Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 12 : Spring 2012 | Page 37

Aroostook

Ever After
by Amanda Jenkins Knox

The word “wedding” conjures up many
images in a person’s mind: elegant flowers, lace,
tulle, satin gowns, elaborately decorated cakes,
and tuxedos with bow ties. “Aroostook County”
may not make the list of elegant wedding-related
items for many people, but two years ago when
my husband got down on one knee and asked me
to share my life with him, I knew The County
was exactly where I wanted to say “I do.”

For those of us who grew up as “County
kids”, this place is more than just a rural stretch of
land hidden away in the far reaches of northern
Maine. The County gets under your skin and
into your veins; it becomes a part of you that
you can never erase, no matter where you may
live for the rest of your life. I’ve spent plenty of
time outside of The County – and outside of the
state of Maine. But after four years of college in
western New York, two years of graduate school
in Boston, and a year of working in Albany, the
pull of The County brought me back to my
roots. So a year later when beginning to plan
our wedding, I couldn’t imagine getting married
anywhere else.

My husband and I considered numerous
wedding venues: coastal Maine chapels with
views of the ocean, outdoor tented wedding
venues in upstate New York, wedding halls
perched in the midst of the Catskill mountains
with breathtaking views – and although they were
all stunning and elegant and perfect wedding
locales, nothing seemed to feel right until we
decided to marry in the heart of The County on a
warm fall day. I knew our choice would have its
share of drawbacks – northern Maine was a long
drive for our New York guests; the weather can
be unpredictable in the fall; our style of living
(and wedding planning) may not be quite as
elegant as some more up-scale locations – but the
benefits far outweighed those drawbacks. Few
places are prettier than Aroostook County in the
fall; the strong sense of community made finding
WINTER 2012 Northern Maine General 37
SPRING 2012