S hort and sweet with a country theme and lots of twelves.

That’s the synopsis of Wednesday’s 12 p.m. wedding of Marilyn Dotzler and Patrick Meyer on 12/12/12.

The Brainerd couple was married at noon with the ceremony concluding around 12:12 p.m. at the Ivy Room’s wedding chapel in downtown Brainerd. The groom wore a black cowboy hat. Both the bride and groom wore western boots. Transportation to their wedding reception at the Pizza Ranch in Baxter was by a stage coach drawn by two Percherons. Doug Taylor of Action Entertainment was the driver.

They met as youngsters, spending time at the Aitkin County Fair in one their early encounters. Growing up, they went their separate ways and met again in 2005. The couple was engaged in February of 2006. Meyer works with a company that contracts with a railroad. His bride works at Head Start.

Escorting the groom to the altar were his daughters, Marissa and Colette Meyer. Escorting the bride was her father, John Dotzler. The bride’s granddaughter, Alexis Johnson was the flower girl.

Presiding at the ceremony was Nila Patrick, owner of the Ivy Room. She said at the ceremony that she had married a couple on 10/11/12 and now on 12/12/12.

“I am taking reservations for 11/12/13,” she said.

After the wedding, Marilyn Meyer explained how the couple had decided to get married on the Dec. 12 date with repeating numerals.
“It started out as a joke about a year ago,” she said.

Patrick Meyer, the new husband chimed in with a comment indicating he had already learned his first lesson of married life.

“Don’t joke with her,” he commented.

MIKE O’ROURKE, associate editor, may be reached at 855-5860 or mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com. He may be followed at www.twitter.com/MikeORourkenews.