shend, performed the ceremony for the couple. Anderberg is a deacon for the Catholic church, not an ordained priest. Married to his wife for 50 years, Anderberg said he has been performing weddings — but not wedding masses — for about 15 years. Anderberg said he often performs destination weddings for out-of-state couples coming to Stratton or other locations in the West River Valley. COVID-19 meant there were no weddings for a year, Anderberg said. Finally, in summer 2021, couples could start scheduling the weddings they wanted.
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40 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | January/February 2022
While the Hacketts did end up with the wedding of their desires, COVID-19 did make it harder — if not impossible — for some of their far-flung friends to make it to Vermont for the celebration. One of the couple’s closest friends was stuck behind a travel ban in Germany, which ended up being lifted right after the wedding. “He tried his darnedest,” Brendan said. “We had the wedding we actually wanted,” Ruth said. “I was very pleased with everything. Nothing went wrong.” “We’ve been lucky,” Brendan said. “It’s been a tough two years.”
