One 'Crazee' wedding: Almond couple get married on float during Canisteo parade

Ed Topczewski popped the question to Debbie Ahrem in February after nearly a decade together.

He wanted to get married “as soon as possible,” Ed told Debbie, but little did the couple know just how quickly their nuptials could come together.

They said their “I dos” while on the move through downtown Canisteo on June 8, riding in a float put together by B K’s Boutique Florist during the 150th annual Crazee Daze parade.

“It’s called Crazee Daze and that was something crazy to do,” Debbie recalled. “We were like alright, why not? It’s a new experience, why not?”

Debbie’s daughter, Jacci, initially approached her with the idea after bumping into Sharon Woodard, who was looking for a couple adventurous enough to get hitched during Canisteo’s signature event.

Debbie was initially unsure, but Ed “was very gung-ho and excited about it,” she said, allaying her uncertainty.

How the ‘Crazee’ wedding came together

After receiving the green light, the Canisteo shop took over all of the planning to make the wedding a success.

Tracy Stock designed and built an arbor that would fit on the float. Stock also made custom benches, and Woodard’s granddaughter, Katharine Mason, created “Just Married” signs. B K’s, of course, also supplied all the flowers.

“They were great. My daughter and the florist took care of everything, I was just there,” Debbie said.

A family friend, Kevin Lowe, served as the wedding officiant. Daughters Jacci Morse and Bobi Dushnick were aboard the float as well, along with Ed and Debbie’s granddaughters, Avelyn, Lillian and Kyra. The flower girls threw candy to the crowd and the bouquets were tossed at the parade judges when the float passed by.

The weather made for some challenging moments. The worst of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires had cleared by the time the parade began, but some rain along the route forced the wedding party to take out umbrellas.

As for getting married in front of so many strangers?

“It was scary. It was cold. I was nervous. But once we got on the float and got moving, it was exciting,” Debbie said. “The kids had a ball. They loved it. They thought it was the best thing ever. It was fun.”

Photo gallery Crazee Daze return to Village of Canisteo

Ed and Debbie’s love story

Ed, 54, and Debbie, 55, have known each other most of their lives. Both are originally from Long Island. Debbie later moved upstate and raised her children in Hornell.

“I moved back down to Long Island when my dad got sick, but I knew Ed before that,” she said. “My brothers and him and his brother were good friends. They all hung out when we were kids. We all knew each other.”

Debbie said they got together about nine years ago, and the couple bought a house in Almond in 2019. The Crazee Daze wedding was the first time either of them have tied the knot.

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A new Crazee Daze tradition?

Their wedding day marked the first time Ed or Debbie had attended Canisteo’s Crazee Daze, a Steuben County tradition for a century and a half. It also happened to be the first time B K’s Boutique Florist entered a float in the Crazee Daze parade.

Woodard said some incredulous spectators later asked if the couple had really gotten married on the float.

“Crazee Daze used to be about doing crazy stuff for the parade and dressing crazy,” Woodard said. “It started out with crazy ideas and there used to be different themes each year. It’s kind of gotten away from the craziness that it used to be.”

Woodard said B K’s is open to doing a sequel to the wedding-themed float if another couple is interested in the experience, but the Greenwood Street business may try to cook up something fresh in 2024.

“We’re going to have to come up with something to top that,” she said.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Almond couple get married on float during Canisteo Crazee Daze parade