Shine OnCouple weds at hospital so dying grandfather can attend
Danny Weaver and Paula Hatch-O'Laughlin were planning an August 10 wedding at Old Orchard Beach in Maine.
When Danny's grandfather, Donald Weaver, suddenly fell ill, with his condition deteriorating rapidly, the couple changed their plans — and wed on June 25 at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass.
Danny, who considers his grandfather the "greatest man and friend I have ever known," was raised by Donald. Not having him at his wedding was not an option.
So when Donald's health took a nosedive on June 25, hospital staff helped the couple organize a hospital wedding in just three hours.
"He was given a month to live," Nancy Seskes, a nurse manager at Emerson Hospital, told the Boston Globe. "That month shortly became a week. It was becoming a day, hours."
Also see: Story behind this emotional wedding video
"My grandfather got very upset when I told him we were moving the wedding up," said Danny. "He didn’t want us to make a big fuss over him. But I told him plain and simple that I had to have him there."
Fortunately for the couple, Paula's dress had come in a week early. The rings were back from being sized. Their minister was available.
The hospital took care of everything else. The gift shop provided the flowers. The nutrition department supplied the desserts and fruit punch. The hospital photographer arrived to capture every moment.
"They had the huge courtyard all blocked off," Danny Weaver told the Boston Globe, describing the event. "They had 50 chairs lined up outside, they had music going, they picked songs for when she walked down the aisle. They literally wheeled my grandfather outside – poles, IVs, they brought it all outside."
Donald loved the ceremony, Danny said. The morning after the wedding, Donald was still talking about how beautiful the day was.
Also see: Touching gift for bride who lost everything
Donald died peacefully on June 26 at the age of 79.
"We are honoured to have assisted Danny Weaver and Paula Hatch-O’Laughlin of Hudson in exchanging wedding vows in Emerson's courtyard on June 25 so Danny's beloved grandfather, Donald Weaver, could witness their nuptials." Emerson Hospital staff wrote on Facebook. "Donald passed away surrounded by his family on June 26. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the extended Weaver family, and our sincere hope that our own Emerson family provided a measure of comfort."
"I'm so thankful to the staff at Emerson, who had already taken such good care of him, and all of us, for the last six months. If not for them, none of this could have happened," Danny told WCVB.
The newlyweds still plan to have their Maine wedding in August, but Danny believes that the hospital nuptials will remain the most meaningful.
"It was like someone else was watching upstairs and everything fell together perfect," Danny said. "You couldn’t have asked for anything better. I don’t think my actual wedding in August will be more important to me or better than this one."
