Twice Postponed: Couple Exchanges Wedding Vows in Unusual Norwood Hospital Setting-September 28, 1981

The groom wore a blue, terry-cloth bathrobe with two intravenous bottles stationed at his side, while one of his attendants was a nurse keeping a close watch on a medical monitor.

A Hospital Ceremony Despite Delays

Saturday’s wedding between Wayne Gauthier and Marie Lumnah went ahead as planned, albeit in a highly unconventional venue: Norwood Hospital’s Plimpton Hall rather than St. Martha’s Church in Plainville, coinciding directly with the hospital’s major groundbreaking ceremonies outside.

The wedding had originally been scheduled for St. Martha’s but was called off when Wayne collapsed on September 18 with a bleeding ulcer and was admitted to the hospital, according to the bride’s mother, Lauretta Lumnah. Rather than wait idly, Marie wanted to nurse him back to health, prompting the couple to decide to “do it right,” as the groom’s father, Donald Gauthier, explained.

To pull off the hospital ceremony, the couple secured Plimpton Hall from the hospital, borrowed a dozen floral arrangements from fellow patients, and invited the Rev. John P. Mahoney, pastor of St. Martha’s, to officiate. Father Mahoney arrived equipped with a candelabrum, a crucifix, a Polaroid camera, and an engaging personality that charmed the assembled family and friends, blessing the couple with wishes for Gauthier’s “quick return to health.”

A History of Postponements and Future Celebration

This marked the second time the couple’s church wedding had been postponed; last year, they delayed the ceremony until Wayne secured a higher-paying job. According to his father, the combination of a demanding new work schedule at the Frank Hill Machine Shop in Walpole—allowing him only about five hours of sleep a day—and perhaps an inherited nervous disposition likely triggered the bleeding ulcer.

Instead of traditional wedding expenses, the couple used their savings to purchase a condominium in Wrentham, where Marie, an employee at the Wrentham State School, will now be able to move in.

Once Wayne fully recovers, the couple plans to restate their vows at St. Martha’s before roughly 150 guests and finally hold their reception—originally booked at the Knights of Columbus hall in Attleboro—with family hoping for a November celebration. The bride is the daughter of Lauretta and Norman Lumnah of 4 Charles St., Plainville, while the groom is the son of Eleanor and Donald Gauthier of 54 Hamilton Road, Wrentham. Best man and matron of honor duties were fulfilled by Bob and Kathy Lanteigne of Cumberland, R.I.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger