
Cape
wedding 'like a fairy tale'
Donald
Shepherd and Jenny Ducharme hold their son, Jeremy, after the couple's
wedding ceremony yesterday at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis.
Justice of the peace Judith Todd-McNichol of Brewster arranged free
wedding services for the couple.
Photos:Melissa
Louise McNichol
By
K.C.
MYERS
kcmyers@capecodonline.com
December
26, 2009
HYANNIS
— Yesterday was justice of the peace Judith Todd-McNichol's second
Christmas without her husband of 18 years. Howard
"Buck" Cass died after falling off a ladder at his home last November
at age 59.
Still,
Todd-McNichol found joy this season officiating and organizing a
wedding for a military couple.
Todd-McNichol
not only offered her services for free — her standing policy for any
military couple — but she also ran around collecting freebies from
wedding-related businesses to make the couple's Christmas Eve wedding
affordable as well as memorable.
"It
was like a fairy tale," said the bride, Jenny Ducharme, who lives in
Norwood with her husband, Donald Shepherd, and their 5-month-old baby,
Jeremy.;" In a
last-minute show of affection, Ducharme and her fiance, a former marine
and current member of the Army National Guard, decided to marry as a
Christmas present to each other. Ducharme
wanted to marry on Cape Cod. Just two weeks ago, the bride-to-be began
searching the Internet and found Todd-McNichol. When
Todd-McNichol, who lives in Brewster, informed the couple the services
would be free, "I got emotional," the 33-year-old bride said last
night. But that
was just the start. "Justice
Judy" spent a few days making calls and secured a suite for the
newlyweds at the Cape Codder Resort. Staff members at the resort
offered to do the bride's hair and her bouquet for free. The Golden
Fountain Restaurant owner gave them a $20 gift certificate for dinner.
And photographer Melissa Louise granted a huge discount, Ducharme said.
The
couple
had planned to throw on some boots and get married on a cold beach.
Instead, they exchanged vows before a roaring fire and a huge Christmas
tree at the Cape Codder Resort. "We just
wanted to show our love for each other," said the groom. "But then all
these calls started coming in. It's been overwhelming." The couple
have a lot of thank you notes to write. The first definitely goes to
Todd-McNichol.
This woman
is a godsend. And all the people know her, and they respect her, so
when she asks for something, people do it," Ducharme said. Todd-McNichol
deflected any compliments. She said it's easy to get local business
people to help the men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. "People
thank me for asking them," she said. "They want
to do something. It feels good." Since the
wars began, Todd-McNichol figures she has done about 12 free weddings
for military couples. The Brewster woman said she does the free
services because she feels a special bond with military families. Her
mother was a nurse and her father a medic when they met in Shanghai
during World War II. And her late husband, a minister and contractor,
served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a paratrooper. Besides
the military connections, Todd-McNichol also senses "our human oneness.
I feel that all the time," she said. Ducharme
and Shepherd certainly appreciated the help after a tough year.
Ducharme's pregnancy involved several complications. Doctors warned
them their child may not survive until birth. After birth, little
Jeremy required two blood transfusions. Now he's fine. The couple also
realizes Shepherd could be called for duty in Afghanistan at any time.
So to
celebrate their love and togetherness with a wedding on Christmas Eve
felt truly amazing, Ducharme said. They invited Todd-McNichol to join
them for dinner at the Golden Fountain Restaurant. They
didn't know Todd-McNichol had lost her husband just a year ago. The dinner
invitation was especially welcome, Todd-McNichol said. During the
wedding service, Todd-McNichol called the event "A Miracle on Iyannough
Road." "The
certainty of love from total strangers is a true miracle," she said.
Dear Judith,
Well, to say that this trip to the Cape will be memorable is an
understatement. Needless to say, I had no idea whatsoever what my
husband had planned. I can't believe he pulled that off and,
especially, without me suspecting a thing! Between the two of you, and
you're collaboration, our vow renewal ceremony was perfect !
I thought the
ceremony was simply beautiful (nicer than our first to be honest). I
loved all of the extra touches, the tying of knot, the sand ceremony,
etc.
<>
I loved how the boys
were included.
I meant it when I
told you (after the ceremony) that we were blessed. We are.
My parents divorced
when I was 7 and C's when he was a teenager.
In this day and age, to
be for 20 years and celebrate 15 yrs of marriage is a rarity. It's
especially important for our children to have the sense of security
knowing that Mom and Dad are still very much in love....
Charlie really is very
special. He truly is my best friend and soulmate.
I'm so glad we have a
copy of the ceremony. I will save and treasure that.
I love the location you
chose for the ceremony. It was beautiful, nice and private too. Just
right! That will be our 'special place' from now on.
Sincerest thanks again
for all of your help in making our day so very special!
Looking forward to
stopping by and saying HI next time we're on the Cape...
Hugs,
N
December
30, 2006 CAPE COD TIMES

Coty and Adam Schade walk back down the aisle after their wedding
ceremony in Brewster last night.
(Staff photo by Ron Schloerb)
Community
puts frosting on their cake
By DOUG FRASER
and K.C. MYERS
STAFF WRITERS
BREWSTER - Coty Taylor and Adam Schade were going to skip the cake, the
flowers and the honeymoon suite.
With Schade, 22,
of Harwich, getting ready to return for his second deployment with the
Navy Wednesday, the couple didn't have a lot of time or money. They
just wanted to get married during his
2½-week leave
before Schade had to return to the Middle East. Watching others lose
their lives so young, Schade had no intention of waiting to have the
ceremony.
''I just love
her,'' he said before they wed last night.
But as it turned
out, their wedding included the works: cake, flowers, honeymoon suite
and an extra serving of good will from people in the wedding business
who wanted to support the troops.
''It's beautiful,
it really is,'' Taylor said with tears in her eyes. ''It's so
overwhelming. We're very fortunate to live in such a supportive
community.''
The donations
started with Justice-of-the-Peace Judith Todd McNichol, who has a
standing policy that she will waive her fee on weddings for those who
have served, or are serving, as soldiers in the Afghanistan and Iraq
wars.
When approached to
preside over the young couple's wedding, McNichol wondered whether she
could do more, and she started calling some of the people she knew in
the wedding business.
Salim Khan,
controller at Catania Hospitality Group, offered a wedding planning
breakfast yesterday morning.
''It's a small
gesture,'' he said.
Chatham Bars Inn
stepped up, offering the newly married couple one of their newest rooms
- a spa suite that includes big plasma TV, a fireplace, steam shower,
in-room sauna, hydrotherapy tub and Bose sound system.
''We thought it
was great to give something back,'' said CBI reservations manager Chris
Sellitto. ''These people are risking their lives. We felt it was the
neighborly thing to do.''
Meredith Fancy of
Fancy Flowers in Orleans gave Taylor a bouquet of white hydrangeas,
roses and calla lilies.
''It's that time
of the year, and we're in that war and he has to leave and go back,''
said Fancy, who prepares flowers for more than 200 weddings a year.
''It was nice to help them out.''
Cottage Street
Bakery in Orleans owner Marc Launoy baked and decorated an ornate
butter-cream frosted wedding cake. He gave the delicious creation to
the couple free of charge.
''I was just
tickled at how readily and easily these people gave,'' McNichol said.
''I think we all honor our service people and think about them when we
hear about them on the news. But unless you have family there, it's
hard to know what to do to help.''
Last night, about
40 people watched Taylor, 19, marry her boyfriend of three years. The
ceremony on the small back-deck of the Taylor family's modest home,
featured candles in bags to mark the aisle. Guests bundled up against
the cold and sang the wedding march a cappella.
''It's not fun to
worry about him all the time,'' Taylor said of her soon-to-be husband
before the ceremony. ''It's hard, but when you feel that much for
someone, it feels natural to be able to handle these circumstances.''
K.C. Myers can be
reached at kcmyers@capecodonline.com.
(Published: December
30, 2006)

The following is a thank you
from the Schade Family
Dear Judith,
We wanted to thank you for your outstanding service to us for
our special night. Thank you so very much! We are more than pleased
with our experience with you, you have made it more than we had ever
dreamed! Thank you whole heartedly for your generosity. You went above
and beyond for us and for that we are ever so grateful. The great
energy and the personality you brought to our ceremony will be forever
remembered and appreciated. Adam has your email and will be keeping in
touch as he has redeployed to the middle east. I am currently
going to school at Cape Cod Community College until Adam returns.
We admire your willingness to help those in need in anyway that you can
and we wish you a fufilling new year and a lifetime of happiness from
the bottom of our hearts. We thank you. Love Coty and Adam

Dear Judith,
When Bob and I decided to get married again on February 3, 2007, after
being divorced from each other for many years we wanted to have a very
private wedding ceremony in our home with just our children and
grandchildren in attendance. I worried as to how this could be done by
a Justice of the Peace who would make it feel special and not be just
another formality of a ceremony that would be impersonal.
I had no idea where to start to look for such a person who would fill
my expectations of a ceremony with feeling, without having to write and
exchange our own vows. Bob was not keen on doing this at such a private
occasion.
I found your name in the Cape Cod
and Islands Magazine in an article that quoted you. Your words spoke of
sensitivity and compassion unlike what one would think of when you have
a JP to perform a simple nuptial and as private as we wanted. I had
visions of the JP coming for ten or fifteen minutes, going through the
legal wording and pronouncing us “Man and Wife” and then it was over
and done. I decided to call your number and after spending a short
period of time talking with you over the phone and you giving me as
many options as I wanted, I felt I had made the right choice to follow
my instincts with you.
I was not prepared for what we really got when you
showed up in your very professional robe and a warm hug and hand shake.
We were all extraordinarily pleased with not only the way you conducted
our nuptials, but you somehow, with no prior personal contact with Bob,
or our children, made the ceremony personal to us and our children with
a beautiful reflection of our circumstances (married, divorced, and
remarrying again to each other). And if the wasn’t enough, you gave us
a folder of our nuptials you personalized for us as a keepsake of this
very special event in our lives. Bob and our grown children join me in
thanking you for being such a sensitive and caring official and we
especially enjoyed visiting with you after the nuptials and getting to
know you and the wonderful work you do.
With our fondest regards,Bob and Brenda

Judith,
Let me preface my comments by saying that my personality type does not
usually allow me to open to a new person for a least the first two
encounters. Judith has the remarkable quality of forthrightness that is
immediately disarming and genuine and I felt that I've known her for a
very long time from the moment we met.
My husband Nick
and I were married on Thanksgiving Day in 2004. We were concerned that
we would not find a Justice of the Peace to perform the ceremony for us
that day on Cape Cod. Much to out delight Judith enthusiastically
accepted the task and asked us to fill in an "interest survey" for her
so that she could better know who we were and what we liked.
Since we were going to the resort and florist to complete our wedding
plans we arranged to meet Judith face to face in Brewster.
Never in my
dreams did I expect Judith. She is so celestial, so intuitive, so
gentle and kind. She is a multi-faceted person who has enjoyed many
careers and because of that brings allot to the table for the perfect
wedding. Her suggestions and assistance made our day truly
memorable. We still add shells to our "wedding sand" to commemorate the
ceremony that Judith thought would benefit two beach wanderers on their
wedding day. She suggested music that was perfect, and she composed an
entire program that made the event much much more than "..do you Carol
take..." blah, blah, blah.
I highly
recommend Judith being a part of a wedding ceremony anywhere. I will
never forget her.
Carol

Judith,
Thank
you so much for helping to make our wedding day so very special. The
ceremony and vows you composed were perfect and everyone commented on
how wonderful they were. It was a lovely and loving day made more so by
your contribution and by your presence. Thank you.
J. and T

Judith,
We wanted to thank you
again for helping us make our wedding so memorable. Affectionately,
J and M.

Judith,
This
little message from both of us brings special thanks for helping make
our wedding day an occasion we will always remember. You added to our
happiness in SO many thoughtful ways and we wanted to thank you for
marrying us, as we began our new life together.
M and E

Dear Judith,
Thank you for your service for our ceremony, it was truly memorable
experience.
We were really touched. By how you and made us feel really special.
I hope this will make our new cycle of life meaningful and will learn
each other as long as we are together.
I really hope you keep your wonderful work as justice of peace, and
make as many couples as happy as you did us.
We will printout photo or
burn a CD for you to look at.
Thank you once again, I
really appreciate your being Justice of the Peace for our wedding.
With our best wishes.
T. and D.

Hello Judy
Thank you so much for
everything...We wanted to just let you know that we truly appreciated
everything you did to make our day so special.
D. and S.

Thank you for
making our ceremony so beautiful.
Sincerely,
C and R

Dearest Judith,
We wanted to formally thank you for your services. You
made our ceremony so personal and special. We also appreciated how you
incorporated our soon to be son (any day now) and how kind you
were to our dog.
Always,
S and K
Thank you very much for going that extra mile to make
our day. Our warmest regards and special thoughts are due you. You are
very kind.
Warm Regards,
Dear Judith,
Thank you for providing my husband and myself with the
most beautiful wedding ceremony. We all felt so warm and included and
surrounded with beauty and love. You did a wonderful job and we
appreciate all your extra, extra efforts! much happiness and well being
in your future.
Warmest Regards,
We
worked on the questionnaire, and really enjoyed sharing our results
with one another. This sharing of feelings and emotions coming
from our responses to the questions are really love letters to
each other we will both cherish. This was an unexpected benefit
of having you do a very special ceremony for us. Thank you for the
heart and soul you put into it. Our wedding was more than we could have
hope for or dreamed of.
Thank you Forever,
W and J

Judi,
Thank you so much for creating our beautiful wedding
ceremony. The day was more perfect than we could have dreamed. Your
personal touch added elegance and charm to our day. We have read the
ceremony again and watched it over on DVD, it is amazing how you wrote
such a beautiful, personal verses. Thank you for an amazing day./div>
Love you,
K , W, and our daughter A

Dear Judith,
Thank you for being such a big part of our wedding day.
Your words were inspiring. Also,
thanks to Melissa for her special vows.
Sincerely
M&L

Dear Judith,
Thank you for the most
beautiful wedding you performed for us.
We’ll always remember how very
special is was. I’m so happy I showed up with two roses. The rose
ceremony was lovely. Many thanks for the suggesting the windmill for a
very memorable and picturesque wedding spot.
Sincerely,
J & M
Judi -
Thank you so much for creating our beautiful wedding ceremony.
The day was even more perfect
than what we dreamed. Your personal touch added elegance and charm to
our day. We have read the pages that you wrote and watched the DVD, it
is amazing how you wrote such beautiful, personal verses. Thank you for
an amazing day!
Love,
K, W, & A
Dearest Judith,
We
wanted to formally thank you for your services. You made our
ceremony so very special. We appreciated how you incorporated Jake (our
unborn son) and how kind you were to Tika (our dog).
Thank you again,
Always,
S & K
Dear Judith,
You went the extra mile to make our day, and to make our smile.
Very special thoughts are due, for
someone as kind as you. Thank you so very much. We are very
appreciative for you making our day special.
Warm Regards,
K & J
Judith,
With much appreciation for helping make our wedding a special one.
D & J
Dear Judith,
Thank you for providing Chris and I with the most beautiful
wedding ceremony! We all felt so
warm, included and surrounded around beauty and love. You did a
wonderful job and we appreciate all your extra, extra efforts!
Much happiness and well being in your future.
Warmest regards,
A and C
Judith,
Thank you so much for your help with our wedding, and starting
our lives together.
Sincerely,
C,J, & K
Dear Judi,
Thank you so much for making our wedding day so special.
Love,
D & K
Judi -
It was a beautiful thing you did. Thank you for making our
wedding so beautiful. Thank you again.
Sincerely,
C & R
Dear Judy,
“Hear me four quarters of the world - a relative I am!
Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is!
Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that I may be
like you.
With your power only can I face the winds.”
Black Elk 1863-1950
Ogallala Sioux Holy Man
On a recent
Trip to Salem, I came across this card at an art museum. Somehow I
thought of you, and wanted to use it to tell you what a wonderful thing
it was that you came into our lives. We will never forge that day in
September. You started us through a beautiful sunset onto our journey
far beyond.
May God Bless You Each Day,
L and C

Hi Judith,
First can I thank you so much for calming me today!!! You have a great
big hug coming to you on Friday!!!
I've just read the entire ceremony and it brought tears to my eyes -
it's just stunning really. I really felt like God would guide me to the
right person to lead our ceremony and I knew as soon as we first
started emailing that this was meant to be. Now reading the product of
your hard work, your attention to who we really are and what's
important to us, I feel so very blessed that we found you!!
I love everything you included as readings, so much so that I think I'd
prefer to cut out the other two readings I had suggested, just because
everything else says it all so well. Like I said, the other readings
are just SO perfect and everything that you wrote really flows so well
together.
Again, I am just thrilled with what I have read and can't wait for Rob
to see! Will talk again shortly,
J

I am
writing you this email to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for
the ceremony you provided Korey and I with on the 12th of August. You
made our day very special and we have received many compliments on your
services. Everybody thought that the ceremony was perfect and the fact
that you gave a toast to Korey and I was that much more special. I
myself want to thank you because you kept me calm during the event of
being late for my own wedding. We would like to write an endorsement
for your services on your website but not sure how so if you could give
me some guidance there We would appreciate it. I hope that is right
maybe a testimonial not sure how to phrase it. We just want to let
people know that your services are well worth the money. Thank you
again Judith from the bottom of our hearts and we would love to renew
vows in 5 years if that is something you would do. Thanks again you
were fabulous.
Sincerely
J & K

Robert and I
would like to thank you so very, very much, for all that
you did to make our wedding day everything we could have ever dreamed
of and more. You have a beautiful, wonderful spirit that shines from
within you and touches everyone that is around you. EVERY element of
what you provided was exceptional. The initial questionnaire was just
what we both needed to focus on the real heart of why we love each
other and why we were getting married. You put our nerves at ease in
every conversation and email and then the day of the wedding - well,
there was no question for either of us that we found the PERFECT person
to marry us!! Everyone

Dear Judy,
You preformed a beautiful ceremony we will cherish it for
our lifetime. The special intentions and vows held so much meaning and
were revealed to us with such compassion.
We Thank you!
Mr. and Mrs. C.
Dear Judy,
We wanted
to thank you again for your outstanding service for us on our special
night. You went above and beyond for us and for that we are so
grateful. The great energy and personality you brought to our ceremony
will forever be remembered and appreciated. We admire you willingness
to help in anyway you can and we wish you a lifetime of happiness from
the bottom of our hearts thank you.
C and A
Dear Judy,
Thank you for being a part of our special day. You will
forever be a part of our memories of our Cape Cod wedding. You will
hear from us in a few years for a renewal!
Yours Truly
Mr. and Mrs. C.
Judi ,
Thank you for giving us the most beautiful wedding ceremony. It meant
so much to us to have you help us “tie the knot” We are still getting
compliments about our ceremony. Our guests loved your true spirituality
and warmth. We will never forget our amazing day….
Thanks to you.
Love G and L
Dear Judith,
Thank you for fitting us into your schedule. We so enjoyed
working on our special ceremony with you. You made our big day so
special.
Thanks again,
M
Judith,
We were so touched by the thought and care you gave our
service. Our wedding was so much more special because you were there
and you cared. That night ,after everyone had left we sat together
talking about how fortunate we were to be surrounded by such love and
friendship and we wanted you as one of those friends, that could stay
after and celebrate with us. We didn’t have a clue as to how a service
should be handled, but you guided us and knew exactly the best way to
conduct a wedding in TWO languages!
Our gratitude and hearts will always be with you.
S and J
Dear Judith,
I had such a good time talking with you today. You are so
helpful and friendly, I look forward to our ceremony even more, before
today I would not have thought that possible. It is refreshing to meet
other people who truly love their profession and really take pride in
what they offer people. You definitely go the extra mile with your
service.
Thank you so much,
JW
Dear Judith,
Our deepest thanks and appreciation for renewing our wedding
vows for us, especially on such short notice. The ceremony and the
choice of location were beautiful and exactly what we wanted. The Cape
has become “our home away from home.” The Cape means a lot to all of us
we really could not have asked for more in our second chance to renew
our love and devotion to one another. We know that this was not a
miracle fix to all the problems we have had, or will have, but we are
willing to work together at making our marriage, family, and love
stronger day by day. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for
giving us a new beginning and for being such a special part of our
life’s. with your words.
Thank you so much,
A and P
Dear Judith,
Just a few words to say thank you for making our day extra
special. Everything went so well it was a beautiful day.
Thank You
G and W
Dear Judith,
It is almost two months since our wedding in Popponesset and
we wanted to drop you a note to thank you in writing for performing our
wedding ceremony. It was beautiful and we have our sand containers on
the mantel over our fireplace. We were thinking of you in Hawaii. We
wanted to let you know that surprisingly married life has been even
better than living together! Please keep in touch.
Love
L and H
Dear Judi,
Thank you for helping us with a special location for or
wedding on the beach. There is a special joy in the wonder of the sea.
Thank you for showing us that. There is a gentle serenity in it’s
beauty. Thank you for showing us that. For those who stop and take it
all in we find our own spirituality there. Thank you for that in our
marvelous ceremony. We will always treasure Cape Cod. Thank you.
Our Love to You,
K and L

Wild Care
- on the Owl that came to a wedding!
Jan17, 2008
Dear Judi Todd-McNichol,
Congratulations!
The great horned owl you rescued was successfully
rehabilitated. Your wilding was returned to her native habitat,
healthy, and able to care for herself, without any future human
intervention.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, and the
volunteers of Wild Care, we thank you for helping a creature during
such a vulnerable time. Only through assistance of rescuers such as you
are we able to provide care to animals brought to our door. Thank you
from “those who do not speak with words”
Sincerely,
Lela Larned

I look
forward to hearing from you.
Judith
Todd McNichol - Congratulations

Judith Todd-McNichol
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