Texas couple weds at hospital after groom’s father undergoes emergency surgery
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A Texas couple ensured the groom’s father was a part of their big day after he was unexpectedly hospitalized and required emergency surgery.
Michael and Aaliyah Thompson celebrated their marriage with two ceremonies on Sept. 21 — the first taking place at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Sunnyvale.
Not long before their scheduled wedding, William Thompson, the groom's father, was hospitalized due to complications with his diabetes, according to KXAS-TV. He developed a sepsis infection and required emergency surgery.
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Knowing it was impossible for William to make their formal wedding, the couple chose to bring the wedding to him.
"I told [Michael], ‘If your dad has surgery, there is no way that they are going to let him out for the wedding.’ So we talked and discussed it and that’s when we decided if he can’t leave, then we go and get married in front of him in that hospital room," Aaliyah told the news station.
On the morning of Sept. 21, the couple arrived at the hospital and were wed by their pastor in front of both sets of parents. The bride’s grandmother, as well as her maid of honor, were also present. Michael’s best man also stood by his side, according to Insider.
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The couple were required to wear surgical gowns during the impromptu ceremony, and placed the wedding rings over gloved fingers, photos of the event show. Nurses at the hospital also helped the couple celebrate the special moment by providing cake, flowers and grape juice.
“The nurses wanted to watch it, which was pretty awesome because they’d been the people taking care of him the few weeks he was in the hospital,” Aaliyah told Insider.
Later that day, the couple was wed once more at a church.
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“No matter where we did it... It was just really important that his dad was there," Aaliyah told KXAS-TV, noting they had already been forced to reschedule their wedding two times due to deaths in the family.
"He kept smiling. He was just really happy," Aaliyah added.
William has since made a full recovery, Insider reports.