To mark the arrival of University By The Sea—a celebration of Long Beach that will take place on Sunday, October 5th—the 1st Street bar House of Hayden was re-converted to its previous life as a wedding chapel and welcomed back Terry and Linda Eason. The couple were married at the location in 1984 and yesterday renewed their vows, complete with the original altar which had been kept in storage at the bar.
“This was actually much better than the first time,” Linda joked after the ceremony. “We had no idea it would be this big, but that just made it more special.”
The Easons mix dark and light sands in a bottle to symbolize their union.
The Easons chose a Hawaiian theme—“Easy way to do something special,” Linda said—complete with leis made of potent plumeria flowers. The brightly colored ceremony provided perfect contrast in the dark bar, an old brick-walled building built in 1902 that has seen past lives as a beauty parlor and feed store, among others. Now, the bar features intricate metal-work, stained glass windows and flames prominently displayed wherever possible.
University by the Sea jumped at the chance to put the vow renewal together in such a historical city site. The organization has made celebrating local treasures like House of Hayden one of its trademarks. Last year, organizers unearthed the long-lost Jergins Tunnel below Ocean Boulevard.
Interested couples will have their own chance to wed during University By The Sea, and can sign up to do so online. Twelve themed weddings will be held—themes ranging from Elvis to Borat are available—at the House of Hayden. Click here to see the sign-up form, and click here for more information about University By The Sea.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor
Disclosure: University By The Sea is an advertiser of the lbpost.com.