The (Almost) Perfect Wedding
01 September 2006

Every girl dreams of having the perfect wedding, one which would bring forth memories that will be remembered fondly for decades to come. Rachelle Stinde, a 25-year-old dental hygienist from Seattle, had all the elements in tact for that perfect wedding: the man of her dreams, wonderful guests, a gorgeous wedding dress, and a wedding location so beautiful that she cried when she first came to the place to do an ocular inspection.

The only problem is, aside from the wide open fields, pond and rolling hills, the venue for her outdoor wedding came with something else- 150 soccer teams made up of 10 to 18 year olds and a whole lot of spectators.

On the day of her and her groom’s wedding, the management of Lord Hill Farms, her wedding venue, also booked a soccer tournament. This meant that a on a field a few feet below the hilltop where they were supposed to have the ceremony, hundreds of people will be shouting and cheering. (A very unfortunate event indeed since one of the main reasons they decided on having the location there in the first place was the tranquility and calmness of the place.)

Rachelle Stinde, now Mrs. Lambro, and her then fiancé were informed of the conflict in schedule only three weeks before the wedding date, leaving them with no time for an alternative wedding venue. They had no choice but to push forward with the wedding.

David Remlinger, the owner of the said venue, tried to explain his company’s side by explaining how it was a common practice to book corporate events and weddings on the same day as the event is usually over by the time the ceremony starts. He also stated that he was not aware in the beginning that the wedding was to be an outdoor one, thus, he agreed to lend his farm to the Sky River Soccer Club, the event’s organizer.

In an effort to make-up for the botched-up scheduling, the management and the tournament officials promised to clear the field of people and to remove some goal posts just in time for the ceremony.

Still, the actions did not manage to assuage the anger of the couple and their families. Bev Stinde, the bride’s mother remarked, “"Anyone with any common sense knows that soccer is a very active, loud activity and where it's located is actually on the same grounds, below where the kids are getting married, and sound is carried up. How are they going to make them be quiet?"

The company has also offered to compensate the family by giving them discounts and a $1, 700 credit, but they remained unmoved and steady in their conviction to, in the bride’s words, let other brides become “aware of what can happen.”