A new union. A new beginning. On New Year’s Eve. When Holly Comer and Robert Tuchman decided to tie the knot, the Earl Smith Strand Theatre on the Marietta Square seemed the perfect venue for the two community-minded Mariettans.

This is the first marriage for Comer, the executive director of the YWCA. She is a well-known advocate for a community free of domestic violence and sexual assault. Tuchman owns RobertKent Galleries, just off the Marietta Square.

“Holly and Robert were just trying to find some place in Marietta that had a special feel for them. They wanted a place with a community feel. The Strand just fit the bill,” said Comer’s close friend, Kim Gresh, who helped plan the wedding.

Gresh, president and CEO of S.A. White Oil Company, said the couple’s original intent was to marry in March. Their plans changed when they learned Comer’s brother was to be deployed overseas and a childhood friend would not be able to attend due to scheduled surgery.

“All of a sudden (Holly and Robert) began asking when most of their friends and family were going to be able to attend. It turned out over the holidays. That’s how New Year’s Eve was chosen,” said Gresh, who serves on the Strand’s Board of Directors.

Wedding plans were put into motion with the couple relying on Marietta-based businesses. Kristi Storey designed the wedding invitations, and Bobby Tharpe of Tharpe Printing provided printing. Comer’s borrowed items were courtesy of Cumberland Diamond Exchange. Her hair was styled by Sawyer Bailey Salon. Carithers Flowers along with Mary Williamson and Gail Elizabeth Cobb created the floral designs.

As the Jagged Stones played a show in the main theater, the wedding party mingled in the upper level rooms of the Strand. At 10 p.m., Comer and Tuchman hosted a pre-reception at the Strand where guests enjoyed desserts. Around 11:30 p.m., Judge Juanita Stedman and Rabbi Lebow conducted the ceremony with the newlyweds toasted at midnight. A breakfast reception followed.

“It’s just so extraordinary starting the New Year together with their friends and family,” Gresh said.

“This is so special. They wanted it to be different, not the normal. They wanted it to be unique,” Gresh said.