Manassas couple ties knot on live TV at Harris Pavilion

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Ashley and Thomas are now one.

The newlyweds tied the knot on live TV Friday morning at Harris Pavilion in Downtown Manassas.

Getting married in front of many complete strangers, not to mention a live TV audience on WTTG Channel 5, was a bit unnerving for the groom.

“Yeah, that’s the nervous part of all this. But we’re ready,” said Thomas Joyce, a horticulturist in the City of Manassas.

He and his bride Ashley Thiesing met while in high school in Manassas six years ago. He now works for the city, and she just graduated college with a criminal justice degree.

Joyce never thought he would get married on live TV. But when the opportunity popped up, it was one that Amy Domenech, owner of Amy’s Bridal on Battle Street, couldn’t pass up.

“Fox 5 walked into my store and offered me this great opportunity,” she said.

About two weeks before broadcasting their morning show live from Harris Pavilion, the crew from the TV station scouted out locations in the city to see what they could feature while they were in town. They had the idea for the live wedding, and Domenech knew of the bride.

“She bought her dress in my store on the 4th of July. She just came from hair and makeup trial and looked fabulous in her dress,” said Domenech. “She kept saying ‘I would get married right now if I could,’ so when [Channel 5] said do it in 11 days, the rest is history.”

Amy’s Bridal organized the wedding from start to finish. Chairs were placed in rows, and cheesecloth decorations were hung around the pavilion.

The couple walked down the aisle about 10 a.m., exchanged their vows, and then stepped over to the TV hosts for the all-important post “I do” interview. The two plan to go on a honeymoon sometime in September, said Joyce.

Channel 5’s visit to Manassas is part of an ongoing series call “Zip Trip.” The TV station plans to broadcast from localities around the Washington, D.C. area until Labor Day.

Retiring Virginia State Senator Charles Colgan was honored as “Manassas hometown hero” during the broadcast for his more than 40 years in public service.