What a year it was.

Do you remember the Cranston couple, married on the front lawn during the early days of pandemic lockdown, whose friends and family showed up in their cars as a surprise?

Caitlin and Bryan Schnell’s wedding on April 10 of last year wasn’t exactly what they’d dreamed of. (Actually, neither was the proposal, but that’s another story.)

A lot has happened since Bryan and Caitlin took their vows in that drive-in movie setting. Three of the bridesmaids are now married or engaged.

And the wedding reception date was moved yet again, to April 22 – of next year. It had already been pushed back twice, first to July 2020 and then May 2021.

I called the newlywed bride to congratulate her and her husband on their first anniversary. Upbeat as always, she updated me on their plans.

“In July, the restrictions were the same as they were in April 2020,” she said, leading the couple to delay the wedding reception again. “They lessened the restrictions, but masks and social distancing would be required, and no congregating at the bar, or hors d’oeuvres. Dancing would be monitored by family groups at tables.”

She added: “We called to solidify all the vendors and miraculously they were all still available. They’re going through it, too.”

She was heartened by the staff at Gurney’s Newport Resort and Marina. “The venue has been more than accommodating. What a relief! They’ve been a pleasure to work with. They said, ‘You deserve the day you envisioned.’”

Caitlin and Bryan now look forward to greeting all 190 guests at their reception on April 22, 2022, two years after their original wedding date.

But April of this year holds the biggest surprise of all. Caitlin celebrated her birthday on April 3. On April 10, the couple celebrates their first anniversary. And on or about April 12, an overjoyed Caitlin says, “We are expecting our first child.”

“My dad knew how badly I wanted a child,” she said. “Telling him was one of the best days of my life.”

Jace Bryan Schnell will be a year old at his parents’ wedding reception.

Despite the disappointments in plans along the way, there really has been a silver lining. Caitlin emphatically agrees. “The greatest gift.”

And they lived happily ever after.