Valentine Lessons

 Once again Augusta Magazine celebrates Valentine’s Day with a feature on local couples with heart-warming stories and admirable relationships. It always gives me great pleasure to put together this feature for our readers as it puts a smile on my face each time I read it. In considering this year’s selection as a whole, it occurs to me that the common thread that links all four couples is friendship. Ranging from serendipity to lifelong associations, the stories of how they met are romantically endearing—just the kind of tales you hope to read around Valentine’s Day. But this year’s couples all credit being each other’s best friend as the glue that binds their relationship and brought them together in the first place. A lesson well worth heeding for anyone embarking on the road to wedded bliss.

Our other tradition for the February/March issue is the annual Brides publication. This year’s weddings are good examples of the diversity and creativity of the celebrations today’s brides are planning. First we bring you a traditional Augusta wedding, beautifully conceived and executed—the embodiment of every young girl’s dream. Bride Mary Douglas Klimas is from a large close-knit Augusta family, which played an important and poignant role in her nuptials. The second wedding was anything but traditional. Planned in just days, the couple was wed on January 1, 2011 (1-1-11). The reception took place before the ceremony so the vows could be exchanged on the stroke of midnight. With such short notice they insist any and all stress was eliminated.

Don’t miss our annual brides photo gallery, which documents an impressive array of wedding moments in a variety of settings, spotlighting beautiful brides in exquisite gowns. You won’t be disappointed and you’re sure to know at least a few of the happy couples.

A happy and fitting surprise in this issue is revealed in wine aficionado Dennis Sodomka’s wine column. He became engaged during the holidays to Teri Moore, a lovely lady who has been a family friend for years. (There’s that friendship tie again.) From all reports the couple is deliriously happy and will likely be wed before our next issue is on the newsstands. Turn to page 49 in Dine Out to see a photo of the happy couple taken while they were on a wine holiday in California.
We wish them and all our couples joy and happiness in the coming years!