Love in the produce aisle leads to grocery store wedding

QUINCY, Ill. -- Diane Roderick dreamed of walking down the aisleto marry her Tom Lane.

She just never dreamed the aisle would be in the restaurant diningarea of one of Quincy's biggest and busiest grocery stores.

Diane and Tom were married in June at the Hy-Vee before about 75family and friends in an intimate and humor-tinged ceremony. Tom isthe assistance produce manager at the store, and it's the place theyfirst met last year.

"Not really," said Diane, when asked if she thought she'd ever getmarried in a grocery store. "But I'm all for something different, soit didn't really faze me."

SHOPPERS AMAZED

"It turned out better than we could have ever envisioned," abeaming Tom said during the reception at his residence. "The floraldepartment and the bakery department, everybody at the store did agreat job."

Since this is the second marriage for both, they decided to keepthe wedding small.

Tom and Diane went on their first date May 1, 2004, and becameengaged on Feb. 12 of this year.

Store manager Lynn Gallagher suggested they get married in thestore, partly because it would be a good media relations story, butmainly because he wanted the couple to have a meaningful andmemorable ceremony.

"We wanted to make it what you would expect from a wedding, exceptthat it was in a grocery store," Gallagher said. "I've been toprobably about 50 weddings, and to be honest, you might remember thechurch, but they tend to all run together. This one, people willremember."

"Lynn was great," Diane said. "He thought it was very importantthat it be a religious and serious ceremony, and not a joke or acircus."

The wedding took place in the corner of the dining area. It wassectioned off by dividers to give the area privacy, though somediners perked up when they heard the music, and shoppers outside thestore looked through the glass window during the ceremony.

Diane walked around the store after the wedding and got someamazed looks from shoppers.

FAMILY ASTONISHED

"You got married? That's so cute!" said one elderly woman shopper.

Diane and Tom admitted family and friends were a little takenaback when hearing about the grocery store wedding idea.

"I think the initial reaction was astonishment. 'You are what?Where?' " Diane said.

Her son, 11-year-old Spencer, found the idea a little different.

"I thought they were lying when they told me," he said. "I reallydidn't think they'd get married in a grocery store. I thought they'dhave to widen the aisles or something."