COLORADO — Labor Day Weekend of 2008, the Colorado Rocky Mountains provided the view for the sunset wedding ceremony uniting William W. Mark III and Kerri Grace Sherwood. The golf course greens of The Keystone Ranch Golf Course provided the setting as the couple exchanged their vows and rings.

The groom is the only son of Dr. and Mrs. William W. Mark Jr. of Cumberland and Sanibel Island, Fla., formerly of New York. He is also the eldest maternal grandson of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Papacena Jr. of Crestwood, N.Y., and Mrs. Mary C. Mark-Salerno and the paternal grandson of the late Mr. Henry T. Salerno of Stratham, N.H., formerly of New York.

The bride is the only daughter of Mrs. Diana J. Gebhardt of New Windsor, N.Y., and Mr. William T. Sherwood III of Port Charlotte, Fla., formerly of New York. She is also the eldest maternal granddaughter of Mrs. Grace Wiesmantel and the late Mr. Walter Wiesmantel of Sun City, Fla., and the only paternal granddaughter of Mrs. Patricia Sherwood-Foust of Hendersonville, N.C., and the late Mr. William T. Sherwood Jr. The bride and groom were sadly disappointed when the “altitude” coupled with “health issues” proved to be insurmountable obstacles for their beloved grandparents, who could not be with them to share in their very special day.

The Wedding Weekend celebration began on Friday morning with a Men’s Only Bachelor Breakfast, followed by a golf tournament at The River Course of Keystone, hosted by close family friends of the groom, Mr. Larry D. Boggs and Mr. Lawrence H. Hohing, who provided golf souvenirs for all participants, as well as prizes for all team winners with the best score.

Friday at 11 a.m., an outdoor informal gathering of Women Only from the “Cumberland Cache” was held at the Kickapoo Tavern, located at the base of the River Run Village gondola and hosted by the “MOG,” aka mother of the groom. She and her girlfriends shared cocktails and light lunch while enjoying the spectacular Rocky Mountain view.

Friday evening a welcome dinner party was hosted by the groom’s parents at The Wolf Rock Brewing Company in River Run Village at Keystone Resort, under the direction of Mr. Cameron Douglas and staff. All wedding guests were attired in blue jeans and dined on lobster tails and fillet mignon, accompanied by fine wines and great brews. Cake designer, Mr. Ben Riel of The Blue Moon Bake of Silverthorne, created custom made desserts, strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream topped with the Virginia Tech logo for the groom, as well as for the bride, a fresh carrot cake with cream cheese icing bejeweled with the couple’s monogram in Swarovski crystals. As the wedding weekend was specifically for adults only, the groom’s only niece, Taylor Grace, age 11 months, made her very short debut in the arms of her uncle and godfather and groom wearing her special T-shirt with the logo “I’m In Love With the Groom” for all to enjoy and then left in the arms of her baby-sitter, Kristen.

Saturday at 6 p.m., the Rev. Gail L. Boex officiated as the couple took their vows in the company of family and friends. The best man was Dr. William W. Mark Jr., father of the groom. Groomsmen included Mr. William C. Sherwood from Fort Montgomery, N.Y., brother of the bride; Mr. John E. O’Rourke, from Cranberry, Pa., lifelong friend of the groom; Mr. Russell Jordan from Mechanicsville, Va., Virginia Tech mate of the groom; Mr. Michael A. Smeenk, Boulder, Colo., graduate school, University of Colorado at Boulder mate of the groom; Mr. Grant S. Frederick of Devon, Pa., brother-in-law of the groom. The ushers were Mr. Sean De Bevoise, United States Marine Corps veteran, Wilmington, N.C., Mr. Kevin Hall, Winchester, Mass., and Mr. Patrick Mulqueen, Port Washington, N.Y., all cousins of the bride.

Maid of honor was Ms. Summer G. Chang of Bardonia, N.Y. Bridesmaids were Mrs. Tracey Mark-Frederick of Devon, Pa., sister of the groom; Ms. Victoria B. Fanning of Golden, Ms. Mia Y. Chang of San Francisco, Calif., Mrs. Alyssa J. Renkas of Rochester, N.Y., and Ms. Erica R. Tancredi of Erie, all dear friends of the bride.

Special readings chosen by the bride and groom were presented by Ms. Anna Gianakos of Englewood and Mrs. Shanti Burgess from New Zealand. Fresh rose petals lined the aisle as the bride made her entrance on the arm of her father. A single long-stemmed white rose was presented to both mothers from the bride and groom. After the ceremony, the newly married couple were greeted by a “bubbled” applause with cheers from the guests.

The bride wore a Princess Jasmine selection from the Disney Collection designed by Kirstie Kelley. The ivory satin, modified trumpet gown from The Bellezza Bridal Boutique of Denver had a rouched bodice with embroidered side panels accented with Swarovski crystals, a halter-neck, a modified train and knee-length veil. The bride wore diamond teardrop chandelier earrings and diamond beveled tennis bracelet, a very special wedding gifts from her “new” parents-in-law.

The maid of honor wore a strapless, while the bridesmaids wore sleeveless, knee-length plum silk Sophia dresses from the J. Crew Wedding Collection, accented with gold strappy sandals. The matching jewelry pieces were gifts from the bride.

Flowers were coordinated by A Country Garden of Dillon and consisted of purple freesia, white wax flowers, light blue delphinium and white and lavender roses, all hand-tied silk. Jenni Maroney Photography and staff, Denver, were professional photographers and Mr. J. Kellie of GT Video Productions of Dillon provided the videography services.

The groom, the best man and all groomsmen were attired in navy blue worsted wool single-breasted, three button suits with cuffed slacks custom tailored from Jos. A. Bank, a gift from the groom’s father, Dr. William W. Mark Jr. The white piqued cotton, French cuffed shirts were accented by sterling silver monogrammed cufflinks and cornflower blue silk ties, gifts from the groom. The groom wore a white herringbone pattern silk tie. All attire was coupled by cordovan, cap-toe oxford and belts and accented by light blue delphiniums in boutonniere lapels. All groomsmen carried special linen monogrammed handkerchiefs in their pockets as a reminder of this special day.

Cocktails and a five-course dinner were prepared by the five-star chefs of The Ranch at Keystone, while music was played by and generously gifted to the newlyweds by Mr. Jeremy Spillen of Englewood, a former classmate of the couple from Virginia Tech. The bride and groom danced for the first time to Jerry Garcia’s “They Love Each Other,” while the bride and her father danced to “I Loved Her First” by Heartland, followed by the groom and his mother dancing to “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder.

The five-tier wedding cake was created by Executive Pastry Chef Ned Archibald of The Keystone Resort and was decorated with cascading fresh blue hydrangea with each layer accented in plum silk ribbon. The layers alternated with chocolate cake filled with coffee ganache, white chocolate latte and chopped Reeses Peanut pieces, while the white cake was filled with tart Colorado raspberries and blueberries. The guests danced until the lights went out and were escorted by shuttle buses back to their hotels.

Sunday morning brought beautiful sunshine as the groom’s parents hosted all the wedding guests for a farewell breakfast in honor of the new Mr. and Mrs. William W. Mark III at the Inxpot Cafe in River Run Village in Keystone Resort. A hearty bon voyage breakfast buffet, accompanied by Bloody Marys and mimosas, was enjoyed by all under the direction of Ms. Diane Rashidi and her wonderful staff. The newlywed couple then departed for their honeymoon in the islands of Maui and Kawai, Hawaii.

The groom is a 1997 graduate of Allegany High School and a 2001 graduate of The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Tech, with a bachelor’s of science degree in business and finance. He is also a 2007 master’s of business administration honors graduate of the University of Colorado/Boulder at The Leeds School of Business. The groom holds a position as fund analyst for ProLogis INC at their headquarters in Denver.

Mrs. Mark also is a 1997 graduate of Clarkstown South High School, West Nyack, N.Y., and a 2001 graduate of The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Tech, with a degree in communications. She is also a graduate of The Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado and is a licensed massage therapist serving her own private clients. The bride is an educational event planner for EDUCAUSE Inc. of Boulder.

The newlyweds are proud owners of their first home and presently reside in Louisville. When the couple is not playing Texas Hold’ Em, their leisure time is spent golfing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, snowboarding, skiing, running 5Ks and playing their respective musical instruments and attending live music concerts.

The newlyweds again would like to thank all their guests “from the bottom of their hearts” for making the long “trek” to the Rocky Mountains to share in their memorable weekend.