The day dawned and it was a beautiful, glorious day! I had been very concerned about the weather, but couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. It was crystal clear and comfortable, but a little on the cool side, just the way Molly wanted it! It was a busy morning, as Molly, Jen and I had to be at the beauty shop at 9:00 a.m. Susan and Robin stayed behind. I was having my hair styled; Molly was having her hair done, her tiara and veil put on, and her makeup done; Jen was having her hair and makeup done. When we arrived, the salon was really busy. They had set up a table with punch and muffins, and Suzi and Erin had brought vodka and orange juice! Victoria was already there with Katie and several other bridesmaids were there. In fact everyone but Laura!
I was the first one done. Then Victoria was next, and her hair looked gorgeous! They did an awesome job on Molly’s makeup and her hair was beautiful. Jen decided late in the game to have a manicure and pedicure, and that set us back because we had to wait for her and I was anxious to get home. The photographer, Paul McAllister, was at the salon and took a gazillion pictures, many of Victoria, with whom he seemed quite taken!
To back up a bit, Barbara had called me about a month before the wedding and asked if I was planning a bridal luncheon. Of course, I wasn’t thinking of anything like that, and she said I should let her and Maggie do it for me. She said it was important to get some food into the girls as it would be a long time before they ate again. She is so amazingly thoughtful and generous! She had already volunteered herself and Maggie for a post wedding party at Maggie’s on Sunday, May 11, Mother’s Day. Those two things meant the world to me! They were the frosting on the cake and they were also things I could not have done on my own, mostly for financial reasons.
Pat Wasson had asked me for volunteers to help her with the flowers at the yacht club before the reception. She said she’d arrive there around noon. I asked Alice, who gladly agreed to help. Barbara and Todd's wife Su also helped. Susan and Robin joined them, too.
By the time we got back to the condo, the food was arriving and I was not at all ready. I needed to get dressed and put my makeup on. Dal needed to get dressed, too. Paul McAllister showed up and was photographing the dress hanging from the ceiling fixture on our back porch! Libby took over in the kitchen thankfully, and put out the food so the girls could serve themselves. It was catered by the country club (Grosse Ile) and was their wonderful chicken salad, a nice fruit salad and I don’t remember what else! I grabbed a little chicken salad.
Molly needed to repair a piece of Victoria’s jewelry which had lost a clasp. There she was, with her hair and makeup done, her veil on, looking beautiful but in her old clothes (she was wearing one of Dal’s shirts). She was sitting at the table, trying to wolf down some food with her jewelry stuff spread out in front of her. It was quite a sight to behold! I’m not sure if Paul got a picture of that but I thought Libby did.
Libby also handled cleaning up the kitchen after the meal. Dal and I were getting ready in our bedroom. Libby was knocking on the bedroom door asking where different things were. I needed to get Molly to the chapel where she was getting dressed. Since Dal wasn’t ready, he didn’t come with us and Molly was upset by that. She didn’t want me to leave her at the chapel but I had to go back to get Dal. I hated seeing her upset. She begged me to be quick about it. I did the best I could but it probably took me about half an hour to get back there.
When we arrived in the parking lot, Pat and Jennifer Yaker were also arriving. Pat said there was a little girl in the chapel basement who wanted her mommy. My heart sank because I didn’t want her to be upset on her wedding day! Thankfully when we got downstairs, she was okay and I proceeded to help her into her dress. All the maids were there, and it was wonderful when Susan and Robin and then Dallas and Jason arrived! Paul was taking lots of pictures (he had finally left the condo!). Bev was already there and before we went upstairs, her sister in law Jean appeared, which didn’t particularly please Bev, I don’t think. I didn’t care if she was there; the more the merrier. It was a very nice party atmosphere there!
When I saw the bouquets, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were absolutely exquisite! The bridesmaids’ bouquets were gorgeous, Bev’s bouquet and mine were gorgeous, and Molly’s was out of this world! Pat had somehow perfectly matched the deep pink of the girls’ dresses!
After Dal and I went upstairs, and unbeknownst to us, Paul’s sister Chrissy (who babysits for Libby and was assisting Paul that day with the photos) gathered the girls in a big circle and said a prayer. I thought that was just the neatest thing! I was so happy when I heard that!
When we got upstairs and I saw Fr. Jim standing there in his robes, I could hardly contain myself! It made it all seem so very real! I was insanely happy ― just giddy ― and I couldn’t stop smiling! I felt as though I was going to jump out of my skin. So many years of hoping for this day, and now it was here! I kept saying to Dal, “I never want this day to end!”
I had stuffed a wad of tissues in my little purse, assuming I’d be tearful. I never shed a tear! When Dallas escorted me down the aisle, I was smiling from ear to ear. When the groomsmen processed in and lined up at the altar waiting for the maids, I didn’t cry. Brian looked very handsome and seemed quite calm. When the beautiful maids came down the aisle and were met by the handsome men, I didn’t cry. And finally when the music changed (Mike Concepcion was singing a beautiful love song) and Dal and Molly were ready to come down the aisle, I still didn’t cry! Molly looked absolutely amazing! Everything was perfect ― the dress, her hair, the veils, the flowers ― and her smile positively electrified the entire chapel! Dal looked wonderfully handsome and confident. He was smiling all the way down the aisle. He did an absolutely wonderful job!
All through the ceremony, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! Not when they said their vows, not when father pronounced them husband and wife, not when they turned and faced the congregation as man and wife! Not a tear did I shed! I utterly amazed myself! I had been prepared to dissolve in sobs, but I was so over the top happy that all I could do was smile!
I was anxious for the receiving line, which we had outside the chapel. The afternoon was so beautiful and the temperature was very comfortable. The sky was a deep shade of blue, and the grass and trees were very green. It was just gorgeous. It was wonderful to stand next our newlywed daughter and greet our friends and family.
Afterwards, we drove to the yacht club. The kids had hired a trolley, which was parked outside the chapel, waiting for entire wedding party. They were headed to Elizabeth Park where they would take pictures.
Once at the yacht club, Sandy the manager met us at the door and offered me a glass of wine. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the room looked! I should have taken a picture of it. We had the white covers on the chairs, white table cloths, and the amazingly beautiful flowers. Pat had tied a fat ribbon around each clear vase, the same color as the maids’ dresses. Molly and Brian had a sweetheart table, just for the two of them. That way, the maids and groomsmen could sit with their families.
I should mention that a couple weeks prior to the wedding I was asking Bev for her seating arrangements. She was a bit reluctant as was Brian, their thought being that guests could come in and find their own seats. Molly and I were opposed to this idea, preferring instead to have place cards with guests’ names and table numbers on them. This way, there is no “saving” seats and the party appears more managed and organized. Eventually, Bev and Brian (bless them!) agreed and proceeded with the hateful task of working out a seating chart.
The reception is a big blur. Sadly I had to change into flat shoes as soon as I got to the yacht club. My feet were just killing me. At our table we had Susan and Robin, Dallas and Jason and Jason’s mother Sheryle, and Molly Mullin, Jeb, Dorothy and Frances. I was so glad that Susan and Robin could visit with Molly. I think they enjoyed themselves. I felt bad for Jason’s mother because she only knew Maggie and Oggie but they were at a different table. Dal and I were all over the place so she was on her own. I think she managed to enjoy herself in spite of that!
I remember visiting some of the tables. One of the tables I remember visiting was where we had Frank and Nancy, the Speers, the Ferrys and Hal Raines. I was shocked when I saw Brownell, but his behavior was even more shocking. He did not seem himself at all. He was almost aloof. In fact, he was aloof. He has not been able to drink with the medication he’s on, so that may explain it somewhat. It was upsetting to see him that way.
The only other table I remember visiting was one in the bar, where Bev’s brother and some other relatives of hers were sitting. I really wanted to visit all the tables, but I just couldn’t! I’d take two steps and run into someone. When I wasn’t talking with someone, the photographer was summoning us!
Molly never stopped smiling! She was jumping out of her skin happy! It was so wonderful to see.
On April 17, Ryan O’Donnell was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. This is relevant because it happened just as we were gearing up for the wedding. It was so profoundly upsetting for us and all the O’Donnell’s friends. For us, it was particularly difficult to enjoy the happiness of the impending wedding because of the horror of what the O’Donnells were going through.
Ryan had gone to his local ER (Bon Secours) just around midnight, upon the advice of his doctor, a woman who works with Robin at Family Health. She (the doctor) had been treating Ryan for back pain. Because he had complained to her of fatigue and mentioned that colleagues at work were telling him he looked jaundiced, the doctor did a blood test. She received the results late on Thursday night and called Ryan at 11:30 p.m. She told him to go straight to the ER; his blood count 4.
The O’Donnells were driving home from their annual vacation in Florida. They had spent the night in Kentucky and received a phone call from Ryan at 6 o’clock on Thursday morning. He told them the doctors were telling him he had leukemia.
Thus began an incredible odyssey of chemo therapy, discussions of bone marrow/stem cell transplants, finding a donor, and many other terrifying things. He began chemo therapy on his 36th birthday, April 19. It was a grueling 10 day dose. After much research, Robin and Nicole decided they wanted him to be at Karmanos in Detroit, but because he had begun his chemo at Bon Secours, insurance would not allow him to change hospitals mid stream.
A few days before the wedding, he finally moved over to Karmanos. We said a special prayer for him during the wedding mass. As Tim and Robin were driving from the chapel to the reception, they received a call from him, saying he was on his way home! When they arrived at the reception, word of his release from the hospital spread around the reception like wild fire. Everyone was so excited about it, which dramatically elevated the already high spirits of the guests. It truly seemed like an answer to our prayers and helped us all to enjoy the party that much more.
Molly and Brian left the party around 10:30, I think. I had taken the box with all the cards out to my car and locked it in my trunk. When the kids were leaving, Brian followed me to my car to retrieve the box. I noticed when I opened the car that I had left my sunroof open! Thank God for our safe community!
After Molly and Brian left, I was so tired I could have dropped to the ground. I realized I had a throbbing headache and my feet were killing me, even though they were in comfortable flats. Dal said he was going to shut down the bar at 11:30, I think. The Claytons were just as tired as we were. There was no sign of Susan and Robin. I had spent no time with them at all and never even knew they had left. They probably left when Molly and Jeb and the girls left. What was especially upsetting about that was that they were leaving very early in the morning (around 5 a.m.) so I would have no time to visit with them.
I started carrying items from the cake table out to my car. Thankfully, Bill Mohney helped me. I had barely any strength left. My head was absolutely killing me, as were my feet! We got the table cleared and I rounded up Dal and went home; the Claytons did the same.
I knew we had the party at Maggie’s the next day. Oggie had worked so hard to prepare their yard for the party. It was very touching. However, the thought of another party was daunting, to say the least.
How I managed to remove my makeup and get into bed is a mystery. By the time we left the yacht club, I felt physically ill. The pain in my head and feet made me very nauseous. I took two Excedrin, removed my makeup and clothes, and collapsed into bed. I wanted to fall asleep quickly to escape my acute discomfort but sleep came slowly.
I was the first one done. Then Victoria was next, and her hair looked gorgeous! They did an awesome job on Molly’s makeup and her hair was beautiful. Jen decided late in the game to have a manicure and pedicure, and that set us back because we had to wait for her and I was anxious to get home. The photographer, Paul McAllister, was at the salon and took a gazillion pictures, many of Victoria, with whom he seemed quite taken!
To back up a bit, Barbara had called me about a month before the wedding and asked if I was planning a bridal luncheon. Of course, I wasn’t thinking of anything like that, and she said I should let her and Maggie do it for me. She said it was important to get some food into the girls as it would be a long time before they ate again. She is so amazingly thoughtful and generous! She had already volunteered herself and Maggie for a post wedding party at Maggie’s on Sunday, May 11, Mother’s Day. Those two things meant the world to me! They were the frosting on the cake and they were also things I could not have done on my own, mostly for financial reasons.
Pat Wasson had asked me for volunteers to help her with the flowers at the yacht club before the reception. She said she’d arrive there around noon. I asked Alice, who gladly agreed to help. Barbara and Todd's wife Su also helped. Susan and Robin joined them, too.
By the time we got back to the condo, the food was arriving and I was not at all ready. I needed to get dressed and put my makeup on. Dal needed to get dressed, too. Paul McAllister showed up and was photographing the dress hanging from the ceiling fixture on our back porch! Libby took over in the kitchen thankfully, and put out the food so the girls could serve themselves. It was catered by the country club (Grosse Ile) and was their wonderful chicken salad, a nice fruit salad and I don’t remember what else! I grabbed a little chicken salad.
Molly needed to repair a piece of Victoria’s jewelry which had lost a clasp. There she was, with her hair and makeup done, her veil on, looking beautiful but in her old clothes (she was wearing one of Dal’s shirts). She was sitting at the table, trying to wolf down some food with her jewelry stuff spread out in front of her. It was quite a sight to behold! I’m not sure if Paul got a picture of that but I thought Libby did.
Libby also handled cleaning up the kitchen after the meal. Dal and I were getting ready in our bedroom. Libby was knocking on the bedroom door asking where different things were. I needed to get Molly to the chapel where she was getting dressed. Since Dal wasn’t ready, he didn’t come with us and Molly was upset by that. She didn’t want me to leave her at the chapel but I had to go back to get Dal. I hated seeing her upset. She begged me to be quick about it. I did the best I could but it probably took me about half an hour to get back there.
When we arrived in the parking lot, Pat and Jennifer Yaker were also arriving. Pat said there was a little girl in the chapel basement who wanted her mommy. My heart sank because I didn’t want her to be upset on her wedding day! Thankfully when we got downstairs, she was okay and I proceeded to help her into her dress. All the maids were there, and it was wonderful when Susan and Robin and then Dallas and Jason arrived! Paul was taking lots of pictures (he had finally left the condo!). Bev was already there and before we went upstairs, her sister in law Jean appeared, which didn’t particularly please Bev, I don’t think. I didn’t care if she was there; the more the merrier. It was a very nice party atmosphere there!
When I saw the bouquets, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were absolutely exquisite! The bridesmaids’ bouquets were gorgeous, Bev’s bouquet and mine were gorgeous, and Molly’s was out of this world! Pat had somehow perfectly matched the deep pink of the girls’ dresses!
After Dal and I went upstairs, and unbeknownst to us, Paul’s sister Chrissy (who babysits for Libby and was assisting Paul that day with the photos) gathered the girls in a big circle and said a prayer. I thought that was just the neatest thing! I was so happy when I heard that!
When we got upstairs and I saw Fr. Jim standing there in his robes, I could hardly contain myself! It made it all seem so very real! I was insanely happy ― just giddy ― and I couldn’t stop smiling! I felt as though I was going to jump out of my skin. So many years of hoping for this day, and now it was here! I kept saying to Dal, “I never want this day to end!”
I had stuffed a wad of tissues in my little purse, assuming I’d be tearful. I never shed a tear! When Dallas escorted me down the aisle, I was smiling from ear to ear. When the groomsmen processed in and lined up at the altar waiting for the maids, I didn’t cry. Brian looked very handsome and seemed quite calm. When the beautiful maids came down the aisle and were met by the handsome men, I didn’t cry. And finally when the music changed (Mike Concepcion was singing a beautiful love song) and Dal and Molly were ready to come down the aisle, I still didn’t cry! Molly looked absolutely amazing! Everything was perfect ― the dress, her hair, the veils, the flowers ― and her smile positively electrified the entire chapel! Dal looked wonderfully handsome and confident. He was smiling all the way down the aisle. He did an absolutely wonderful job!
All through the ceremony, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! Not when they said their vows, not when father pronounced them husband and wife, not when they turned and faced the congregation as man and wife! Not a tear did I shed! I utterly amazed myself! I had been prepared to dissolve in sobs, but I was so over the top happy that all I could do was smile!
I was anxious for the receiving line, which we had outside the chapel. The afternoon was so beautiful and the temperature was very comfortable. The sky was a deep shade of blue, and the grass and trees were very green. It was just gorgeous. It was wonderful to stand next our newlywed daughter and greet our friends and family.
Afterwards, we drove to the yacht club. The kids had hired a trolley, which was parked outside the chapel, waiting for entire wedding party. They were headed to Elizabeth Park where they would take pictures.
Once at the yacht club, Sandy the manager met us at the door and offered me a glass of wine. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the room looked! I should have taken a picture of it. We had the white covers on the chairs, white table cloths, and the amazingly beautiful flowers. Pat had tied a fat ribbon around each clear vase, the same color as the maids’ dresses. Molly and Brian had a sweetheart table, just for the two of them. That way, the maids and groomsmen could sit with their families.
I should mention that a couple weeks prior to the wedding I was asking Bev for her seating arrangements. She was a bit reluctant as was Brian, their thought being that guests could come in and find their own seats. Molly and I were opposed to this idea, preferring instead to have place cards with guests’ names and table numbers on them. This way, there is no “saving” seats and the party appears more managed and organized. Eventually, Bev and Brian (bless them!) agreed and proceeded with the hateful task of working out a seating chart.
The reception is a big blur. Sadly I had to change into flat shoes as soon as I got to the yacht club. My feet were just killing me. At our table we had Susan and Robin, Dallas and Jason and Jason’s mother Sheryle, and Molly Mullin, Jeb, Dorothy and Frances. I was so glad that Susan and Robin could visit with Molly. I think they enjoyed themselves. I felt bad for Jason’s mother because she only knew Maggie and Oggie but they were at a different table. Dal and I were all over the place so she was on her own. I think she managed to enjoy herself in spite of that!
I remember visiting some of the tables. One of the tables I remember visiting was where we had Frank and Nancy, the Speers, the Ferrys and Hal Raines. I was shocked when I saw Brownell, but his behavior was even more shocking. He did not seem himself at all. He was almost aloof. In fact, he was aloof. He has not been able to drink with the medication he’s on, so that may explain it somewhat. It was upsetting to see him that way.
The only other table I remember visiting was one in the bar, where Bev’s brother and some other relatives of hers were sitting. I really wanted to visit all the tables, but I just couldn’t! I’d take two steps and run into someone. When I wasn’t talking with someone, the photographer was summoning us!
Molly never stopped smiling! She was jumping out of her skin happy! It was so wonderful to see.
On April 17, Ryan O’Donnell was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. This is relevant because it happened just as we were gearing up for the wedding. It was so profoundly upsetting for us and all the O’Donnell’s friends. For us, it was particularly difficult to enjoy the happiness of the impending wedding because of the horror of what the O’Donnells were going through.
Ryan had gone to his local ER (Bon Secours) just around midnight, upon the advice of his doctor, a woman who works with Robin at Family Health. She (the doctor) had been treating Ryan for back pain. Because he had complained to her of fatigue and mentioned that colleagues at work were telling him he looked jaundiced, the doctor did a blood test. She received the results late on Thursday night and called Ryan at 11:30 p.m. She told him to go straight to the ER; his blood count 4.
The O’Donnells were driving home from their annual vacation in Florida. They had spent the night in Kentucky and received a phone call from Ryan at 6 o’clock on Thursday morning. He told them the doctors were telling him he had leukemia.
Thus began an incredible odyssey of chemo therapy, discussions of bone marrow/stem cell transplants, finding a donor, and many other terrifying things. He began chemo therapy on his 36th birthday, April 19. It was a grueling 10 day dose. After much research, Robin and Nicole decided they wanted him to be at Karmanos in Detroit, but because he had begun his chemo at Bon Secours, insurance would not allow him to change hospitals mid stream.
A few days before the wedding, he finally moved over to Karmanos. We said a special prayer for him during the wedding mass. As Tim and Robin were driving from the chapel to the reception, they received a call from him, saying he was on his way home! When they arrived at the reception, word of his release from the hospital spread around the reception like wild fire. Everyone was so excited about it, which dramatically elevated the already high spirits of the guests. It truly seemed like an answer to our prayers and helped us all to enjoy the party that much more.
Molly and Brian left the party around 10:30, I think. I had taken the box with all the cards out to my car and locked it in my trunk. When the kids were leaving, Brian followed me to my car to retrieve the box. I noticed when I opened the car that I had left my sunroof open! Thank God for our safe community!
After Molly and Brian left, I was so tired I could have dropped to the ground. I realized I had a throbbing headache and my feet were killing me, even though they were in comfortable flats. Dal said he was going to shut down the bar at 11:30, I think. The Claytons were just as tired as we were. There was no sign of Susan and Robin. I had spent no time with them at all and never even knew they had left. They probably left when Molly and Jeb and the girls left. What was especially upsetting about that was that they were leaving very early in the morning (around 5 a.m.) so I would have no time to visit with them.
I started carrying items from the cake table out to my car. Thankfully, Bill Mohney helped me. I had barely any strength left. My head was absolutely killing me, as were my feet! We got the table cleared and I rounded up Dal and went home; the Claytons did the same.
I knew we had the party at Maggie’s the next day. Oggie had worked so hard to prepare their yard for the party. It was very touching. However, the thought of another party was daunting, to say the least.
How I managed to remove my makeup and get into bed is a mystery. By the time we left the yacht club, I felt physically ill. The pain in my head and feet made me very nauseous. I took two Excedrin, removed my makeup and clothes, and collapsed into bed. I wanted to fall asleep quickly to escape my acute discomfort but sleep came slowly.
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