Then, Snell was accompanied inside the church by her father, Douglas.

 The 45-minute ceremony was closed to the media and public, but many of Spezza’s teammates, including Chris Neil, Chris Phillips, and Anton Volchenkov, were there. Senators owner Eugene Melynk was also on hand, as was hockey legend Bobby Orr, and Catherine Clark.

 Former Senator heart-throb Antoine Vermette — now a Columbus Blue Jacket — garnered the most high-pitched cheers when he arrived at the front of the cathedral, proving the slickly-coiffed forward has not been forgotten by Sens fans.

 Missing from the ceremony were teammates Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Senators general manager Bryan Murray. And, for the record, Dany Heatley was a no-show.

 Despite rumours that invitations had been sent to Don Cherry and Ron MacLean, Canada’s most famous broadcasting duo were not in attendance.

 “It was a beautiful ceremony, spectacular,” said Melnyk afterward. “It was a magical feeling inside. I’m so happy for the both of them and that everything turned out great, not a glitch. There were some happy tears,” he added.

 “It was a beautiful ceremony,” added Erin Phillips, wife of Chris Phillips.

According to Phillips and other guests, Spezza and Snell recited traditional wedding vows and followed a traditional ceremony.

 Melnyk declined to talk about no-show Heatley, adding “it’s all about Jennifer and Jason today.”

Indeed, all of the players refused to discuss the ongoing Heatley saga. “It’s not about Dany today; it’s about Jason,” Neil said.

 Former Senators goalie Ray Emery, who was in the bridal party, said the wedding ceremony was “beautiful.”

Another ex-teammate, Brian McGrattan, also a groomsman, agreed the wedding was very nice. McGrattan, the former enforcer recently signed by the Calgary Flames, would only laugh when asked if getting married would affect Spezza’s play on the ice.

 “It’s nice to see you boys all dressed up,” one woman shouted from across the street as Senators forwards Chris Neil and Shean Donovan and retired defenceman Luke Richardson walked up Guigues Avenue towards the church.

 By the time the bride and groom had emerged, with the cathedral’s bells chiming, about 50 people were crowded on the median between the church and the National Gallery, snapping photos of the happy couple.

 Spezza and Snell stood at the top of the church steps, smiled, waved and kissed as the crowd clapped and cheered Spezza’s name.

 “It was great,” said forward Chris Kelly, before hopping onto a bus with other Senators players.

Brian and Susan Graham, both 44 and die-hard Sens fans, said they didn’t show up for the hype about Heatley, but just wanted to catch a glimpse of some of their favourite players. Graham said he wouldn’t boo Heatley if he did come back, though.

 “Absolutely not. If he wants to come back and play for us, that’s great.”

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