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A Cut Above
Erin Walton and Tyler Hauck, September 6, 2009, Edmonton, Alberta. By Tanya Pressé
About the Couple
Bride: Erin Walton
Groom: Tyler Hauck
How they met: Both Erin and Tyler are geologists, so a mutual friend (also a geologist) introduced the two while Erin was working on her Ph. D. in Fredericton and Tyler was on a field assignment in the Bay of Fundy. Naturally, they hit it off, but the timing wasn’t right as Erin had two years of study left in New Brunswick, and Tyler was in his last year of school at the University of Alberta. But when Erin moved to Edmonton two years later, they reconnected and things developed from there!
Engagement story: “It took Tyler months of research to find the right stone—with two geologists it had to be really special—and he finally settled on a blue-green sapphire, which is quite a rare gem. Tyler proposed at a small, cozy restaurant in Edmonton where we go for our anniversary. He had the waiter bring out the ring on my entree (actually arranged on a carrot in the centre), and I was completely shocked. As soon as I said ‘yes,’ the entire restaurant was clapping and our waiter was popping bottles of champagne,” gushes Erin.
The Wedding Day
Wedding date: September 6, 2009
Guests: 105
Her best moment: “The dance. So many people were on the dance floor that we had to move tables just to accommodate everybody! It was amazing and such a fun end to the day.”
His best moment: “Everything. It was perfect.”
Favourite wedding detail: The cake topper! As Erin explains, “It was hand-painted with the bride, the groom and a miniature Boston terrier (just like our dog, Roland).”
Wedding song: "At Last" by Etta James. “It has a soulful, vintage feel,” says Erin.
Theme: Inspired by nature. The duo also wanted to incorporate things that are very meaningful to them into their nuptials. As Erin explains, “We used a lot of materials that we had on hand—ammonite fossils, crystals, black and white wedding photos of our grandparents—and instead of buying vases, we borrowed pinwheel crystals from our relatives.”
Favours: Jalapeño jelly in silver-topped mason jars. The groom’s mother, Shelley Hauck, made them!
Favourite gift: “A beautiful azurite and malachite (copper-rich) rock given to us by a friend. It is museum quality, and we have it proudly displayed in our home.”
Most unexpected moment: “For kiss requests during the ceremony, our MC Alberto Reyes arranged things so that it would start with clinking glasses, but then a couple would have to demonstrate how they would like us to kiss. Tyler’s grandmother got up with a family friend and demonstrated a leg-in-the-air kiss! It was very surprising, and it got a huge round of applause.”
