Couple Marries at U.S.-Canada Border So 96-Year-Old Grandmother Can Attend
Traveling between the U.S.-Canada border is usually pretty common, but Covid-19 restrictions have made this much more difficult. Karen Mahoney, who now lives in New York state but is from Quebec, used to cross the border to visit her family in Canada every week.
Mahoney was preparing to marry Brian Ray, who grew up just across the border from her in New York. The couple met as kids when Ray taught Mahoney how to ski — 35 years later, their friendship blossomed to something more and Ray proposed to Mahoney on the ski slope.
“We didn’t want to wait and have a long engagement. We are so much in love that we couldn’t wait another day to be married,” Mahoney told CBS News. “So, we planned it for September in hopes the border would be open.”
On Aug. 21, the pair found out that the border would still be closed on their wedding date of Sept. 25. “COVID has hit hard. Without being able to hug them for 18 months, it hurts,” said Mahoney. A few weeks ago, their friend “Border Brian” — who got his nickname due to his job as a border patrol agent — said he could help the couple secure a special location for their nuptials. “I’ve known him longer than I know her,” said Ray. “He was more than accommodating and willing to be there for us.”
“He was off-duty at the time and … let the other agents who were on duty know what was going to transpire,” Mahoney said. “He arranged so that it would be uninterrupted.” Border Brian organized the vows on the Jamieson Line Border Crossing between Burke, New York and Quebec, Canada.
The couple had their planned wedding the next day, in front of the rest of their friends and family. “I got to marry the most beautiful woman in the world two days in a row,” said Ray.
Image source: CBS News
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