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Trip to Carl's for cones is special topping for the 'sugar each' couple's big day
By Karen Bolipata Before the Nelsons stepped out of the horse-drawn carriage, the workers at Carl’s ice cream stand already knew what the couple had in mind. Vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone for her, chocolate for him. It’s what they order each time they come. Usually it’s at night, after a two-block walk from their house on Charles Street. They carry exact change: $3.28 each. And when both are home, they rarely miss a night. The routine has been so ingrained in their lives that they included it on their wedding day. Eric and Jennifer Nelson, the “sugar each” couple, asked for the usual yesterday, still in their formal attire. This time, family and friends joined them. “There’s no one else I’d rather have witness it,” Eric Nelson, 30, said. “I wanted them to have a taste of my life.” “It’s what we’re known for,” Jennifer Nelson, 25, said. The two met in paramedic class. Eric was upgrading his certification to be a firefighter in Stafford County. Jennifer, a forensic scientist, recalled how he gave an impromptu surfing lesson in class and used the table as a surfboard. When Eric offered to show his classmates the best waves in Central America, he figured it would soon be forgotten. But one day, Jennifer brought her passport to class and asked when they were going. “That’s when I knew she was a pretty cool chick,” Eric said. He liked that she was gutsy. “I know it was his eyes,” she said. Eric came to Fredericksburg after serving in the Air Force. He had spent five years in New Zealand. Jennifer was born and raised in Virginia. They took breaks at Carl’s amid study sessions in the Charles Street home Eric shared with friends. When the two sought to buy a house for themselves, Jennifer’s only requirement was that it be close to the ice cream shop. They moved into the house last summer. Many nights they walk hand in hand, talking about mundane things only they under stand. “It’s like a chance for us to check in with each other, step back from everything we’ve got going on and say, ‘I’m glad I’m with you,’” Eric said. The Nelsons lingered at Carl’s yesterday, waiting for their friends and family to finish their orders. After the trip to Central America, Jennifer fell in love with traveling. In two years, perhaps they’ll move to New Zealand or California. The newlyweds soon boarded the carriage and, with a wave, were whisked away.
Karen Bolipata 540/374-5418
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