With a woman's father gravely ill in the intensive care unit of an Ascension hospital in southern Indiana in August, she and her fiancé quickly decided to have their wedding before her dad was placed on a ventilator.
Cierrah Myers and Jacob Beshears married Aug. 27 at the bedside of Brandon Myers. According to a Facebook post from Ascension St. Vincent Evansville, the couple and their family and friends pulled the special day together, with the bride's grandfather performing the ceremony and other family members serving as witnesses.
Ascension St. Vincent's post said: "Cierrah and Jacob began their life together, sharing a moment of joy and love even in the hardest of times. Most importantly, Cierrah's dad was there to watch them start their new life together as Mr. and Mrs."
Ascension St. Vincent's staff held a makeshift reception for the couple and assembled family, complete with candles, a wedding cake and other treats.
On her wedding day, Cierrah told WFIE-14 news, "We decided to do it today, and get it done as soon as possible, so he could be there for it. He can't walk me down the aisle, but he can be there to see me get married. And that's what matters to me the most."
Cierrah said to WFIE that she was grateful for the hospital staff's support on her wedding day.
Brandon Myers, 51, died Aug. 30. According to his obituary, he served in the Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq, "where he carried himself with courage and loyalty, traits that stuck with him in every part of his life."
The obituary said, "Brandon lived his life with strength, kindness, and an easy sense of humor that left an impression on everyone who knew him." Family was the center of his world, the tribute said.
On her wedding day, Cierrah told WFIE that it was "one day that I will forever remember. Not only because I'm getting married, but because my dad's there for it."