A caring bride had a second ‘magical’ wedding day as a special treat for her grandma who suffers from dementia.
Hannah Jobey and Jay Harris enjoyed a dream ceremony when they tied the knot in front of their loved ones.
But Hannah’s grandma Liz Jobey, 86, missed out because of her condition. So the couple decided to have two weddings and re-enacted their big day at her care home.
Hannah, 29, will “treasure” the memories forever. The primary school teacher donned her wedding outfit and cut a cake alongside her husband at the Eothen care home in Wallsend, North Tyneside.
Afterwards she said: “I always wanted my gran to be part of our wedding. Doing it this way meant that she could be involved in a way that meant she felt at home.”
She added: “I really wished she could have been there on the actual day. But in the end I was so pleased we chose to do it this way.
“My gran was so relaxed and happy and that was so important to all of us. She kept holding my hand, not letting go, and looking at my dress.
“It allowed me and my family to create memories.” Hannah, of Gateshead,
Tyne and Wear, and Jay were married at Brinkburn Priory, near Rothbury, Northumberland in August.
They waited five months for their second day with Liz so that Hannah’s sister and chief bridesmaid, Esme, was home from college.
The decision not to take her to the original ceremony had been “incredibly hard”, Hannah’s dad and Liz’s eldest son Steve, 62, explained.
“Mam has been unable to get into a car for the best part of two years,” he said. “She gets very distressed. We concluded that it wouldn’t be in her best interests.
“We didn’t mention to mum that Hannah had got married as we didn’t want to upset or confuse her. On the day itself, my sister Ruth went and got her ready and then Hannah and Jay came in dressed to the nines.
“When Hannah came in my mum was absolutely thrilled to bits. It was like a light was switched on.
"Mum grabbed her hand and said ‘You look absolutely beautiful’. It was absolutely magical.”
Care home manager Christine Henderson, who has worked for Eothen for 24 years, watched as Liz’s face lit up.
She said: “She had a very lucid moment where it was very real for her. We are one big family and for us it is really important that residents can still be part of those special moments with their loved ones.”