Beaver’s Saints Peter and Paul Church will host a most unusual wedding for out-of-towners next January.
Bride Courtney Garofolo of Potomac Falls, VA and groom Galen Beaver of Waxhaw, NC met as students at North Carolina Wesleyan College. They plan to reside in Northern Virginia, with her employed by a behavioral health consultancy helping children on the autism spectrum, and him as a sales consultant for a foundation and waterproofing repair company.
With no other obvious connection, other than Galen’s surname, one might ask why in the world the pair would choose Beaver for their wedding. Here’s the heart-warming backstory, in their own words, with all of our best wishes for a happy life and many returns here.
Courtney: I’m very sentimental and love traditions. It’s so exciting that we’ll be married in the same church as my parents Michael and Laura (Loxley) Garofolo (July 8, 1995) and grandparents William and Nancy Jane (Geibel) Loxley (Jan. 22, 1965). We’ll also be wed in the same month as my grandparents who will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary.
There are photographs from my parents’ wedding inside the church that I’d love to recreate. Just as my mother walked down the aisle holding something from her mother and grandmothers, I plan to continue that tradition with a family sixpence in my shoe, my great-grandmother’s rosary around my bouquet, my grandmother’s garter and other little family trinkets. But it also will be a time to create new traditions as Galen and I start our own journey as one.
Beaver has been a super big part of my childhood. My family would visit my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins at least twice a year. My favorite time was at Christmas when the main street is all lit up. I have great memories of walking around or bike-riding, something I never had the freedom to do at home. My cousins and I swam at the Beaver Pool and I remember the freezing cold water but how much fun it was on the island and under the fountain. I learned how to skate at the Brady’s Run Ice Arena.
Walking through Beaver Cemetery to get to the Hot Dog Shoppe, or up the street to get a cookie from Kretchmar’s or candy with my sister at Grandpa Joe’s, I’ve considered Beaver as my little safe haven to escape the hectic hustle and bustle of living near Washington, D.C.
Galen: I first visited Beaver at Thanksgiving, and the first thing that ran through my mind was that it was like the ideal small town I’ve seen in Hallmark and Netflix movies. I watched the parade on Third Street and high school athletes walking proudly in their letterman jackets. Snow was on the ground and everyone was just so welcoming. The first thing I said to Courtney was “This is a kind of place where I’d love to live.”
Speaking purely about my family, my Beaver relatives will enjoy the wordplay of the town’s name and how it looks like it’s straight out of a storybook. Of course, our first two stops will be the famous Kretchmar’s Bakery or the Hot Dog Shoppe. I personally just love the atmosphere – calm, friendly and so much fun to walk and visit the wide array of shops and restaurants available right on the strip.
