While most couples would not consider an aged care home to be the most ideal wedding venue, groom Andrew McIntyre and his bride-to-be Sarah Covel feel that perfect weddings are made by ensuring that those you love the most are able to attend.
Last week, NSW aged care home Bupa Griffith was the unlikely backdrop for a wedding that defied all conventions to ensure that the groom’s parents could attend.
Groom Andrew McIntyre has quite the connection with Bupa Griffith, where his mother worked as a registered nurse for more than three decades and both his father and grandmother now live as residents.
According to new bride Sarah Covel, the event was ‘simply magical’ thanks to the efforts of Bupa Griffith’s staff and residents.
“Two weeks ago there was nothing planned, but as Andrews’s father Don has grown sicker, the Bupa staff and residents worked very hard to help us get the wedding organised,” Mrs McIntyre said.
Both staff and residents played a vital role in creating a wedding atmosphere for the couple’s big day, creating a number of beautiful decorations and preparing the home’s courtyard area for the ceremony.
According to staff, one of those decorations was a very large heart-shaped flower decoration that residents constructed for display during the ceremony.
“It was wonderful to see all the faces of staff and residents in the windows watching from inside the care home sharing the love with us,” Mrs McIntyre said.
“We also had family and friends video calling in to watch the ceremony from all across the country, and friends and family standing outside Bupa on the street watching from afar.”
