OLTL’s Nora and BO can't decide what kind of wedding they want, even though it's only a week away-except they do know they want the music to be classic rock 'n' roll!
For several months, Nora and Bo have both avoided making their detailed plans about their big day. Whenever they tried to get serious about the wedding, something would come along to distract them and the plans got pushed aside.
So with time running out and the wedding coming up on June 1, Sheila, Hank, Luna and Max appointed themselves the "wedding police" and took matters into their own hands, fearing there'd be no wedding if they left it up to the reluctant bride and groom.
Why has this perfectly matched couple been delaying taking that big step? OLTL execu- tive producer Susan Bedsow Horgan explains.
"Nora is the reason. On Valentine's Day, Bo told her he knew something was wrong. She admitted it was true, but said she couldn't talk to him about it.
"What she was referring to was having slept with R.J. And this is what she has been wrestling with. Her worst fear is that if she tells Bo the truth he won't want to marry her, he won't love her."
Hillary B. Smith (Nora) agrees. "Nora has this big problem. She's never told anyone she slept with R.J. She didn't tell her ex-husband Hank but it finally came out. She thought she was rid of R.J., but she's just not a person who can start a life with someone carrying around secrets. And who knows? There might be more to this than has already come out."
Bo also has doubts about getting hitched. He's been married before and two of his wives died.
"The fact that he's still living with ghosts and she's still living with that R.J. secret looming around could mess things up,"says Robert S. Woods (BO). "Sarah died twice, which really complicated things. Didi died once. Delilah is still alive and so is Cassie, which was sort of a strange wedding. Bo and Nora have always had a hard time even saying the words 'marriage' or 'wedding.' sort of being coerced into this thing.”
While Nora and Bo are each wrestling ;heir emotional problems, the wedding police" are moving full steam ahead, making plans without them. WeIl, we got kind of lax about it," admits H[illary, laughing. "We didn't even pick out the date ourselves. They picked out the date for us, so we kind of got railroaded into this. It hasn’t exactly been our choice anywhere down the line.
“We are really just happy to be engaged, and we felt that we've kind of done our share there. We could stay engaged. We're committed to each other, that's all that matters. I don’t think there was any need to go any further," she explains.
Robert points out: “Hillary and I had scenes where we were picking out music for the wedding, and we were more involved in the music than about what's to happen."
Hillary adds: "Bo and Nora knew they wanted tacos for food and rock music, but other than that they couldn't think of anything else they wanted to do."
Meanwhile, Max is frantically trying to pull off a big surprise, Susan Horgan reveals.
"Max is running around with this great idea in mind. If he can just reach somebody on the phone to get a certain person to come, he knows that it would in fact be the wedding of Bo and Nora's dreams. He's up to something, but he's not letting on what it is."
With Nora so reluctant to march down the aisle again, the "wedding police" had a tough time getting her to pick out a dress. "She didn't want to wear white, and it certainly isn't!" Hillary says. "Luna finally goes to Logan's and picks out three dresses, then Nora has to choose one of them. She takes all three home with her and eventually makes a decision. But she goes for a dress that is most unlike a wedding that she possibly can, because then she won't feel like she's getting married."
No wedding would be complete without the pre-wedding parties, and Nora's friends throw her an unforgettable bachelorette party.
"Sheila, Renee, Tina and Jessica become the Norettes and lip sync to the song Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," reveals Susan. "Nora jumps up and joins them."
Hillary interjects: "It's a riot! I thought we really had to sing, so I panicked."
When the wedding day finally arrives, Susan Horgan promises there will be some startling events.
"First of all, the night before the rehearsal dinner, Bo and Nora are finally going to confront why they have been so reluctant and dragging their feet, and why they have ended up letting their friends plan their wedding."
Susan also tells us that there will be a few surprise guests at the wedding, two of them members of Nora's family.
With their friends and family assembled in the church, Nora and Bo arrive. Immediately, they begin to feel misgivings, Hillary says. "There we are in a church, and Andrew and a rabbi are there. We're looking at each other and it's turning into these formal vows, which isn't us, and it isn't what we had in mind."
Robert says: "We're standing in the door thinking we've got to get out of here. What Hillary and I really wanted to do was have Bo and Nora's wedding, but they don't show up. Instead, they go on a trip and tell everyone, 'Have a nice party and we'll see you when we get back!'"
Susan promises that what comes next will be like nothing we've ever seen before. "They get to the point where Andrew and the rabbi ask, 'Is there anyone here who knows why Bo and Nora shouldn't get married?' and they answer, 'We do!' They tell their guests they love them and appreciate everything they've done to put this wedding together, but they just don't feel right about it. They start to head out of the church, then they hear the music of their favorite rock 'n' roll star, Little Richard."
Will that get Nora and Bo to stroll back down the aisle? Stay tuned to next week's exciting episodes!- Sheila Steinbach
(Soap Opera Magazine May 30,1995)