Above: Photo courtesy of Sasha Greenhalgh Photography
By Rachel Lutz
Kevin Houlker was the first man that Donna Houlker dated who could keep up with her on skates.
Donna Houlker had been skating on various synchronized skating teams since she was little. And for the past 10 years, Kevin Houlker has been working successfully to grow his town’s club hockey program from seven players all the way to fielding two teams across all age levels.
They first met in 2009 at work where Donna Houlker was an interior designer and Kevin Houlker was a contractor.
Throughout their relationship, the Houlkers kept skating at the center of their lives. One of their first dates was to New York City to go skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center. A vacation to Paris included skating, too. In Canada, they – what else? – went skating.
At their home outside Boston, Kevin Houlker often creates a 40-foot by 60-foot ice rink in the backyard to host hockey team dinners and practices. They can also skate on the river when it gets cold enough.
“We don’t have a Zamboni yet,” Donna Holker joked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I came home and there was one in the driveway.”
Donna Houlker didn’t hear wedding bells ringing during a planned vacation to Lake Placid, New York, where the couple also skated. Kevin Houlker only told a few friends he’d be proposing, so it came as a surprise to Donna Holker when Kevin Houlker asked her to marry him at the top of Whiteface Mountain.
After Kevin Houlker popped the question, Donna Houlker sent a video of herself skating around the USA Rink. (The famed 1980 Herb Brooks Arena was still undergoing renovations at the time). Her friends and family figured out she was wearing an engagement ring immediately and were thrilled for her.
The couple eloped in March 2023, but while Donna Houlker was volunteering at The Skating Club of Boston during the Cranberry Cup, she floated the idea to management about hosting their wedding reception at the venue.
“We always allow our clients to completely customize their events,” said Todd Ingham, hospitality manager at The Skating Club of Boston. “We do not use any standardized menus. Every event is built from the ground up. We feel that each event should be completely unique if the client wants it to be.”
The Houlkers wanted to incorporate the skating theme without going completely overboard.
The couple surprised their 75 guests by asking them to bundle up and join them rinkside, in the seats designated right behind where the judges’ table would be during a competition. To kick things off, Kevin Houlker created a slideshow of pictures of the pair throughout their relationship set to music. When the video ended, the couple skated out to center ice and performed their “first skate” to “Mango Tree” by Zac Brown Band. They had assistance choreographing the program from a friend, which included a waltz jump and a spin from Donna Houlker. Kevin Houlker donned a tuxedo for his first-ever skating performance and said his hockey friends were impressed with his skills.
“I had an extra tuxedo just in case,” Kevin Houlker added.
Then, the guests moved to the mezzanine level where they waited for the bride and groom to join their party.
“While they were making their way out there, Kevin and I changed out of our ice skates into our roller blades,” Donna Houlker recalled. “We took the elevator up to the mezzanine and they announced us into the room. We surprised everybody and came out on our roller blades!”
Then, Donna Houlker changed from her skating dress into a gown for black-tie cocktail hour in the lounge.
The couple included personal details in other ways, too. They gave mini tape measures as a wedding favor to each of their guests as an ode to how they met.
To keep the skating theme prominent, they served two signature drinks throughout the evening. First, a Lake Placid Mule, which was a Moscow mule, as a nod to the place where they got engaged. They also served a non-alcoholic Twizzle Spritz, which was a fresh strawberry and blackberry puree, with mint, lime, and a splash of club soda; named as nod to skating that any fan would understand.
“We named the tables things associated with how we knew the people,” Donna Houlker said. For example, her teammates from Esprit de Corps, who she will compete with at the 2024 Synchronized Skating Championships this month, were at a table called “5-6-7-8.”
Additionally, at the center of each table, the floral arrangements were housed in silver and gold champagne buckets.
“[The buckets] reminded me of the trophies in the trophy room there,” Donna Houlker said. “They have a pretty plentiful trophy room.”
The Houlker’s wedding, which took place September 9, 2023, isn’t the only type of event The Skating Club of Boston has hosted on this scale. In addition to a wedding, the Club has hosted a christening, birthday parties, bat mitzvahs and even a memorial service.
“Our on-site chef and hospitality team are from outside the world of skating, and they are really enjoying the opportunity to create these customized, high-quality events for folks from inside and outside of skating,” said Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of The Skating Club of Boston.
