All are welcome as resident’s daughter is married
Kristian Partington

Wedding bells filled the Village of Riverside with warmth and love on Sept. 29 when Don and Rosemarie Neil exchanged vows in an afternoon ceremony that was open for all to attend.

Don and Rosemarie Neil celebrated their wedding at the Village of Riverside Glen.

Rosemarie’s mother, Marlene Lehman, is a village resident whose mobility is limited, making it difficult for her to travel outside the village to attend events.

So Rosemarie brought the wedding to her.

“It was a wonderful gesture on their part,” Marlene says. “They’re the ones who came up with the idea.”

Decorators began transforming the village on Friday night and the food-services team prepared a spread of appetizers and refreshments in the Town Hall after the ceremony.

Everyone was included, which Marlene says meant a lot to village residents — there was a true feeling of small-town connectedness as people were able to celebrate the happiness of a neighbour. 

“Having it here just filled my heart,” Marlene says, noting she raised a compassionate and kind daughter who loves to spend time with seniors, having worked in a retirement home.

“She knows what elderly people like and she made them all feel so welcome.”

From the decorations to the ceremony to the reception, everything came together beautifully.

“I can’t say enough about the kitchen staff; they went above and beyond,” Marlene says, noting the special touch of a private dinner for 12 hosted in the library after the larger group finished toasting the new bride and groom.

Hospitality supervisor Melanie Stuart says the planning was underway for more than a year, and she couldn’t be more pleased with how the event came together.

“I was glad I could make (Rosemarie’s) day as happy as it was,” Melanie says. “They were so thankful and it was fun; I wanted to do it — I was so excited to go to work.”

This is the second wedding hosted at the village.

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