Family weddings are one of my absolute favorite things, so I thought it would be fun to do a blog on stories and documentation from weddings in my family tree. Below are not complete discussions of the family weddings, but quick memories or thoughts that I have. If ANYONE mentioned within wants a full blog entry on their wedding, AND/OR if anyone else wants their wedding added -- I will happily add it OR extend author rights to the blog. In other words, I invite your contribution with GIDDY DELIGHT.
1846: Nicholas Hoey and Elizabeth (perhaps Long)
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| Hoey holding County Mayo, Ireland |
This first marriage is a huge piece of the family story. Nick Hoey's first wife, Elizabeth McConnel, Anne Hoey's mother, passed away in 1845; Hoey remarried Elizabeth Long, and Anne Hoey moved to America! Had this marriage not occurred, perhaps Anne would have remained in Ireland to help her family.
1857: John Nolan and Anne Hoey
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| Immaculate Conception Church |
John and Anne's first child, Morris (pronounced Maurice), was born and baptized in 1858, so I am hypothesizing that the couple married by 1857. So far, I've not found documentation of their marriage; while they lived in New York, all their children were baptized at Immaculate Conception in Manhattan (a new church at the time with a large Irish immigrant community). My hope is they married there, and I continue to pursue evidence.
I have Mary Nolan's wedding ring; her marriage date is inscribed within. John Willie (as he was referred to in family stories I was told) was from Central New York - Glenville, NY. Interestingly, they were married at St. Mary's Church in Manhattan — the rest of the family's religious ceremonies were held at Our Lady of Mercy (in Port Chester). Also note that I am not the only family member to find a man on the Mohawk River!
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| The Port Chester Journal, 28 June 1888 |
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1912: George Hughes and Mary Ellen Gagan
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George and Mary Hughes
Marriage Certificate, 1912 |
George Hughes was a rising local star as a professional golfer in Port Chester; Mary Ellen was a telephone operator working to help her family. They married in February of 1912 at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Port Chester; tantalizingly, there is a photo of the couple on their wedding day. My Aunt Mimi kindly brought it to my wedding to put on display. I regret that I failed to make a copy, and I am not sure where the photo is now.
Tragically, George died in a car crash, coming home with tickets for a surprise cruise for his family (his wife and their girls).
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| Anne and Uncle Stephen 1940 |
With Anne's father's death, she asked her Uncle Stephen Gagan (her mother's brother) to walk her down the aisle. Anne and Dan married on 19 July 1940 and held the wedding reception at her childhood home. Anne and Dan would buy that home from her mother - at her request after their wedding - for $100 - it was sooner than they wanted to buy a home, but MaryEllen was concerned that her youngest daughter, Rita, have a home to be married from and Anne and Dan agreed. They spent a great deal of time and energy keeping the house up, and it still stands today! Below is a photo of Anne and Dan's daughters (Sheila and Mickey), their daughters (Amy, Heather, and Meghan), and their granddaughters!
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| 36 Lafayette Drive 2025 |
1950: Frank Beluk and Rita Hughes
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| Beluk Hughes Wedding party 1950 |
This wedding is where the idea for this blog entry was born. My mom, Sheila McCarthy, and Catherine Beluk (the groom's niece - known as Cappie) were flower girls. Throughout my entire life, whenever these two saw each other, they would smile and laugh about their role in the wedding; the twinkle in their eyes made you think they really believed they were the highlight of the day!
Rita and Frank met through mutual friends and had three boys. Their youngest, Paul, has three children (a son and two girls); his two daughters married recently, and their amazing weddings are now on the list of happy memories we all share.
1964: Sam Begg and Sheila McCarthy
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| Sheila 1964 |
My parents married on 1 August 1964; according to my father, Mom spent 40 minutes praying to the Virgin, and he was never quite clear about the topics unpacked at that private yet public session - nor was he pleased with the time spent.
Mom and Dad married in Pittsburgh, where her family moved in the early 1960s and where Dad's family had been since their immigrant ancestors came to America from Croatia (at the time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Dad's family stories are on another blog -
How Grey Was My Valley.
1971: Dale McLane and MaryEllen McCarthy
My mom's sister, MaryEllen (Mickey), met Dale at a bar after an eye exam; she was trying to light a cigarette and was trailing her finger down the butt to "find" the bottom to light it; Dale saw the movements and felt pity or intrigue and lit her cigarette. A few days (or weeks) later, they saw the Albert Finney musical Scrooge, and as they exited the theatre, signing the soundtrack, Mickey realized she was in love. I adore that story.
I created some tension at this wedding; Dad wrote up the summary.
1987: Paul Beluk and Annie O'Shaughnessy
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| Paul and Annie 1987 |
My mom's parents passed away in 1984 within four months of each other (Dan McCarthy on 8 April and Anne on 30 June) The aftermath was confusing, and I think both Mom and my Aunt Mickey would say it brought about a lot of self-reflection and change in how they saw themselves and the way they wanted to live their lives. An early event which gave them a chance to consider that was the wedding of their baby cousin, Paul Beluk to the lovely Annie O'Shaughnessy.
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| Mickey, Dan, Sheila Frank 1987 |
Mom and Mickey had not traveled alone - meaning with the burden (I mean joy) of their children and without their husbands. But this wedding they went alone (well, alone with each other). Here they are, I suspect, post-wedding, with Uncle Frank (Rita's husband) and Dannay (Paul's brother)
I remember being very proud of them for taking the trip. I remember they had a wonderful time, and I am sure it was a trip that meant a great deal to Rita and Frank.
I like adding this happy memory to this post because, as you all know, Paul and Annie are the parents of our family's most recent bride!
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| Annie, Meghan, Paul 2026 |
1998: Thomas De Groff and Amy Begg
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| Amy and Tom 1998 |
Tom and I met in Jamaica, and we were in our late 20s and knew what we wanted, so from meeting to marriage, things went quickly. I suspect for many in the family it was a bit of a whirlwind. I was the first in my birth cohort to get married, and I am a rather close-circle kind of person, so I had not been to a lot of weddings when it came time to plan ours. I share that last part because I had a few ideas for our wedding - I'd heard the A
pache Wedding Blessing at a friend's wedding - but really did not know what to suggest or ask for. Our wedding was a hybrid of old fashion wedding (frankly somber mass — one and a half hours!) and a (IMO) quasi-sophisticated reception (cocktails, dinner, dancing) at a historic home. My niece Cara noted that the ballroom looked like the Titanic (pre-sinking)
2012: Ben Derrick and Cara Capel
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| Frodo successfully carrying two rings |
It is not just little girls who love being in weddings; Darren was ring bearer for his godmother's wedding - we called him Frodo for weeks before and after the wedding.
The wedding was outside on a lovely May day in New York. Cara has been an amazing godmother to Darren, and I think he enjoyed this important role. Later in the evening, Darren was on the dance floor with his tie tied around his head - spinning on his back - so I can assure you the reception was a fun evening.
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| Cara and Ben 2012 |
2013: John Cheshire and Heather Begg
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| Heather and John 2013 |
My sister Heather and John's wedding on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was eventful for my family because Hurricane Hannah (yes, a real hurricane, not my daughter) assaulted the area the day before and maybe, if I remember correctly, the morning of the wedding. Tensions were high, but as always, family pulled through and the evening was lovely. From an intimate rehearsal dinner to a lovely ceremony held in front of glorious floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, a wonderful family wedding was held.
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| Hannah (another flower girl!) 2013 |
2024 Cathal O'Riordan and Brenna Beluk
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| Cathal and Brenna, 2024 |
It was a great day when we learned Rita's granddaughter (Paul's daughter) was getting married in Ireland because it meant WE WERE GOING TO Ireland!
First thing you must know is that, as far as we can tell, the Irish are professional wedding people; the entire weekend was full of happy faces, music, stories, and love. Kinsale, the town we took over that weekend, is, in my opinion, best imagined as a Cape Cod town minus the traffic, the cars, the fights for parking, and anyone from Massachusetts.
Brenna and Cathal created a wedding full of energy and youth. Surrounded by amazing family members, including Mom and Cathal's grandfather's best friend, generations joined together, across an ocean, to start a new family within ours.
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| Meghan and Mark 2026 |
Two years after adding Cathal to our family, we got a chance to join ANOTHER of Rita's granddaughters' weddings - a train ride to New Haven and a comfortable stay in the small town with a large town feel. Meghan's wedding was outside, on Long Island Sound - and I state with certainty and with the hope I do not hurt anyone's feelings - I have never in my life seen a happier bride.
Cathal performed the ceremony — it was perfection — and the space where we joined together and the meal were exceptional. To create a circle in the story, Sheila and Cappie (flower girls from Rita's wedding) were both with Meghan when she officially began her life with Mark.
- Family endures: 1846 until today, and we are still connected
- Family shows up when they can: you want us to fly across the Atlantic? SURE
- Family supports: carry your rings? Of course!
- Family sees the best in everyone: even when they spend 40 minutes praying :-)
In the end, family is our foundation and our building block. Family continues. Bottom line - our (Amy and Tom's) wedding was full of our families and friends and remains a glorious and important memory. I think the same can be said for each wedding remembered above.
Superb job !
ReplyDeleteThanks Mom!
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