Theirs is a marriage of coincidence

Folks search and search for the perfect places to hold their weddings.

Trent and Stacy Hannebaum knew immediately the location for their dream reception was tied up at a Ballard dock. The former Stacy Carlisle, who graduated from Monroe High School, wanted something unique and a little different for her post-wedding party, according to her mother, Christine Wheeler of Everett.

For some folks, their wedding is the greatest day of their lives. When it all comes together like frosting on the cake, it makes the event all the more memorable. This Sept. 4 wedding had enough coincidences to make it extra special.

The couple found a river boat to rent for their reception.

“What we found was a darling little sternwheeler boat, the ‘Christine W.,’ owned by Jack Russell,” Wheeler said. “It was all just too good to be true. Stacy is a dog groomer (get it? Jack Russell terrier), and my name is Christine Wheeler, aka ‘Christine W.’”

The way the couple met was also coincidental. Hannebaum was a friend of Perry and Christine Wheeler.

They had been snowmobile buddies for five years. Hannebaum had even slept in the Wheeler’s guest bedroom, to get an early start for mountain trips, and had gazed at photographs of their daughter over the bed.

Mrs. Wheeler said she knew better than to ever try to hook up her independent single daughter, so she never attempted set up a blind date.

That is one smart mother.

At Christmas time, the Wheelers planned a mountain trip with two other couples.

One couple had to cancel, so they invited their single friend, Hannebaum, to go along. Surprise, surprise, their daughter decided to join the outing to spend time with her mother and stepfather during the holidays.

Everyone met up at a freeway onramp then traveled to the mountain cabin.

“There was plenty of room,” Wheeler said. “Trent and Stacy had bunk beds in the living room. It didn’t seem to matter much as they talked all night and rode sleds all day.”

Hannebaum, from Idaho, and Carlisle have been inseparable ever since. He proposed on a snowmobile trip by hanging a huge sign in a tree.

“Trent is a wonderful guy,” Wheeler said. “The more we see the two together, the more we cannot believe how we missed all their similarities. They’re both hyper, creative. Both talk your arm off, and they want the same things from life.”

As they planned their wedding, the bride wanted to be wed at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, but the price for a nonparishioner wedding rental was a barrier.

However, things kept falling into place for this couple, Wheeler said. When the church found out that Wheeler was confirmed there, and her brother was a janitor at the church for more than 20 years, they dropped the price.

When wedding planners found the sternwheeler, named the Christine W. to honor the owner’s niece who died of cancer, the name made the boat seem like a perfect location. Then, lo and behold, the boat colors were red, white and black, the same as the wedding colors.

Six of the groom’s nieces, all sisters, were flower girls. The wedding party and guests danced and dined on a cruise around Lake Washington.

The Hannebaums, who live in Renton, plan to celebrate their first anniversary by sipping champagne on a snowmobile trailer on the onramp where they met. Perhaps they’ll recap their whirlwind romance or even mention their age difference, Stacy is 36 and Trent is 32, the same spread as her mother and stepfather, who are 56 and 52 respectively.

Over the freeway din, they’ll toast to every coincidence.

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.

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