600 guests were coming.

After getting her hair done at Manhattan East, where Jaycee worked as a hairdresser, the sky turned dark.

“You just think, ‘It’s just not going to rain on my wedding day.’”

As the rain fell, Jaycee received a phone call. The horse-drawn carriage could come if it was sprinkling, but not if it was pouring. Jaycee had to make a decision: Did she keep praying for the rain to stop or did she move the wedding indoors?

“The whole time my dad wanted to make me happy. He kept saying we could get umbrellas or rent a gazebo.”

But the reality was, soggy ground and damp seats did not make a great wedding.

By noon Jaycee decided. The wedding would be indoors. Luckily, the reception was going to be held in the basement of a local church, the ceremony would just take place there too.

Since there were very few flower arrangements, more were needed. Jaycee’s mother quickly found a florist. Jaycee’s one request: no carnations.

“As I was walking down the aisle I remember looking up and seeing carnations in the main bouquet near the altar. By that time I just laughed. It was comical,” she said.

After returning from their honeymoon, Jaycee and Jered did have their wedding pictures taken outside. “We had so much fun. It wasn’t stressful. The wedding was over. I didn’t have to worry about getting my dress dirty.”

Jaycee’s advice:

~ “If you want to get married outside, don’t get married in New Hampshire.” Or, at least have a backup plan you’ll be happy with.

~ Large weddings are not very personal. “It felt like our whole reception we were just thanking people for coming. We didn’t really get a chance to talk with people.”

~ “Don’t focus so much on the day itself. Remember a marriage lasts a lifetime, a wedding only lasts for one day.”

~ Recognize that the photos and weddings in wedding books and magazines are not real. You look beautiful even if you don’t look like you just stepped out of a photo shoot, she said.

~ Jaycee has done hair for many weddings. “What I’ve learned is that things are always running late.” Leave plenty of time for each activity, she advises. Photos, hair, dressing, etc., it always takes more time then you planned. But if you do run late, “Don’t worry — the wedding can’t start until the bride arrives. So if you’re a little late, relax.”

Chandra & Duane Rindge

Chandra A. Matson was only really sure about one thing: She wanted to get married on the beach.

“I also wanted to keep it small.” Chandra had been to numerous large weddings (including Jaycee’s). She wanted something more informal and relaxed.

The solution: a destination wedding.

Having a wedding in Florida when you live in New Hampshire sounds complicated, but for Chandra and Duane it wasn’t.

“I had eight months to plan it, but I really didn’t need all that time,” Chandra said.

Chandra tried on numerous wedding dresses. But decided in the end to buy her wedding gown online. “I closed my eyes and pushed the purchase button,” she said. Even though the dress was a little big, the cost of having it re-sized was substantially less than the cost of buying the dress from a bridal shop.

Chandra also kept her eye out for other deals. She bought her bridesmaids dresses while on a family trip in Guatemala, and made all of her bouquets (using silk flowers) months in advance.

Chandra, her sisters, and Duane’s family arrived in Florida a week before the wedding to decorate and make final arrangements.

Arriving early allowed Chandra and Duane’s families to spend time relaxing and really getting to know each other. They rented condos within walking distance from one another and spent time swimming, talking and having dinner together.

At first, Chandra’s father hadn’t liked the idea of breaking tradition and having a wedding away from home. But, Chandra said, he came around. “After he saw how happy I was, I think he was very happy too.”

The wedding broke tradition in more ways than one. For instance, the bride and her bridal party didn’t wear shoes; the groom and the groomsmen wore flip-flops.

For Chandra, it was the perfect beach wedding.

“After the wedding, people didn’t want to leave. We all just stayed and played on the beach,” Chandra said.

The day was so perfect, in fact, that Chandra said she would only change one thing: “Duane was feeling a little nervous. He said it went away once he saw me. So I would have had breakfast with him before I got my hair done ... before the day really got started.”

Chandra’s advice:

~ Keep it simple. “It’s just one day and people don’t really notice that all the bows aren’t tied exactly the way you wanted.”

~ Having people RSVP is key. Knowing exactly how many people will be coming cuts down on costs.

~ Don’t be afraid to use silk flowers. “Today’s silk flowers look so real, even in up-close photographs. They don’t wilt and you can have them done exactly the way you want, in advance,” she said.

~ Try to get as much done in advance as you can. “I was stressed out the day before I left for Florida because I didn’t want to forget anything. But I’d rather be stressed out then — a week before the wedding — than on my wedding day.”

~ Make sure you have the right permits and be flexible. Chandra had gone to Florida to make sure things were in order months before the wedding, but when she showed up in June the rules had changed. The couple didn’t have the right permits to get married on the beach they had planned. So, they just moved locations.

~ Remember you don’t have to get married on a weekend. Chandra and Duane married on a Tuesday. This saved the couple and their guests money on catering and hotel fees.

Tricia & Ken New Ipswich

Tricia Somero, then 18 years-old, smiled beneath blonde Farrah Fawcett bangs and a white lace hat that matched her wedding gown. Her soon-to-be husband, 20-year old Kenneth Matson, wore a blue tuxedo and a neatly trimmed mustache. He was handsome. She was beautiful. Together they were the quintessential 1980s bride and groom.

Tricia and Ken were both living in Washington when they got engaged. They decided to have their wedding in New Hampshire, where Tricia was from, and where her family — mother, father and 12 siblings — lived.

The couple decided to have a traditional evening church wedding. More than 350 guests were invited. To save money, the couple used paper plates and served food made by family and guests.

Tables held Jell-O salads with marshmallows, salted salmon, fruit, cookies, meats, dessert bars, cheese and open-faced sandwiches — “Good food and lots of it,” Tricia said.

A close friend did her hair.

The wedding cake was a gift from a friend.

Tricia bought her own invitations and her dress. She borrowed the hat from a friend.

“It was a group effort. That’s how you have such a big wedding on a shoestring budget.”

There were a few things Tricia would have changed. For instance, she wanted bouquets of pink and white carnations, but somehow yellow carnations made it in to the arrangements.

Also, the wedding was supposed to be a candlelit affair. Walking down the aisle, someone turned on the lights. “I guess it was so they could take pictures, but I remember thinking ‘that’s not really what I wanted,’ ” Tricia said.

Ken and Tricia were married on what felt like the hottest day of the year. “Back then it was very fashionable to wear a hat and long sleeves. If I could do anything differently I wouldn’t have worn a long sleeve dress.”

Tricia’s advice:

~ Enjoy the day. “The main thing is you love each other and you get married. All the other details just aren’t as important.”

~ “You can have a big wedding, and a nice wedding, on a budget.” Don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to help. They can serve or make food, greet guests, etc.

~ You don’t have to serve alcohol. “That can be very expensive and if you are trying to save money, you don’t need it.”

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