Fareham care home surprises resident by recreating granddaughter’s wedding

Wedding bells were ringing at a care home in Fareham as the team held a special ceremony to surprise a resident.

 

When the team at Care UK’s Parker Meadows, on Parker View, found out that Bert Edwards, 97, was unable to see his youngest granddaughter Emily walk down the aisle, they pulled out all the stops to bring the wedding to him.  

Emily and Alex Weatherall’s wedding ceremony initially took place in Dorset on 14^th June, which proved too far to travel for Navy veteran and former carpenter Bert. Knowing how much it’d mean to him, the team worked with the family to plan a surprise wedding party at the home, going above and beyond to ensure the celebrations went off without a hitch.

On the day, family members all arrived in their finest attire, with Emily and Alex donning their wedding clothes. To make it extra special, the team decorated a private room with balloons and banners, while the Head Chef prepared a delicious wedding buffet, including a Victoria bundt cake.

Bert said: “I was staggered by the whole occasion. It was one of the best days of my life.”

Lukasz Mikolaj Irzabek, General Manager at Parker Meadows, said: “It was an honour to bring Emily and Alex’s big day to life for Bert.

“We knew just how much seeing his youngest granddaughter get married meant to Bert, so the team and family worked incredibly hard to bring the wedding to him. The look on his face when they changed into their wedding attire was absolutely priceless!
 

“It was a beautiful day filled with lots of emotion for everyone involved. We are so pleased Bert was able to experience Emily and Alex say, ‘I do’, and we wish them all the best in their marriage.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Parker Meadows incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities. The home provides full-time residential care, nursing care, dementia care and respite care, in addition to independent living bungalows on-site. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge and dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.