Diana M. Welch and Gary A. McLaughlin Jr. were united in marriage on Aug. 15, 2020.
The bride is the daughter of Thomas Welch Jr. of Custer City and Marie Kleiderlein Davis of Lawtons, N.Y. The groom is the son of Gary McLaughlin Sr. of Lewis Run and Michele Miller of Bradford.
The wedding ceremony was officiated by Roberta Yonushonis. Pianist John Kearns played arrangements of both Taylor Swift’s “Lover” and Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” for the bridal procession.
The bride, who was given in marriage by her father, wore a beautiful strapless dress with crystal embellishments and vintage lace over satin and tulle. The ivory gown featured a sweetheart neckline, ball gown silhouette, and chapel-length train. Complementing her gown, the bride chose a double strand pearl necklace from Seraphine Creations. Adorning her head was a cathedral-length veil borrowed from her matron of honor.
She carried a bouquet of aspen and snowflake spray roses, light blue delphinium, thistle, and seeded eucalyptus. Her bouquet was wrapped in lace and displayed a locket charm with a photograph of her beloved Gram tied with satin ribbon.
Serving as matron of honor was Carolyn Fausey of Hanover. Bridesmaids were Melissa DeCasper, Bridget Anderson, Hannah Bell, and the bride’s daughters, Aubrey and Kendyl Cruz. The bride’s attendants wore Vera Wang navy satin gowns in varying styles.
Cousin of the groom Steve Sherk Jr. served as best man. Groomsmen were Eric Westerburg, Justin Suttrich, Andrew Piganelli, and Jordan Wilson. The groomsmen wore light grey tuxedos, while the groom wore a navy Calvin Klein suit.
Eli Fausey presented the rings for exchange, escorting daughter of the bride Maisy Gorrell. Maisy, who’s tea-length dress shared the same detailing as her mother’s, carefully tossed ivory rose petals down the aisle.
The bride’s father, Thomas, and his wife, Janet, hosted both the ceremony and reception on their property in Lewis Run. A large tent, double doors, and copper arbor helped to transform their property into a vintage, country chic wedding venue. The newlyweds shared their first dance to “I Get to Love You” by Ruelle. DJ Benzo provided music and helped Aubrey and Kendyl surprise the groom by singing “Kind & Generous” to him during the reception.
The bride, a graduate of Bradford Area High School and Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES is currently working as a pediatric nurse for Aveanna Healthcare. The groom, also a graduate of BAHS, is employed by ATS and performs electro mechanical maintenance at Eaton-Cooper Power Systems in Olean, N.Y. They reside in Bradford.
