We used a tri-fold brochure paper from JC Paper in San Jose. This wholesale paper warehouse has a wide variety of attractive papers primarily for business uses. This is also where Trystan and her mom bought the burgundy marble cardstock for the favour boxes and table signs, and where they bought paper that matched the programs to use for the cards telling people where they were sitting at the reception.

Trystan laid out the entire program using Adobe PageMaker 6.0 on a G3 Mac. The fonts used are Corabael for the headers, Park Haven for the header punctuation and numbers (the shareware version of Corabael doesn't have these characters; it's also a PC font, which Trystan converted to Mac using a shareware utility, TTConverter), and AmourTendre for the body text (this is the same font we used to print addresses on our invitation envelopes; we also used it as the caption font in our wedding guestbook/scrapbook -- it's a pretty font, but not so curly and elaborate that it's hard to read). We printed all the copies on our Epson Stylus 740 inkjet printer and used almost a whole ink cartridge to print 100 programs, front and back.

Here is a picture of the outside of the unfolded program:

Here is a picture of the inside of the unfolded program:

To see larger versions of either of the above pictures, just click on them.

Dramatis Personae

Officiant ... James Thomas
    friend of the couple for many years

Best Woman ... Irina Ozernoy
    friend and college roommate of the bride

Best Man ... Michael Snyder
    friend of the groom since junior high school

Brideswomen ...
    Kelly LoGiudicce, friend of the couple, met through gaming
    Elisa Jensen, friend of the bride since junior high school

Groomsmen ...
    Scott Yourmans, friend of the couple, met through gaming
    Chris Allen, friend of the groom, met through work


(first and second inside pages -- click here and here for images)

Music ... composed by Thomas Dowrie

The Prelude

Piano Sonata #1: "Sonata for Trystan" (Mv. 1 & 2) [1994]
Lyrical and somewhat melancholy at times, the first movement of this sonata isn't written in any specific key. Rather it moves chromatically, ascending and descending steadily, the shape and character of each chord changed. The second movement is jolly and playful -- (it's written in B major) -- yet reflective.

String Quartet #1 in Fm [1992]
I was a beginning composer when I wrote it and that shows (for starters it's only three movements -- string quartets are almost always four or more). That said, I enjoy its frequent Neo-Classical stylistic borrowings and occasional whimsical behavior. The second movement is particularly pleasant with a nice steady melody. Robert Dowrie, my father, quite enjoys this movement in particular, and so on his birthday this movement is performed in his honor.

Piano Sonata #2: "Triangle" (Mv. 2) [1995]
This slow-tempo movement is one of my favorite pieces. Its melody, which is played in thirds in the right hand, is indeed melancholy -- but hopeful at the same time. It moves around carefully and tenderly while the left hand keeps a steady, stark rhythm and structure. The sonata's name comes from the placement of the movements' key signature root notes (C -- F -- Eb) as they appear on a piano keyboard.

The Processional

Waltz of the Courtiers [1999]
This is the first piece of non-media based orchestral music I've written in four years, and it was challenging yet enjoyable to work on. It's somewhat 'academic' in terms of its melody and character. But it presents itself as a another Neo-Classical borrowing and makes for pleasant listening. It changes mood throughout and, like almost all pieces I write, it ends like it begins.

Fanfare for a Beloved Man (recorded) [1994]
This piece, written and dedicated to my grandfather James O. Dowrie on his 80th birthday, is a triumphant, elegant work. The first minute or so was recently re-recorded by a synthesized orchestra for the final moments of our wedding's processional.

The Recessional

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Undoubtedly one of the most recognizable Mozart pieces, this was composed by the master in 1787 at age 31. The German title translates in English to "little night music" or "a little nocturne." It's written in G major and consists of four movements, of which the first movement is played here.

Performers
Strings played by San Jose String Quartet.


(second and third inside pages -- click here and here for images)

Ceremony ... arranged by Trystan L. Bass

Opening Remarks
Affirmation of Support from Family and Friends
Affirmation of the Couple

Reflections on Marriage from the Writings of Rainer Maria Rilke
[German poet, 1875-1926]
Rilke's letters emphasize an egalitarian and mature concept of marriage. He praises a union where each person is a complete whole unto him or her self, because a self-fulfilled person brings so much to a partnership.

Chinese Wine Ceremony of Tuan Yuan
In honour of Trystan's Chinese ancestry, we will share wine from linked glasses to symbolize our connection in this world and beyond.

"A Lesson in Love" read by Janet Canning
(friend of the bride, met through the Costumer's Guild)
Trystan wrote this poem as an assignment during a graduate-level English composition course at San Jose State University.

Personal Statements from Trystan and Thomas

Trystan drew inspiration from both Charlotte Brönte's 1848 novel Jane Eyre and from Kevin Smith's 1997 cult movie Chasing Amy.

Thomas wrote his words to reflect an inward expression of his love blossoming into the outward expression of a relationship.

Marriage Vows
Exchange of Rings

"Remembering Love" read by Mary Lord (Thomas' mother)
Late last year, Thomas began writing this poem on a whim. As it grew, he settled on finishing it in time for the wedding and is honored that his mother is reading it today.

Celtic Hand-Fasting Ceremony
In honour of Thomas' Scottish heritage, we will physically bind ourselves together as a representation of how our hearts are bound to one another forever.

Lighting of the Family Unity Candle
Trystan's parents, Florence Bass and Robert Froelich, and Thomas' parents, Mary Lord and Robert Dowrie, lit individual candles prior to the ceremony. We will join their flames together to create a new light, just as our families are now joined through our marriage.

Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess read by Scott Yourmans
Together we've made a great many travels -- through years of personal growth and across oceans and continents. We travel well together and are eager to see where we'll end up next.

Proclamation of Marriage and Presentation of the Couple
Both of us will keep our own names upon marriage.


(back page -- click here for image)

Costume and Props

Creation of Trystan and Thomas' wedding outfits by Deborah Dowrie, Yosa Adiss, Thomas Dowrie, and Trystan L. Bass.

Guest favours handmade by Florence Bass, Mary Lord, Penny Shimizu-Gibson, Thomas Dowrie, and Trystan L. Bass.

Website

Wedding wrap-up and pictures will be available online at http://www.toreadors.com/wed/ later this year. We will include photos taken by guests with disposable cameras provided at our reception. If you would like copies of any of the photographs, just ask Thomas or Trystan.

Special Thanks

Our families for their love, support, and acceptance.

Everyone who traveled far to share this occasion with us.

James Thomas for becoming a minister for the day.

Everything we've been involved in that has strengthened us as individuals and broadened our horizons as a couple, including San Jose State University, the University of California at Berkeley, the Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild, Seven Deadly Sins role-playing game, the Mood Mobile, Apple Computers, alt.gothic.fashion, Disneyland, the United Kingdom, BayCon, The X-Files, Royal Taj Restaurant, Global Village, the movie Howard's End, Virtual Valley, and the State of Florida. And, of course, St. Paul's Renaissance Guild, circa 1992, for bringing us together in the first place!