There’s a couple I know spending their honeymoon in the LDS hospital in downtown Salt Lake City right now. The nurses on the surgery floor have taped two felt hearts, a large golden bow and a banner that reads, “Honeymoon Suite” across the hospital room door. They moved the couple to the far end of the wing so they could get a little more privacy and at least hold hands on their wedding night. The bride is in one bed recuperating next to another bed the nurses rolled in for the groom so he wouldn't have to be too far from his bride.
The doctors and nurses who work in the emergency room said it was the first time they’d seen a patient arrive in the ambulance wearing their wedding dress.
As you can guess, this wedding day didn’t turn out quite as expected.
Aubrey and Kyle waited 31 years to find each other. After struggling through school on a dime with crowded apartments and tight budgets they are both doctors now. Aubrey has a PhD in Anthropology and Kyle is a resident anesthesiologist in LA. How they ever found each other is a miracle. They were born a few days apart but on different sides of the United States . . . Aubrey in a small town in Utah and Kyle in a small town in Pennsylvania.
They both attended BYU but never met each other. He went on a mission to Spain and she finished her master’s degree. Then she accepted a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania and he went to medical school at Penn State. They never crossed paths. Sometimes it was hard to keep believing they would ever find each other.
Aubrey was living in Washington DC when she was invited to a birthday party in Philadelphia. Kyle was invited too. That was the first time they saw each other and something clicked. They found ways to get together even with extremely busy schedules as she finished her dissertation and he finished his first year of rotations. Then he started a three year residency in LA and she started a job at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC.
They decided they didn’t want to live without each other any longer. They choose Valentines Day, called the Salt Lake City temple and the plans began . . . red roses and Dutch irises to decorate the hall for the reception and red velvet cupcakes and chocolate dipped strawberries for refreshments. On a special date Kyle served Aubrey chocolate dipped strawberries just before their first kiss followed by dancing, a love song and a poem.
They decided to take pictures at the temple on Wednesday because a big storm was forecast for Saturday. Aubrey got sick late Thursday night but she brushed it off as food poisoning or the stomach flu. Then there was the wedding supper with both families on Friday night. On Saturday morning she felt weak and crampy but excited for the big day. On the ride to the temple she complained of pain in the lower abdomen but hoped it would go away.
Once inside the temple, her mother had to dress her because it was too painful for her to stand. Right before the ceremony she raced to the nearest bathroom. The vomiting and pain were intense. Then there was a small break in the most extreme pain. Her father called for a wheelchair while her mother asked the workers to adjust the temple alter as quickly as possible.
The feeling in that sealing room was electric as these two beautiful souls made covenants to God and each other. Rings were exchanged and a short trip to the celestial room was made. Then the pain became so intense the paramedics were called, the ambulance arrived and she was carried out on a stretcher with her groom at her side.
They talked about not wanting to miss the reception while tests were run in the emergency room but the surgeon on duty told Aubrey and Kyle they wouldn’t be attending their own reception that night. Aubrey would need to be rushed into surgery as quickly as possible. She had a ruptured appendix and the situation was serious.
The reception went on without the bride and groom. Each guest was video taped and friends and family took lots of pictures so Aubrey could see the elegant red rose and purple Dutch Iris bouquets that decorated the hall.
A ruined day? No.
There were miracles everywhere.
The marriage still took place!
They planned to fly out the next morning after the wedding to Spain for their carefully planned honeymoon. This emergency could have happened on an airplane or in a foreign country.
AND they had pictures because of the storm warnings.
There are no ruined days – there are only miracles.
Congratulations Aubrey and Kyle.
I love you.
MOM
