THE REGISTER
ERICA LEE HETZEL & PATRICK JOSEPH BOWE LANSING | 5.4.19
erica and patrick met through mutual friends while both were attending Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. They were just friends for a while—until their friendship turned into something more during Erica’s senior year. The couple planned a weekend getaway to Pittsburgh to celebrate Williamsburg, Virginia, native Erica’s birthday in 2016. Little did she know the private and romantic proposal that Patrick, the son of a Marine Corps officer who grew up all over, had planned for their hotel room that weekend. She accepted his proposal, and the couple began planning their wedding. They chose the dramatic scenery of Adventures on the Gorge as the backdrop for their big day. The bride was escorted by her father down the aisle and carried a bouquet full of greenery. One of the bride’s best friends became ordained just for the occasion and officiated the traditional exchange of vows and rings. A cocktail hour followed the ceremony with appetizers of bruschetta, West Virginia pepperoni rolls, and fried chicken with bourbon dipping sauce. The buffet-style dinner included romaine and Greek salads, herb-roasted sirloin with chasseur sauce, country fried chicken with sawmill gravy, gnocchi with goat cheese, and sides. The couple carved a single-tiered naked chocolate and vanilla wedding cake, and chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla cupcakes filled the cake table. Guests were treated to quarter-pints of Appalachian moonshine with custom-stamped gift bags as wedding favors. Following a honeymoon to the Dominican Republic, the couple returned home to Morgantown, where Erica works as the office manager for the Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic at West Virginia University College of Law, and Patrick works as an HVAC technician for WVU.
BRIDE’S PARENTS Agnes & Eric Hetzel
GROOM’S PARENTS Catherine & Joseph Bowe PHOTOGRAPHED BY Emily Ferguson Photography
78 | WV WEDDINGS Spring/Summer 2020
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