Colleen Thomas hollered from the shower to Clint Halterman before he headed off to the motorcycle dealership, where he’s a mechanic and she worked in finance.
He poked his head into the steamy bathroom, and that’s how the guy from rural Wyoming learned that the city girl he loves from Sonoma County, Calif., was going to have his baby.
Halterman thought about it all day. Excited, he made plans for the future. “I thought if I propose immediately, it’s not going to create any doubt in anyone’s mind,” he explains.
So, that evening, right there in the kitchen, he dropped to one knee and proposed to the woman who teaches him about fine wine yet rides dirt bikes and backpacks like a pro.
Thomas didn’t know how she’d feel or look during the pregnancy. So, the wedding came after their son, Jacob Thomas Halterman, arrived.
Whereas some new parents might settle for a make-do wedding, Thomas and Halterman wanted to share something special with family and friends.
After high-country options came in priced too steeply, they found a little all-inclusive, off-season deal at historic Brown Palace in Denver.
Just over 40 guests from across the country attended the Feb. 3 wedding in the hotel’s Club Room. “We’re surprised how many people made the trip,” says Thomas. “I think it’s just a great chance for everybody to get together.”
With stained glass windows as the backdrop, the Rev. Marty Hunckler, a retired Catholic priest, presided over the ceremony. The 31-year-old bride, now a stay-at-home mom, wore a goddess-style dress, with an empire waist. The 25-year-old groom joked that dressing up was a “nice change of pace” from his greasy work clothes. Even Jacob got into the mood with a tiny tux of his own.
Jacob watched happily as his parents were married. Before Hunckler anointed the baby’s forehead in a blessing that followed the exchange of vows, Jacob made everyone laugh with a big, smiling yawn. It had been a big day.
Freelance journalist Roxanne Hawn lives in Golden.
