Couple recreates their wedding at a care home for grandmother who has dementia

Grandparents always look forward to being part of their grandchildren's big day. Similarly, loving grandchildren also want to involve them as it is a memory they will cherish for a long time. Liz Jobey, an 86-year-old woman, could not be a part of her granddaughter's wedding because of dementia. However, as reported by BBC, her granddaughter Hannah Jobey and Jay Harris re-enacted the wedding at her care home. Hannah said that she would "treasure the memories." The couple first got married in Northumberland. 

To re-create the moments of the special day, Hannah wore her wedding dress and cut a cake with her husband at the Eothen Care Home in Wallsend, North Tyneside, which cares for people with dementia. "I always wanted my gran to be part of our wedding and doing it this way she could be involved in a way that meant she felt at home," Hannah said.

The granddaughter really hoped that Liz could be there for her wedding day, but she is still pleased that they did 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," said the primary school teacher. "It allowed me and my family to create memories that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to do."

For Hannah's family, it was not easy to decide not to take her grandmother to the ceremony. Liz's eldest son, Steve, said not taking her to the ceremony was "incredibly hard." "In fact, mum has been unable to get into a car for the best part of two years. She is just not able to get in and gets very distressed. We concluded it wouldn't be in her best interests."

Steve added that no one mentioned to Liz about Hannah's wedding as they 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. They told her they'd got married and had come to see her." And when the time came, to finally meet Liz, Hannah was "thrilled" to see her. "It was like a light was switched on," said Steve. "Mum grabbed her hand and said, 'You look absolutely beautiful'. It made me so happy we had done it as we had. It was absolutely magical."

In a similar story, Erin Radmann wanted to ask her great-grandmother to be her maid of honor at her wedding. In a video posted on Reddit by u/mindyour, the grandmother is reading the letter that says, "Grandma Rose, will you be my Maid of Honor?" She asks her granddaughter, "You never gave up on me." Radmann asks her again, "Will you be my Maid of Honor, please?" The grandma continues, "Okay, I will have to learn to walk." They hug each other and Radmann gives her a necklace she can wear on the wedding day. The video went viral with more than 13.7k upvotes on Reddit and people loved the beautiful moment between them. 

Sadly, her great-grandmother could not make it till Radmann's wedding day and died in 2021. Radmann posted on Instagram about her passing away on October 13, 2021. "Yesterday we lost my sweet Great Grandma Rose. It’s been a tough day, reminiscing with family about holidays that she will not be here for. When I was 13, I promised my grandma she would be my maid of honor at my wedding." She added, "This summer I was able to ask her to be my Maid of honor at my wedding, and she happily said Yes! Here are a few pictures and a video. "She also turned 102 years old last Sunday and we celebrated her with lots of love."