Bride has two weddings in two days for grandad with dementia

Oscar Edwards BBC Wales

A newlywed bride was given the gift of two weddings in two days so her grandfather with dementia could walk her down the aisle from his care home.

Emma Noakes, 34, tied the knot in April but her beloved grandad George Lacey was unable to attend due to his worsening symptoms.

A second wedding day was organised at his care facility a day after the real thing, featuring a two-tier wedding cake and bottles of champagne, as well as the bride's special guest.

Emma Watson, director of Glenburnie Lodge in Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan, said she was delighted to make it an "occasion to remember" for their "much-loved" resident and his family.

Noakes, from Cardiff, said she and her new husband Lester are usually "quiet people" and only invited about 35 people to their wedding day in a small and intimate affair.

Because her grandad was unable to attend, her family were planning to host an event at his care facility, with the idea of having "a little buffet and some photos with him".

But after staff got wind of the idea, they said they "would like to do something for us," said Noakes.

Care home staff pulled out all the stops and Noakes was shocked when she found out what they had done.

"The chef had made a two-tier wedding cake, they decorated the garden, built a balloon arch," she said.

"The care team even helped my grandfather to, sort of, walk me down the aisle."

Noakes said the Glenburnie Lodge team managed to turn the event into a "massive thing" which she described as "so lovely" and "so unexpected".

Invites were also sent out to all the people that lived in the home and their families who attended in wedding attire.

The event provided some much needed joy for the family after "really struggling" with the adjustment following George's dementia and Alzheimer's diagnosis.

After being admitted to hospital in May 2024, his condition has deteriorated rapidly to the point where he "doesn't know who we are now", said Noakes.

"He still comes out with names like it's sort of muscle memory, but he doesn't know that they are people," she added.

Noakes said the family's experiences in the last few years makes days like the recreated wedding feel special.

"My grandad was one of the first people to move into the home when it opened.

"So it was just really nice that they were willing to go the extra mile."

She said occasions like hers can be "really special" for people who have family members with dementia, despite people with the disease often experiencing memory loss.

"You hold on to the really good times, and to give us that opportunity to have that was just amazing," she said.

It was particularly meaningful for Noakes who has "always been really close" with her grandparents.

"It was massive that he was able to be there because I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up.

Emma Watson, Glenburnie Lodge director, said: "George was one of the first residents to move in when the home opened in 2024 so needless to say, he is much-loved and very popular.

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