Wedding bells were replaced with bike gears this weekend for a Texarkana couple in a ceremony the announcer called "the biggest wedding in Waco." Just before the annual Waco Wild West Bike Ride, Bonnie Webb & Stanley Woods tied the knot in a short ceremony at the starting line.
They met cycling many years ago and began their relationship as coach and student. During COVID-19 lockdowns, they said cycling brought them even closer, since they could maintain a safe distance but still workout together.
"That brings us up to about a year ago and we kind of reconnected as more than friends," Bonnie said.
So when Stanley proposed in August, they knew they wanted to do something a little bit different than a traditional wedding.
"This [the Waco Wild West Race] was on our calendar, we had registered for it months ago," 'Stanley said.
"So I was like, could we get married at a cycling event on the bikes," Bonnie said.
And that’s exactly what they did. Just over 1700 people participated in the race and that made for a long guest list for the happy couple.
"That's crazy, but we love it," Bonnie said. "We love it because we know that they're here because they love the same things that we do."
Just before the race, Bonnie and Stanley stood on a trailer-turned-stage and exchanged their vows.
Then they exchanged rings, kissed, tossed the garter and bouquet into the crowd, and led the bikers across the Washington Avenue bridge hand-in-hand.
