This area is everything we need and want as we begin our lives together.”

HONESDALE, PA — It took some brain storming with Allaina Propst, one of the owners of Here & Now Brewing Company (H&N) in Honesdale, to decide on Main Street. Initially, it was the roof of her building with some raised box gardens. Then there was the option of holding the ceremony in the garage, where all the beer magic happens. But in the end we went with old faithful Main Street—a road with more stories and tall tales than we even know. So for us it was a no brainer, let’s leave our little story there as well, for others to see and take part in too.

It’s nice to be a small-town kid and give business to your local town.

As for the reception venue, Here & Now has this hygge* vibe. It’s a place that seems to have no limits—the creativity from the murals to the beer and food are outstanding. Every time we go, we leave happy and relaxed, with full stomachs.

I think our theme mainly revolved around things we enjoy doing and eating, especially as outdoorsmen.

That means deer sheds we found on the gamelands we hunt and European mounts of deer skulls and a deer skull that Kyle and I harvested. We added to that the paradoxical small charm of fresh flowers, propped in dainty antique bottles your grandmother would have. In the end, the wedding had an unfinished look—nothing overly planned or staged, just the culmination of two personalities that fit well together. My white open back wedding dress, juxtaposed with a fur half-shawl that I entered the reception in. Our families dressed to the nines.

Choosing local vendors was important to us. Planning a wedding could’ve been a nightmare, but with H&N it was easy as pie. We are “go-with-the-flow” people, and so is the whole entire company, so any ideas or suggestions from both sides were somehow incorporated. We also tried to pick local businesses for our wedding. From the gown from Mary Beth Bridal, tuxedos from Arts for Him & Her to the small antiques from A Picker’s Find and cool, swanky furniture from Rustic Charm Vintage Rentals. It’s nice to be a small-town kid and give business to your local town. That’s what small towns are all about, especially Honesdale.

We’re choosing this town as our nesting ground because it’s what someone would want to call home. Honesdale is an inviting town, from parades, to local farmers and small-town events. It’s these things that make a town like Honesdale strong and bring the community together. Kyle and I like it because it’s where our parents are from, and our grandparents and so on. Plus, it’s a town that’s changing, and we want to be a part of the change that keeps it alive. 

This area is everything we need and want as we begin our lives together. We can go hunting on thousands of acres, from state gamelands to national forests: hiking, scouting, kayaking, fishing and many more outdoor activities that we enjoy. We can walk down a street and hear someone honk their horn, not because of poor driving because they are saying ‘Hey.’ It’s those small waves and passing hellos that make you realize having a family here, planting roots here, is priceless. Now, we can drive by the “Wayne County Grown” mural on Main Street and remember not only our past, born and raised in this town, but our future, which began and continues here.  

*a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of cozy, comfortable conviviality with feelings of contentment