Boxwell Weddings: The McWilliams

We conclude our look at Boxwell weddings this week. Every one of the weddings we have reviewed have happened in the last twenty years. There were wedding before this time, though they were fewer and further between. This week we look at the first.

To our knowledge, the earliest wedding at Boxwell Reservation happened on May 21, 1971. The happy couple was Stahlman staff member David McWilliams and his bride to be Doris. Doris’ parents lived on Woods Ferry, so she fixed her hair and got dressed there. They then held the wedding at Don Stanford Chapel.

Unlike modern Boxwell weddings, there was no charge to David for the chapel. Very much like every wedding that ever was, not everything went quite right. David’s great aunt’s nephew was the photographer and he left the lens cap on for the reception and the beginning of the service. Fortunately, he did capture a few shots and we present you this week with the photos of the first known Boxwell Wedding: The McWilliams in 1971.

The Wedding of Doris and David McWilliams at the Chapel, May 1971

The wedding of Doris and David McWilliams, 1971

Boxwell Weddings: The Zumbros

The wedding march continues! See what we did there? It was a play on both the march of wedding photos and the song played at weddings. Get it? Yeah, sorry.

This week we look at the wedding of assistant ranger John Zumbro. Zumbro was a member of Stahlman staff in 1989 and 1990, joining the ranger staff in 2015. He and Paula Ann were married in October of that year.

For their wedding photos, John and Paula were all over. Their vows were taken on the veranda at Camp Craig, but they had photos taken together at the Boat Harbor as well as the Bandy-Tyree cemetery.

Finally, as an interesting footnote, John and Paula Ann’s wedding was officiated by Tanner Shackelford, staff member and COPE director. Seen here are Paula and John with Tanner.

Wedding of John and Paula Ann Zumbro, October 31, 2018. Tanner Shackelford officiating.

Boxwell Weddings: The Powells

We continue our look at Weddings at Boxwell this week with a look at another staff members’ wedding. In the last two examples, the husbands were staff members and the wives were either staff members or became staff members. This week is a bit more conventional: the staff member husband marries a non-staff wife.

Brandon and Rachel Anne Powell were married in 2013. Prior to that, Brandon had been a Craig staff member from 2007 to 2010, working in the Green Bar program. Brandon and Rachel had actually known each other since kindergarten, but didn’t date until high school. We all know how those turn out, so it was a few years until they got together again. Because Boxwell was so special to Brandon, Rachel agreed to wed there. Living the dream!

What is interesting here is the thing that SHOULDN’T be interesting. The last two weddings we’ve looked at have happened at Fehrmann. This one happened at… wait for it… the Chapel! The reception that followed was in Craig dining hall. Pictures of both are showcased here.

Powell wedding at Don Standford Chapel, 2013

The Powells’ Reception at Camp Craig Dining Hall, 2013

Boxwell Weddings: The Aldridges

We continue our look at Weddings at Boxwell this week with a look at another staff members’ wedding. Actually, to be accurate, this week looks at the wedding of TWO staff members!

Brandon Aldridge and Megan Kasper met in 2002 when Megan came to visit her father on the Stahlman Waterfront. Both worked on the Stahlman waterfront together in 2003 and began dating after camp that summer. Both continued on camp staff, though at different camps going forward. Still, it was at Boxwell they met, so it only made sense that it would be at Boxwell that they wed. Indeed, many staff member friends were part of the wedding!

Some interesting bigger issues here. First, Brandon’s sister worked at CubWorld. She met her future husband at camp as well–long time staff member Danny Waltman. Also, Megan’s father was long serving Waterfront and Pool director “Big John” Kasper. Thus, two Boxwell families were born out of camp staff relationships!

In the photos here, we see the happy couple leaving Fehrmann Training Center after the event. There’s our clear Wedding-at-Boxwell photo. The other photo is just funny–the happy couple gets a “Happy Birthday”-esque serenade from camp staff friends. And, as Brandon pointed out, check out those Fehrmann windows because they have probably never been that clean!

Brandon and Megan leaving the Fehrmann Training Center after their wedding. Bubbles instead of birdseed.

Brandon and Megan getting shouted down by fellow staff members at their wedding