By Laurie Sullivan
Photography by James Schriebl
Their mutual love of Vermont, skiing and each other drew Jaimi Christensen and Jim Ryan to the quaint white colonial church with its tall spire in Manchester.
After exchanging "I do's," in the First Congregational Church across from the Equinox Hotel, Jaimi and Jim held hands, smiled joyfully and slowly made their way across the street to their wedding reception at the hotel. Their 160 guests followed. Traffic and pedestrians stopped and stared at the spectacle. "If it was anywhere else, people would have been honking as we were crossing the street," Jim said, pleased the wedding was in slower-paced Vermont. "It was great having everyone watch."
The rain that had threatened their long-planned-for wedding had stopped before the 5 p.m. ceremony and the sun broke through. Jim's devoutly religious mother had reassured Jaimi that morning that "each raindrop was a blessing."
Sunlight dappled the rich palette of changing autumn leaves, providing the perfect backdrop for wedding pictures outside the hotel.
Jaimi said out-of-town guests were very excited the wedding was in Vermont during leaf season. "A lot of them looked at it as a little vacation."...
