Couple Travels From Florida To Penndel For Surprise Wedding

There was a very special occasion at District Judge Daniel Baranoski’s courthouse in Penndel Monday afternoon.

The district judge officiated the wedding of Wayne Wood and Joyce Garren, who traveled from Florida to Penndel.

Wood, 82, and Garren, 75, traveled to Bucks County from their Lake Placid home in Florida to visit Wood’s brother, Gordon and his wife, Joan, residents of Montgomery County. The stitch, however, was that the traveling couple would be getting married in Penndel on Monday.

Wayne Wood’s first wedding 64 years ago took place during Gordon Wood ‘s naval deployment. Wayne Wood knew his brother was on a submarine in the middle of the ocean and didn’t want him to feel as though he needed to get a gift for the couple. He skipped the invitation, knowing his brother couldn’t attend anyway.

In the following years, Gordon Wood never let Wayne Wood forget that he did not receive a wedding invitation. While Wayne Wood and Joyce were planning their wedding, they decided that the wedding would be a surprise for Gordon and Joan. In addition to being a surprise, Wayne would ask Gordon to be his best man right before the wedding at the courthouse.

“We decided to amend this and make things right, and make him my best man,” Wayne Wood said after the ceremony.

The wedding was originally scheduled for September, but due to the hurricanes hitting Florida and Wayne Wood getting sick, plans needed to be pushed off.

So on Monday afternoon, the soon-to-be married Wayne Wood and Garren arrived at the Penndel district court to simply drop off some paperwork. One of the court clerks offered to tour the group around the court. Then, Wayne Wood asked his brother to be his best man.

During the ceremony, Baranoski commented on how happy he was to be officiating a positive event when so many people who come into courtrooms leave unhappily.

“It’s one of the only events where everyone leaves happy, so that is very nice,” Baranoski said.

Gordon Wood choked up and nearly couldn’t believe that not only was he at his little brother’s wedding, but that he was his best man.

A short ceremony later and the 1,124 mile journey to be wed was complete for the couple.