Steve and Jessie Erickson tie a ‘lover’s knot’ during their wedding ceremony.
DiscoverOurCoast.com
No longer did they picture having a large,
traditional wedding ceremony — at least, until the
coronavirus pandemic subsides.
“We felt it was important to follow the COVID
guidelines. We didn’t want to take any risks,” Jessie said.
Instead, they took the opportunity to focus their
special day on what marriage truly symbolizes: coming
together, exchanging vows and making a longterm
commitment to one another. No fanfare, no fuss.
“We could just focus on each other,” Steve said.
“Otherwise, a wedding is kind of a performance.”
They were married two years to the day they first
connected. Since they both love fishing, they decided
to get married in their waders. Jessie joked that she can
now get plenty of use from her “wedding dress” instead
of stowing it away in the attic. She also wore a veil and
lace gloves.
The couple didn’t require many flowers for their
intimate ceremony but Steve surprised Jessie with a
giant bouquet from Cannon Beach Cottage Flowers.
Laurie St. Denis, the floral designer, also threw in two
corsages and a boutonniere.
The day before the ceremony, they took advantage
of a break in the weather to get pictures with their
photographer, Julie Adams, on the beach. On Dec. 18,
they exchanged vows before Rev. Christina Irvine, a
professional wedding officiant based out of Manzanita.
“It was very meaningful,” Jessie said. “It was just us
and the officiant. We didn’t feel like it was about the big
to-do.”
Steve agreed, adding, “It was pretty stress-free.”
The ceremony involved a tradition known as tying
the fisherman’s knot, also known as a lover’s knot.
The fisherman’s knot is one of the strongest knots in
existence. In the context of a marriage ceremony, it
signifies the binding of two people to one another.
Although they remain entirely autonomous and
independent, each person’s strength, resilience and
durability are augmented by the other. When tension
is exerted on the rope or it’s tightened, the knot only
grows stronger.
In another nod to their shared love of fishing, “One
of my vows to Jessie is that I will always bait her hook,’”
Steve said.
Instead of inviting people to the ceremony — as
they felt it would be hard to choose among their close
friends and family — they asked a couple of their
neighbors in Cannon Beach to sign the marriage
license as witnesses.
Afterward, they celebrated in their RV with
champagne. They originally planned to eat out at
the Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach but it had closed
temporarily a few days prior because of the pandemic.
Instead, they went off to catch crab in Tillamook Bay.
They enjoyed their crab alongside filet mignon.
The couple hopes to hold a wedding celebration
of sorts this summer and invite their children,
grandchildren and friends. Additionally, they’re
planning to honeymoon in Hawaii as soon as it is safe
to do so.
Our Coast Weddings 2021 • 5