A bride in Campbell River, Vancouver Island made sure her dying stepfather was a part of her special day by marrying at the senior home he stays in.

Caroline Scheck and fiancé Rodney Scheck originally planned to marry in August. However, Scheck’s stepfather Brian Devlin’s health was rapidly declining. They then decided to move the wedding date up to May so that Devlin could be in attendence.

“We planned a wedding at a long term care facility we both work at because my stepdad is palliative and he wanted to walk me down the aisle,” said Caroline Scheck. “We are uncertain on how long he has to live and I wasn’t about to wait to get married and not have him be there!”

They moved their wedding date to May 15, and scrambled to pull all the elements together in a short amount of time.

“It’s unbelievable to have planned a wedding during a pandemic and within three days while working from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. on all the days beforehand,” Scheck said.

On the wedding day, all the residents on the facility watched from their windows, waving and smiling as the couple said their “I dos”. Of course, Scheck’s stepfather was there too. He had been wheeled down to the garden where the wedding was held, and symbolically walked his stepdaughter down the aisle.

“My stepdad was wheeled down dressed up and he was coherent the whole time he was present, something he hasn’t been prior to. He talked about fishing and was happy to see his family. He was proud and that’s why we did this on such short notice. It truly was a wonderful moment!”

“When we said ‘I do’ all three floors of the facility were banging on the windows, some were present outside with us, and they all stood at the windows and watched the ceremony with smiles on their faces. We had some fellow co-workers in the crowd cheering us on and taking pics for us.”

A few days later, Devlin passed away on May 24, aged 79. Scheck is eternally grateful that her stepfather could be a part of her wedding before he died.

Feature image: Unsplash