Bride's "perfect day" as wedding brought forward so poorly mum could watch daughter tie the knot
Wedding blessing for Jodie and Joe organised in just 18 hours
A bride has thanked St Michael’s Hospice for “a perfect day” after a wedding blessing was arranged in under 24 hours so her poorly mum could attend.
After taking a turn for the worse, Chelle Rawlings feared she wouldn’t see her daughter Jodie tie the knot with sweetheart Joe this Friday.
But in just 18 hours, the St Michael’s Spiritual Care Team, together with clinical staff members, helped organise the blessing beside the Hospice’s beautiful pond on a sunny Saturday morning.
“It just felt perfect, and for mum to be there was so special,” said Jodie.
“It was in such a beautiful setting, with just our close family present. I thought we had missed the opportunity for mum to share our special day, but thanks to St Michael’s we had the most beautiful time.”
With Chelle’s health in mind, Jodie and Joe had already brought their wedding plans forward to this Friday. That ‘legal’ ceremony will still take place, but plans for the blessing were rushed through late last week.
Chelle said the whole occasion was so wonderful.
“It was such a wonderful day, and I can’t thank St Michael’s Hospice enough for making it happen,” she said.
The couple’s original plan was to go to the Register Office for the wedding, then to come back to St Michael’s for photos in the garden.
“Last Friday morning, we received a call from St Michael’s saying Chelle had had a bad night and things were not looking good,” said Joe. “We immediately drove up from our home in Bristol.
“Chelle really wanted to see her daughter get married, but following the phone call it looked like that might not happen. So, we mentioned the idea of holding something at the Hospice, and that’s when everyone at St Michael’s just rallied around to help.
“The Spiritual Care team were brilliant, and Bev (Spiritual Care Practitioner) chatted to us about holding a ceremony the following morning. We weren’t sure whether this would be possible in such a short space of time, but everyone pulled out all the stops to make it happen.
“In the circumstances, it was perfect – and we even beat the rain!”
Wearing a summer dress, Jodie was able to get ready with her mum. Joe – who had dashed to town to buy a shirt the night before – then joined his wife-to-be outside Chelle’s room for the short service, which took place under a bright summer sun.
“It was just so special, and we all felt a real mix of emotions,” added Joe.
“We will forever be grateful to St Michael’s for their care and generosity in making this happen. Obviously, as a family, we don’t want to be in this situation, but given the circumstances, I would not have changed a thing about that day.”