NEW GLASGOW, N.S. — This marriage has already weathered a storm, and thanks to some local businesses and families who came together the bride and groom have a sunny start.
The wedding was originally scheduled to take place on Sept. 7, but on the morning of the big day the bride-to-be Janice Thompson got a call from the venue.
“I got a call and they were like, ‘we’re really sorry to make this phone call, but for safety issues we can’t have the wedding today,’” said Thompson recalling the call.
So, first Janice and her fiancé, Pat Fitt, had to decide whether to postpone or not.
“We can’t call 125 people and say ‘come tomorrow’” laughed Thompson. So, they decided to go ahead with it.
Fortunately for them, the venue, Summer Street Industries, decided to keep the doors open for the ceremony.
Now the soon to be husband and wife just had to figure out where to host a reception and a dance.
That’s where their family stepped in.
“My mom and my aunt are part of the ladies auxiliary at the St. Andrews Church,” said Thompson. Without knowing too much about what was going on, her aunt, uncle and cousins had opened the hall and gotten it ready for seat and feast all her guests.
They’d even brought in a speaker system and microphone.
Now it was just the food.
Thompson had already ordered and paid for catering, but that was cancelled. She had also pre-paid for fifteen pizzas from the Aberdeen Sobeys, but that entire building was going to be closing early.
Firstly Thompson, who is a pharmacy manager at Sobeys phoned the grocery store on the West Side of New Glasgow.
“I called and asked, ‘can you get me some trays, sandwiches and veggie trays?’, and she said, ‘anything I can do for you, let me know,” Thompson said of the West Side Sobeys store manager Susanne Horner.
Meanwhile over at the Aberdeen Sobeys:
“We were thrilled that we were even able to do it,” said store manager David MacDonald. “We were so busy at the time, and for the deli employees to pull it off I was thrilled.”
Thompson and Fitt picked up the 15 pizzas personally.
Then they arrived at the St. Andrews Church community centre.
“I was about to go in and they were like, ‘no wait, wait, wait,’ and they made an announcement on the microphone.”
Thompson says she walked in and everything had been prepared, tables, dishes, buffet, everything.
The dancing had to be cut shorter than usual, but then guests were invited back to the newlyweds' home where they had a house party in the middle of a hurricane.
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