A COUPLE re-enacted their wedding so the bride’s grandma could experience the big day.
Clare and Tom Harrison really wanted 94-year-old Peggy Baily to join them for the special event.
However, they soon realised she would not be able to cope.
Mrs Baily is living at Red Oaks Care Home in Henfield but travelling to London for the celebration would have been too much for her.
The wedding went ahead as planned in August but the family were disappointed Mrs Baily could not be there.
They then came up with the idea to re-stage it in Henfield.
After speaking to the care home, where staff agreed to help, the wedding Mark II was set up and ready to go.
Members of the family dressed exactly the same as the original wedding.
They included Mrs Baily’s daughter Lesley Griffiths, 67, and her husband John, along with the newly married couple, who are both 33.
Other guests included Mrs Griffiths’ other daughter Emma Oliver-Taylor, her husband Nick and their three children – twins Molly and Grace, eight months, and Rory, who is nearly three.
During the special ceremony the wedding rings were blessed with everyone looking on.
Organisers said Mrs Baily, who was dressed in her best outfit, had a “fantastic time” surrounded by all her immediate family.
The whole group also enjoyed a wedding buffet in the afternoon.
Mrs Griffiths, who lives in Worth, near Crawley, said: “It was all so much appreciated and we all thought she looked very lovely.
“We have some wonderful memories and photos to enjoy.”
Red Oaks’ general manager Linda Ryan said: “It was an absolute pleasure to host the blessing of the rings.
“It was a team effort to ensure it ran smoothly, with our hospitality manager making sure the seating plan and flowers were all in place.
“The activities manager provided a full make-over and our administrator became the photographer for the day.”
The first wedding was held at Wilton’s Music Hall in London as it was an important part of Mr and Mrs Harrison’s lives.
Just by chance, it came to light at the ceremony that Mrs Baily’s father had been a dance performer at the hall in the 1920s.
Mrs Baily, known to her grandchildren as nanny, has been living at the home for the past four months.
She arrived for respite care but it was then agreed she could stay there permanently.
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