“We had a beautiful wedding. Wish you could have been there!”

That’s what Shawna Magence quipped to her new husband, Steven Weiss, about three weeks ago, after a freak accident marred their joyous marriage ceremony in Florida.

Magence, 55, from Toronto, had just stood under the chuppah on Nov. 16 with her husband-to-be, an American from the Five Towns area of Long Island, New York, for the traditional breaking of the glass. Suddenly, people noticed puddles of blood on the floor. It turns out, the broken wedding glass had pierced the groom’s right foot, causing a deep gash. Paramedics arrived soon after. Weiss, 59, was strapped onto a gurney and wheeled out to a waiting ambulance. But he didn’t depart for the hospital right away—the rabbi had the couple complete the next stage of their wedding inside the emergency vehicle.

Eventually, the groom got nine stitches, while the bride returned to the reception, alone, to tend to their guests. And the wedding? It took another day to complete. Meanwhile, the couple is taking the accident in stride, considering it just one more memorable challenge they’ve had to overcome after the pair, both in their 50s, met in 2024 and embarked on their unexpected, late-in-life romance.

On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, we hear the whole incredible wedding story with Shawna Magence—while her groom recuperates.

Related links

• Learn more about

“After Forever”, the support group and resources for separated, divorced or widowed Jewish people, co-founded by Shawna Magence.

• Watch the video of the newlyweds’ bloody wedding mishap, on The CJN’s YouTube channel

Credits

• Host and writer:

Ellin Bessner (

@ebessner

)

• Production team:

Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)

• Music:

Bret Higgins

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