Beer Museum patrons tie the knot, celebrate with friends and a toast or two

Who says weddings and beer, particularly Virginia craft-brewed beer, don’t mix? – No one who attended the October 10^th wedding and reception of Bruce Townshend and Robin Goldthwaite at Front Royal’s Virginia Beer Museum.

Above, a different sort of performance on the stage at rear of Front Royal’s Virginia Beer Museum, Saturday, Oct. 10: the wedding party from left, the bride’s daughters Hayley and Hope Bush, Maid of Honor Shellie Conrow-Brown, bride Robin Goldthwaite, Lay Minister Michael Williams, groom Bruce Townshend and best man Kevin Townshend. Below, guests help the groom loosen up prior to taking the vows. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

And while museums and marriage/receptions might seem more of a stretch, not when that museum is dedicated to, not only Virginia’s expanding array of fine, craft-brewed hops, but beer’s place in the history of this nation, as recounted in the first-floor George Washington and Thomas Jefferson rooms and the second floor Prohibition Room. One can only imagine those latter times, circa the third decade of the 20^th Century when John Barleycorn was indeed dead on these shores, must have been dark, if roaring, bootlegging days in the nation’s history.

But with that overly temperate chapter of our history behind us, it was a bright and celebratory Saturday afternoon as Bruce awaited Robin’s procession down the impromptu bridal path to the Museum Biergarten stage area to a somewhat non-traditional musical accompaniment of AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”.

Above, bridal path to the groom is improvised. Below, daughter Hayley walks the bride down the ‘aisle’.

Once together in front of family and friends, Lay Anglican Vicar Michael Williams helped the couple tie the knot, literally, in the Celtic tradition, along with the exchange of rings. From there it was to the tent – NOT that one, the Biergarten food tents and main protection against any untoward elements tent where many a celebratory toast was raised to a match, if musically accompanied by “Hell’s Bells”, certainly made in heaven.

Above, the bride and groom are bound, literally, in love in the Celtic tradition by the wedding officiant; below the first marital kiss.

Congratulations, Bruce and Robin Townshend.

And thanks to the Virginia Beer Museum for hosting a family and extended family event. This is what memories are made of:

Military friends of the groom front and present for the occasion, from left, Kelly Kilhoffer, Michael Rudzinski, the groom and Bryan Fleming.

Cousin Maria Dutton-Barnhart helps prepare the groom as his daughter, Betianne Townshend, is framed in background.

Don’t mess with this couple.