Like most little girls growing up, Hollie Newcomb envisioned a wedding fit for a queen, with a traditional Roman Catholic service, tuxedos and a horse-drawn carriage.
But as little girls grow up to be women, ideas and dreams change.
That's why the more than 80 people gathered Saturday to witness Newcomb's wedding to Chris Phillips weren't surprised when the two were wed on the platform of the McCutchanville Fire Station's new "102-foot aeriel platform water tower truck."
The entire service, with the retired Rev. Ken Kramer Sr. officiating, took place in the platform's bucket - a space slightly bigger than a telephone booth - that was raised a few feet off the ground. Also in the bucket with Newcomb, 23, and Phillips, 25, for the nearly 30-minute service were matron of honor Becky Mangold and best man Chad Burleigh.
Shortly after the couple's first kiss as husband and wife, the wedding party was raised 30 feet into the air for a view of McCutchanville.
Changing from the traditional scenario was simple, Newcomb said before the wedding. "I'm combining all the things about us into our ceremony, which makes it very special and unique," she said.
Since the new husband is a six-year volunteer firefighter at the station, Newcomb said it was "perfect to be married on the fire truck," because that's what he loves.
All Phillips could do was laugh about the nontraditional ceremony.
"You know, it was her idea. And I thought that was the coolest thing," he said. "All I keep thinking is my soon-to-be-wife wants to get married on a fire truck, because of me. You don't know how much that means to me."
"I get bored at traditional weddings," Burleigh said. "Here you have a wedding dress, tuxedos and a fire truck; it's a guy's wedding, for sure."
Also playing into the couple's interests were the wedding's colors and its date.
The black, white and silver colors are Newcomb's favorite colors and also represent a checkered flag. The flag represents the couple's love of NASCAR racing and racing in general. Keeping with the theme, the four bridesmaids were in black dresses with white bows pinned to the left shoulder. Although the couple, who have been together for six years and have a 5-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, planned on getting married at least two other times, they agreed the timing of this weekend was "perfect."
"It's the biggest racing weekend of the season," Chris Phillips laughed. "Sunday (today) is the running of both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. That's 1,100 miles of racing that I get to watch."
As an early wedding present, Phillips' parents paid for the couple to join them for a weeklong trip to Daytona Beach in early May - which served as the couple's honeymoon.
"We've already gone somewhere and now we get to go back to our home," Newcomb said. "But this time, it is as husband and wife. And I have the license and ring to prove it."
