There's this essay by Annie Dillard called "Total Eclipse," published in 1982. In it, she writes: "Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him."
So why not see a total eclipse ... and marry a man on the same day? That’s exactly what Leigh Falzone is doing.
"Quite honestly, we may never have gotten married if this darn eclipse wasn't coming over Vermont," she said.
Leigh and her partner, Chris, met as young lifeguards 17 years ago. Now ages 34 and 39, Leigh says they’re typically anti-traditional and never felt the need to have a wedding celebration.
"We bought a house together first," she said. "I proposed to him a few years ago, we had a baby two years ago."
But then Leigh says there was that 2017 partial eclipse in Vermont: "I watched it in the Tractor Supply parking lot — I bought an $85 welding helmet."
She says that partial eclipse was, in all honesty, a little lackluster. But all the hype about the total eclipse that year drew her in. She went down an internet rabbit hole, watching people watching totality.
"It was like these YouTube videos of this incredible joy and like, ecstasy, that these people were in for two minutes, with no drugs and alcohol... question mark? " Leigh said with a laugh. "That was most moving... I remember not expecting to hear this, like, child-like giddiness from these grown people just standing outside."
Leigh says she wanted to have that experience, too. So she researched the next time Vermont would see totality. And found out she only had to wait another seven years, until 2024.
"I can remember, like, talking about this four years ago with them and her just saying they were gonna get married on this date," said Hannah Schoop, who lives in Elmore and has been friends with the Falzones for more than a decade. "I mean, it's a commitment!"
And Leigh is going all in.
"Decor with sun and moon and some twinkly gold lights," she said. "We purchased a ring, and it's a bunch of black diamonds, little black diamonds that look like mini total solar eclipses."
And there's a name for the wedding: "My husband's last name is Falzone. And so the name of the wedding is 'FalZONE of totality.'"
Also, the dress (which we’ll be vague about so we don’t spoil the surprise for Chris the groom): "Definitely kind of showcases the gold total solar eclipse theme that we got going on," Leigh said.
And of course, the music playlist is called "Totality."
"The very first song is 'Bad Moon Rising,'" Leigh said. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is in there, too.
As for food — the Falzones plan to have 100 sugar cookies covered in various amounts of chocolate, made to look like the phases of an eclipse.
"So the question was like, can you — can we do it all? And I think for for this particular order, we were like yes, we need to do this, we want to make this happen," said Tobin Porter-Brown, the owner of the Hardwick cafe Front Seat Coffee.
He says the Falzones’ wedding dessert order is one of several special eclipse-themed bakes they have planned for April 8. They'll have black garlic and cream cheese croissants, Oreo sticky buns, and some sort of macaron.
"I don’t know yet if we're going to be doing different stages of the moon, or just sort of like the totality, in macaron form," Porter-Brown said.
All of these preparations for the eclipse — and in the case of the Falzones, for their wedding — they’re all in anticipation of this rare window where the moon perfectly obscures the sun. Thousands of people are expected to visit Vermont to collectively witness this event.
And it’s that kind of togetherness with family, friends and her partner Chris that Leigh Falzone says should heighten the whole experience.
"I think there's an energy that comes with large groups. … The oohs and ahhs of the crowd, you kind of feed on that," she said.
As it gets dark in the middle of the day, and as the temperature drops, and maybe as Annie Dillard describes in her essay, people start screaming, Leigh says she hopes it feels like the man in a highly-viewed YouTube video. It’s called “Yosemitebear Mountain Double Rainbow 1-8-10.”
In it, a man reacts while filming a vivid double rainbow arcing over mountains. He laughs, he cries, and at one point, he says, "Oh my God, it's so intense."
"Oh, I love it — it moves me to tears," Leigh said. "It clearly just completely took over his psyche. And he had nothing but pure pleasure in this most simple moment — what could be considered a simple moment. So it's like the dichotomy of overwhelming joy and simplicity — I don't know. It's almost unexplainable. But it's worth finding. It’s worth being a totality seeker. "
And for the Falzones, it’s worth planning a wedding for.
More eclipse resources
- See our eclipse liveblog for the latest updates.
- Watch our half-hour educational TV special, "Path to Totality."
- See our interactive map of the eclipse path.
- Plan for road closures around the state.
- Get updates on the weather forecast for Monday.
- Emergency management officials share travel and communication tips.
- Where to find eclipse glasses.
- Learning guides for preK-12 educators.
- Details on our live event in St. Johnsbury and other events around the state.
See all of Vermont Public's 2024 eclipse coverage.
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