When saying their wedding vows this past spring, Larry Kueter and Rebecca Richardson were encircled in the love of family, friends and thousands of paper cranes. Larry, a member of the International Crane Foundation since 2003, and his bride Rebecca made cranes their wedding theme. While courting, the pair discovered they both had a fascination with cranes, but in different ways. Larry was introduced to cranes through his parent’s life-long interest in conservation and cranes. Rebecca’s interest in cranes stems from her love of Japanese art, in which cranes often are prominent.
Shortly after Larry proposed last fall, the couple traveled to the International Crane Foundation where Rebecca saw an embroidered Japanese wedding kimono featuring Red-crowned Cranes. In Asia, cranes are symbols of marital fidelity and long life. “That’s how we landed on the idea of the cranes,” explained Rebecca. “It started with the kimono.” For her walk down the aisle, Rebecca wore an antique embroidered kimono, with cranes throughout, and little did she know that her soon-to-be sister-in-law and family had been folding origami cranes for months, to create a 1,000-crane mobile for the wedding.
The happy ending to this story is that Larry and Rebecca wanted to find a special way to share their love with the International Crane Foundation. In lieu of gifts, the newlyweds asked guests to make donations to the foundation. To date, close to $5,000 has been received in honor of Larry and Rebecca’s wedding. The International Crane Foundation thanks its members who find creative and spiritual ways to support our mission.
We can help you celebrate your milestones with a customized approach to inviting support for the International Crane Foundation from your friends and family. Please contact Jen Bevars at 608-356-9462 ext. 103 for more information.