Not only is this one a YAG wedding, it’s also a second generation YAG wedding, on both sides!
Back in the days of the old YAGs here at St. Gertrude the Great, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, Mike Gough (Kentucky) met and promptly fell in love with Donna Carroll (Michigan). That same year, they met and made friends with many other singles, among them John Eldracher (Ontario, Canada) and Mary Nugent (Iowa), who were likewise romantically inclined. Mike and Donna got married in 1988, while John and Mary followed soon after in 1989. Mike stood up as best man in their wedding, and soon both couples were busy raising large Catholic families in the same Michigan parish. After the Eldrachers moved from Canada to the States in 1998, the two families lived only a few blocks away from each other for several years, and their kids all attended the same school. They even called the opposite sets of parents “Uncle Mike” and “Aunt Donna” and “Uncle John” and “Aunt Mary.”
Fast-forward about 20 years. St. Patrick’s Day, 2019. The fateful day when Vincent Eldracher invited Regina Gough – by herself – to his family’s home festivities.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
They attended the 2019 YAG together, became engaged at New Year’s, and were married on September 12, 2020, at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Fraser, Michigan. No less than four fellow YAGers helped make up their bridal party, which included members of both families as well as several friends. Due to Covid, the reception was held in a rural barn, complete with sheep poking their heads in to watch the first dance, on a beautifully cool early autumn day.
The couple resides in Yale, Michigan. Congratulations!
