When Hannah Jobey and Jay Harris held their wedding in Northumberland, north east England, Hannah’s grandmother, Liz, was unable to attend.
Liz Jobey, 86, has dementia. And because of this condition, he was unable to go to the party.
But the couple didn’t want Liz to miss the event and decided to later recreate parts of the ceremony especially for her.
Hannah, a 29yearold elementary school teacher, put her wedding dress back on and cut the cake with her husband at the nursing home where Liz lives.
“I always wanted my grandmother to be at our wedding to make her feel at home,” says Hannah.
“I would have loved to have her there on her wedding day, but I’m so glad I did.”
“My grandmother was so peaceful and happy and that was very important to all of us. She was holding my hand the whole time, not letting go and looking at my dress.”
“It has allowed my family and I to create memories that we otherwise would not have been able to.”
“It was magical”
“My grandmother was so peaceful and happy and that was very important to us,” doz Hannah, the bride (Photo: Personal Archive)
Hannah and Jay wed in August 2022, but they waited five months for Hannah’s sister and maid of honor Esme to return from college to reenact the celebrations.
Steve, Liz’s eldest son, says the decision not to take her to the royal ceremony was “extremely difficult”.
“Actually, my mother hasn’t been able to get into a car for almost two years. She just can’t get in and is very excited. We came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be the best for her. “
The family reunited for a second ceremony (Photo: Personal Archive)
“In the meantime, we didn’t mention to her that Hannah got married because we didn’t want her to get upset or confused.”
“The same day my sister Ruth went to get her ready and then Hannah and Jay came in, told her they were married and came to see her.”
“When Hannah walked in, my mom was absolutely blown away. It was like a light went on.”
“Mom took her hand and said, ‘You look so beautiful.’ I was so glad we did it the way we did. It was magical.”
Originally published text at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cd107gekz05o