Late afternoon sunlight streamed in as the bride, Katie Weller, walked down the aisle, holding her father’s arm. She wore a long white dress by Faithfull The Brand and carried a small bouquet of white daisies for the early spring wedding. Strains of the “Wedding March” faded away as they came to a stop in front of the groom, Patrick Tiernan Jr., and longtime family friend, Reverend Larry Lyon. He asked who was giving Katie away.
“Her mother and I,” Katie’s father said before leaning in to kiss his daughter, whose cheek was wet with tears. He crossed the room to sit at his wife’s bedside, taking her hand. Katie and Patrick’s wedding — which had originally been planned for October 2023 in a Charlotte, NC venue with a band and flowers, a professional make-up artist, and an Anne Barge gown — was happening on an unseasonably warm day in late March in a tiny hospice room in Shelby, NC.
Patrick Tiernan and Katie Weller toasted their engagement with her family and then his in October 2022. Image: Patrick Tiernan
Katie’s parents were thrilled to be the first to learn the news of Katie and Patrick’s engagement in October 2022. Image: Patrick Tiernan
An only child, Katie asked her mom, Barbara Weller, if she wanted to attend the wedding. And when Barbara, who could barely speak after months of fighting throat cancer, had nodded “yes” on a Friday, Katie and Patrick announced they would be getting married that Sunday. But on Saturday afternoon, the hospice nurses gently told Katie and her father that it needed to happen before the end of the day.
“We’d been talking about possibly moving up the wedding for weeks, and then when she moved into hospice, one of my friends brought over the white dress and headband, just in case,” says Katie, who lives an hour away in Charlotte. “Then one of my mom’s closest friends pulled me aside and said, ‘You need to get married. A mother dreams of seeing her daughter married.’”
Katie and her mom, Barbara Weller, share a moment at Katie and Patrick’s engagement party in December 2022. Image: Patrick Tiernan
And so, around 3 p.m., they decided to hold the wedding at 6:30 p.m. Family and close friends from around the state dropped their Saturday afternoon plans, rushing to be there. Patrick, who lives in Durham, NC, but was in Shelby to be with Katie, drove to the small county mall in search of clothes nice enough to wear to his own wedding — and a wedding band. Katie, who would wear her grandmother’s gold band, kissed her mom’s cheek goodbye and went to change into the white cotton dress she’d bought for her wedding shower. Then the bride and groom returned to their childhood homes to get ready — just down the street from each other.
Katie and Patrick rushed to get their marriage license, sending this happy photo to friends and family to share their plans. Image: Patrick Tiernan
Katie and Patrick grew up on the same street, just a block away from each other, and their families have always been a significant part of their love story. The pair knew each other as children (Patrick was a few years Katie’s senior), but it wasn’t until their families bumped into each other over the 2018 Christmas holiday that the two reconnected. When Patrick proposed to Katie in October of 2022, they were on their way to spend the day in Shelby — first with her family and then just down the street with his. “My mom was the very first to know,” says Katie. “We went to their house, and as soon as she spotted the ring, she yelled my name. She was so happy.”
Katie and Patrick selected the following October for their wedding in hopes that Barbara’s cancer treatments would be successful and she would be healthy enough to enjoy the festivities. While they’d both dreamed of a big wedding celebration, having their families be part of their day was always the priority.
That’s why, on the afternoon of March 25, they hurriedly made plans, asking the groom’s close photographer friend to capture the day and setting up a Zoom call so that loved ones around the country could join.
Before walking back down the “aisle,” Katie leaned over to kiss her mom’s cheek. Image: Hal Alexander Media
Patrick slipped Katie’s grandmother’s band onto her finger as he promised to love her in sickness and health. Image: Hal Alexander Media
Katie and her childhood friend, Sarah Crosland, share a much-needed laugh after the ceremony. Image: Hal Alexander Media
Local florist, Holly’s Flowers, heard about the change of plans and rushed to fill the small bedroom with cheerful arrangements dotted with white daisies — Barbara’s favorite flower — and created corsages and a bouquet to match.
The hospice nurses brought in folding chairs, setting up seating in the room for guests and creating a makeshift aisle from the hallway to the end of Barbara’s bed. When Katie’s father, Jack Weller, returned from putting on his suit at home, he brought an elegant jacket from his wife’s closet, which he gently draped across her shoulders for the ceremony.
“People can take years to plan a wedding, but our friends and family did this in under three hours — and it was perfect,” says Katie. “At the end of the day, everything we needed was right there.”
After the ceremony, Katie and her father, Jack Weller, share a long hug outside the hospice home. Image: Hal Alexander Media
You may now kiss the bride! Katie and Patrick’s first kiss as a married couple arrived earlier than expected. Image: Sarah Crosland
A close family friend found the music for the Wedding March and played it over her phone as the bride walked into the room. The pair stood before the officiant, with Patrick promising to love Katie in sickness and health as her father held tightly to the hand of his wife of 52 years.
“Later, my dad told me that my mom was squeezing his hand during the ceremony,” says Katie. “That meant a lot for me to know that she was really present with us.”
The family’s close friend, Reverend Larry Lyon, tailored his sermon with only a few hours to prepare. Knowing the couple well, he spoke to them about the power of love. “In the beginning of a married love, and at the end of life itself, what wins is love,” he said. Katie looked at her mom’s face. “Love between a bride and groom, love between a husband and wife, love between a Father and Son, and love between a daughter and her mother.”
Family is everything to Katie and Patrick. Here they are celebrating after their ceremony with his parents and sisters. Image: Hal Alexander Media
After the simple ceremony, the bride and groom headed out into the warm spring night for photos. The following day, they gathered with friends and family for an impromptu reception in Patrick’s parents’ backyard. After spending the sunny afternoon celebrating, Katie and her dad returned to hospice to tell her mom about the joyful day — and how they wished more than anything that she could have been there with them.
While the wedding didn’t transpire exactly as planned, it was perfect. Image: Hal Alexander Media
It may not have been the wedding day Katie and Patrick had initially envisioned, but they agree it was ultimately more special than they could have imagined. “I really didn’t want my wedding to be a sad memory,” says Katie. “But now, it will always be one of my happiest memories because my mom was with us.”
Barbara Weller died peacefully at the Wendover Hospice Home in Shelby, NC, on March 30, surrounded by Katie’s daisy wedding bouquets.
RESOURCES
Photographer and Videographer: Hal Alexander Media
Flowers: Holly’s Flowers
Bride’s Dress: Faithfull The Brand
Bride’s Headband: Lele Sadoughi
Groom’s Jacket: Chaps by Ralph Lauren
Groom’s Tie and Shirt: Izod
Groom’s Pants: Reaction by Kenneth Cole
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