Real Wedding: Jengi & Tom
Perhaps it ’s because Jengi Mlynarski and Tom Reilly became involved while working as lab partners in human anatomy and physiology at Broome Community College that the two have mastered the science of love.
At first, their relationship was a friendship—an exceptionally strong one, which was tested when Jengi unexpectedly lost her mother in June 2005. Tom’s unconditional support helped both Jengi and her father to get through the tough period that followed. Jengi remembers how once in the fall after her mother’s death, she was driving with Tom when she became overwhelmed by sadness, thinking about all the experiences her mother would no longer be able to share with her. Tom promised that he and his family would be there to help celebrate Jengi’s accomplishments, and added, “I love you very much, Jengi.” Hearing those words lightened Jengi’s heart.
During the holidays one year later, Tom again lifted Jengi’s spirits. The couple had already decided that they wanted to get married. While Tom had considered waiting until Christmas, Jengi wanted the whole season to celebrate their joy. On the night before Thanksgiving they had dinner at their favorite restaurant. Tom walked into Jengi’s closet as she prepared for dinner and nonchalantly asked, “Jengi, would you like to wear your new ring?”
There, surrounded by shoes, purses, and clothes, Jengi said yes, and they shared their first kiss as an engaged couple. They broke the good news to Jengi’s father and Tom’s family at the Thanksgiving meal.
Jengi and Tom chose to host their wedding in the Finger Lakes region because of its intimate charm and the variety of B&B’s and inns that the area is famous for, including the Fountainebleau Inn, where Jengi’s parents celebrated their wedding in August 1969.
Tom composed the wedding ceremony and created the vows, incorporating traditional Irish and Celtic rituals along with some of his own ideas for remembering Jengi’s mother and other loved ones. A close friend performed the ceremony in the chapel, and another friend, who happened to be a judge, performed a private civil service beforehand, attended only by parents and witnesses.
A Celtic harp played before and throughout the chapel ceremony, and bagpipes accompanied the procession of guests to the inn for the reception.
The bride and groom look back fondly at many aspects of their wedding. Jengi loved seeing all the daisies, bright white and fresh despite the 90-degree day. The yellow and green hand-quilted table runners reinforced the crisp country feel, and guests adored the hand-painted frames that held the table numbers. Other highlights included daisy balls rolling down the hill and a “lemonade on the lawn” stand, whose long line became a fun place to mingle. And the three flower girls must have thought it was their special day, because they stole the show and possibly had even more fun than the grown-ups.
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of two of their guests, Jengi and Tom surprised the couple by playing their wedding song at the reception. Jengi and Tom also displayed their parents’ wedding albums, which allowed family and friends who had attended those celebrations to fondly reminisce on those joyful occasions gone by. For the father-daughter dance, Jengi chose a song that her dad had sung to her as a young girl. When the music began to play, the surprised smile that crossed his face was worth far more than a thousand words.
Tom and Jengi treasured the chance to share their joy with the family and friends who mean so much to them, and they encourage other couples to have fun and be creative with their weddings. They suggest shopping around to find the best local professionals and incorporating as many personally meaningful touches as possible. Sure, something will go wrong, but let it go and don’t allow the little stuff to ruin the moment.