Ti and Amber Biby of East Grand Forks love to be outdoors every chance they
get. So it made sense that when they decided to marry, they would have an
outdoor wedding.
"We spend the entire winter waiting for summer to come," he said. "We do as
little as possible inside in the summer, so this wasn't any different."
They chose Arbor Park, a pocket park nestled between Norby's Work Perks and
Sledster's Food & Brew on South Fourth Street in downtown Grand Forks.
"It's beautiful," Amber said.
The park features a raised mound area, framed by a 10-foot arbor of branches
intertwined at the top, where they stood before a minister and read the vows
they each wrote.
"(The setting) is perfect," she said. "It's just made for a wedding."
She and Tim met two summers ago at the annual Moondance Jam festival near
Walker, Minn.
"I saw her dancing," he said. "I told a friend that I should meet that gal. I
said it off the cuff; I didn't mean anything by it."
Later, his friend brought her over to meet him.
At the time, Amber lived in Brainerd, Minn., Tim in Grand Forks. After they
met, they kept in touch by phone for about a month before he went to see her in
Brainerd. Later, she traveled to Grand Forks to see him.
"She fell in love with the city," he said.
"I fell in love with everything," she said, "the outdoor parks, activities
for the kids, parades, movies in the park. I just fell in love with them.
"It's a nice area and a nice community."
They both have children from previous marriages.
When they started to get serious, they talked about where to live, he said.
"It worked better for the kids for her to move this direction."
When the couple bought a house in East Grand Forks last summer, Amber and her
children moved here.
They were married on July 11 in the presence of about 30 relatives and
friends who had traveled from California, Florida, Minnesota and other parts of
North Dakota for the occasion.
Their attendants were his children, Hannah, Clyde and Julia Biby, who are 10,
8 and 7, respectively, and her children, Kylie and Keith Finch, 11 and 5,
respectively.
Clyde and Keith were both the "best man," Amber said. Kylie, Hannah and Julia
were maids of honor.
The course of their relationship has been "very natural," Amber said. The two
families have blended well.
"Luckily, it's been really nice and a good fit ... (The wedding) is for all
of us."
They hired a musician, Andrew Konderla, to play acoustic guitar, and Amber's
best friend from high school, Tiffany Ellingson of Waconia, Minn., who had
recently been ordained, presided. This was the first marriage ceremony she
officiated.
"She has watched our relationship unfold," Amber said.
After the wedding, they continued the outdoor theme, inviting guests to their
home to celebrate around a bonfire.
"I'm surprised that more people don't do more stuff (in the city's pocket
parks)," Amber said. "It was really exciting to find out we could use Arbor Park
(for our wedding)."
Grand Forks' pocket parks are "very popular" as wedding locations, said
Sharyl Simeone, communications specialist with the City of Grand Forks. "Town
Square is popular, too."
"They are beautiful places to have weddings," she said, estimating eight to
12 weddings a year are held in these locations.
The city charges $50 to reserve the space, along with a refundable $100
damage deposit—but the city rarely keeps it, she said. "People are very good
about leaving things the way they found them."
If needed, temporary barricades are set up on the street to accommodate the
bridal couple's vehicle and to ease the arrival and departure of elderly
guests.
As part of her job, Simeone works with people who are planning all kinds of
special events on city property, including those who want to create a romantic
atmosphere for a memory-making experience.
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"I remember one couple who had met in Town Square," she said. For their
wedding anniversary, the husband surprised his wife by "putting on a whole
dinner there—and hired a string quartet to play."
Another man set the stage by lining the downtown greenway sidewalk with
tealights, leading to the gazebo where he proposed to his girlfriend.
"You see things like this all the time," Simeone said.
Outdoor weddings can be beautiful but it's always a good idea to have
alternative plans ready in case of inclement weather.
"It's always good to have a 'plan B,' " said Nancy Zalewski, owner of
Kristen's Bridal & Tuxedo in Grand Forks, "whether it's tents outside for
your guests to sit under or renting a community center."
In her 36 years as a bridal store owner, Zalewski has worked with many
couples planning outdoor ceremonies, "especially in the lakes country (of
Minnesota)."
Her advice to brides is to choose a gown that's "lighter and airy, depending
on where they're having it," she said. And usually shorter trains are best.
Hem your wedding gown "a little bit shorter, so it won't get grass stained,"
she said.
If the bride is planning to wear high heels, Zalewski recommends a clear
plastic product, called Sole Mates, which covers the heel.
"It gives your shoes a wider base so you don't sink into the grass," she
said. "It's a really nice product."
She also recommends not using real flowers as a garland in your hair, she
said. "I've seen them—especially daisies—wilt before anything gets going."
Wedding photography usually takes place before the wedding so, in hot humid
weather, some flowers tend to droop.
"You could ask the florist for recommendations on flowers that may be a
little more heat-resistant than others," she said.
Scheduling the wedding for later in the day is a good idea, she said. "It's
generally cooling off by then."
"You can also string lights on trees which makes your setting look more like
a fairy-tale world for your guests to enjoy," she said.
But there are some guests, like mosquitoes and other insects, you really
don't want to attend, she said. So don't choose their favorite habitat as a
wedding site.
"This is just my opinion, but I suggest having your wedding where you have
pest control," she said.
"If you're going to wade out in the middle of a big grassy field, you can
expect these pests," she said. "I prefer manicured lawns and parks where they
have sprayed."
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