Fantasy comes true at fair for Saugus native

TOPSFIELD – Every girl has visions of her wedding day – though not all of them are green.Saugus native Gina Fawcett lived out her childhood fantasy Sunday when she married her college sweetheart in the 4-H tent at the Topsfield Fair Sunday.”It was absolutely everything I wanted it to be,” she said following the ceremony.Fawcett, daughter of police officer Tim Fawcett and her cluster of 18 bridesmaids turned more than a few heads as they lined up between the corndog stand and Ye Olde Pepper Candy prior to marching into the 4-H building.Fourteen of the bridesmaids were girls from Fawcett’s 4-H dog club, 4 Paws.Fawcett has been a member of 4-H since she was 7, when she joined Great Scott’s 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club after receiving a bunny for Easter. A self-proclaimed devotee, Fawcett has stayed active in the club and the Topsfield Fair ever since. Two years ago, she founded her own club aimed at teaching children proper dog care and handling and how to incorporate them in community service.Groom Chris Shaughnessy, originally from Hyde Park, said Fawcett got him involved in the club after they met and fell in love while students at Fitchburg State College.Shaughnessy said he knew from the start that it had been a childhood dream of Gina’s to one day get married at the fair and he not only agreed to go along with – he set it up.”I actually called the fair to set it up because I knew how important it was to her,” he said.With a green four-leaf clover as the 4-H symbol, green was the color of the day. Shaughnessy wore a soft green vest and tie with his black tux. He and all his groomsmen also wore simple orchid boutonnieres, which he said Fawcett fashioned for them.The bride did wear white but her gown bore a green ribbon at the waist, green trim on her veil and sparkly green jewels at her throat and dangling from her earlobes.The bridesmaids all wore various shades of green and carried flowers similarly tinted.Underneath the white runner the aisle inside the 4-H building was Astroturf, lined with a white picket fence and pots of mums, which ended at an arbor of fall leaves.While half of the room was clearly filled with invited guests, many in the building came for the displays of canned goods, vegetables and art but stayed for a wedding. When the Bridal March trumpeted through a stereo everyone in the café section of the building rose along with the invited guests to watch the bride make her appearance.Wendy Marks, 4-H extension educator said she has attended several 4-H weddings.”But this takes the cake,” she said good-naturedly. “We had a couple in Middlesex who wanted to get married but that was a little 4-H fair. It was nothing like this. This is a huge commercial fair.”However Haley, one of the younger members of Fawcett’s club, thought it was a great idea. She only thought it was too bad Fawcett’s six dogs couldn’t attend.The bride and groom planned to swing by their Beverly home on the way to their wedding reception at The Kowloon to have picture taken with their four-legged brood.When the brief ceremony – performed by the bride’s grandfather – was over, they perplexed fairgoers again when the wedding party poured from the building onto the fairgrounds.Tim Fawcett shook hands graciously and shook his head when asked if he was surprised by his little girl’s wedding plans.”Oh, I was surprised,” he said with a smile, “but it’s what she wanted.””It was exactly what I wanted,” Gina said, glowing as only a bride can. “It was perfect.”