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Love: LAUREN BOWES & KEN GOLDEN

June 16, 2011, in Philadelphia

The wedding of Lauren Bowes and Ken Golden (Photos: John Barone Photography)
The wedding of Lauren Bowes and Ken Golden (Photos: John Barone Photography)Read more

Hello there

Nearly every day of his high school life, Ken boarded the Market-Frankford subway line, sat next to his buddy Tim, and rode with him from Oxford Circle to 13th Street. From there, they walked to Roman Catholic High.

But one day in 1996, near the end of junior year, Tim told Ken the next morning's ride would not be so routine. "He told me he was meeting a friend of his from [John W.] Hallahan, and they would be getting on the train together," Ken said. Tim thought Ken might like her.

The next day, Ken found Tim sitting with two girls on the El. By the time the four reached 13th Street, where the boys and girls split to walk to their respective schools, Ken was hooked. But not on Jen, the blonde Tim had in mind for his friend.

"I told him I actually liked the brunette better, and that was Lauren," Ken said. "She was just really goofy. She was smiling and laughing the whole time." Just like Ken.

About a week later, Tim and Ken were hanging out and got Jen and Lauren on the phone. "I asked if she liked Led Zeppelin and the Doors," Ken said. Lauren was not only goofy, but a fan of classic rock.

"Our first date was at my parents' house on Lardner Street," Lauren said. "We hung out down the basement and watched Tommy Boy with Chris Farley. It was June 16, 1996."

They've been goofing off and rocking out together almost ever since.

Ken, who is now 31, attended LaSalle for three semesters, but decided college wasn't his thing. He earned an associate's degree in electronics from CHI trade school and went to work for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. Four years later, he took his current job in the electronics department at Philadelphia International Airport.

Lauren, now 30, graduated from Temple with a degree in French and Spanish. She teaches both languages at the Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square.

How does forever sound?

In the summer of 2005, the couple bought their Port Richmond home. By then, they knew they would wed someday. Few others were convinced.

For years, family and friends frequently asked when they were going to get married. "Then a few years before we got engaged, it kind of died down," Lauren said. "A lot of people just assumed that we would be that couple that would always stay together, but not get married."

In September 2010, the couple were getting ready for a night out. Ken was in the shower. Lauren was at the sink, brushing her teeth.

"So, when do you want to go get a ring?" Ken asked. "Maybe we should get married soon?"

"Yeah," Lauren said. "You're probably right. I'm going to be 30 this year. I think it's about time."

Her 30th birthday fell on Columbus Day, and both the teacher and the city employee had the day off. They went hunting for the ring Lauren had always dreamed of - a pink sapphire in a retro setting - and after an unsuccessful day of searching antiques shops in Adamstown, they found the perfect one at Safian & Rudolph on Jeweler's Row.

That Friday, Lauren returned from taking her eighth graders on a class trip to Washington. "Something came for you," Ken said. "It's in the buffet."

Lauren opened the drawer, and found a small box. She took out the ring, and slipped it on her finger.

It was so them

Ken and Lauren's wedding fell 15 years to the day after their first date.

The couple originally planned to wed with their immediate families present in the chambers of Court of Common Pleas Judge Lisa M. Rau, then have dinner at a nice restaurant. But Maryann and Randall Bowes and Barbara and Paul Golden had waited too long to settle for that!

"Our small wedding snowballed into a much larger wedding," Lauren said. The couple exchanged vows before 167 guests at Tendenza in Northern Liberties.

Rau, for whom Lauren had worked as an office assistant when Rau was an attorney and Lauren a student, not only led the ceremony, she helped shape it.

"I told her that all we really wanted to do was exchange vows and be married," Lauren said. But Rau encouraged Lauren and Ken to add more to the ceremony so their guests would have a chance to celebrate along with them.

And so Lauren's Aunt Barbara did a reading from The Little Prince. Ken's brother, Tim, served as best man, and Lauren's brother, Randy, was her "Iron Maiden of Honor."

Randy and Tim spoke about friends and family members who had recently passed away.

The couple's friend Christa sang while another friend, Wayne, played a rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Thank You."

Ken's dad read an Irish blessing.

At the reception, each table was named for a Philadelphia street that played a part in the families' histories.

No DJ would do but DJ Deejay, who spins at Silk City on Saturday nights. "There wasn't going to be any Hokey Pokey or line dance," Ken said.

There was "Celtic Symphony" by Blackthorn - a wedding tradition in Lauren's family.

This was a surprise

The couple knew that Tendenza provided a maitre d' for the wedding party, but they had no idea they would be waited on hand and foot. Adding to the feeling of luxury, they also got a bonus maitre d', one who was in training.

Awestruck

For much of their ceremony, Lauren and Ken sat holding hands, watching their friends and family members take part. "It was very surreal that it was even happening," Lauren said. "Everything was perfect."

The couple's first dance was to Lou Reed's "Perfect Day." "Before everything broke out into everybody's party, it was that time that me and her had," Ken said. "It was our few minutes, where it felt like just us."

Discretionary spending

A bargain: The wedding bands, purchased from Henri David's Halloween. The couple got exactly what they wanted, Ken said, and the price was about 20 percent less than what he expected.

The splurge: An electronic seating chart for guests and two video screens that showed live feeds of key moments from the reception, such as the mother-son and father-daughter dance. It added a few hundred dollars to the bill.

The getaway

Five days in Los Ayala, Mexico - a small town on the Pacific coast - and two days an hour south in Puerto Vallarta.