Daughter Moves Wedding Ceremony To Father’s Deathbed — Wait For The Twist


After discovering the severity of her father’s illness, Kaila Kirby immediately changed her wedding plans and relocated to her dad’s bedside. Yet, that wasn’t the first wedding in his hospital bedroom since he’d been there. It’s something how life can cause total changes of decision in people.

It all took place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kaila Kirby, 20, had planned to marry Daniel Pardue in July, 2016, as can be seen from her Instagram page.

Yet, tragedy would strike quickly. The Charlotte Observer notes that she always thought her father would walk her down the aisle and give her away.

However, the source reports that Kirby’s father, Jubal Kirby, progressed further into his pulmonary fibrosis. Soon, the realization dawned that her dad might pass away before Kaila’s wedding day.

While an impromptu wedding wasn’t initially preferred, it was a success. Within hours, all plans had changed and Kirby was, now, having the wedding in her father’s hospital room.

The “wedding coordinator” happened to be hospital case manager Cyndi Richi. As a show of kindness and empathy, the hospital staff — along with Kirby’s family members — gathered enough money together to help with flower arrangements, a cake, and other decor. Richi even got “hospital chaplain Daniel Miles to play his guitar and sing,” as reports Charlotte Observer.

Around noon, Kaila Kirby was wed at Jubal’s bedside, in the intensive care division of Carolinas Medical Center. As the father watched the couple say their vows and exchange rings, Kaila Kirby held her husband’s hand with her left while touching her father with her right. As the report mentions, there were approximately 50 people in the room, including news crews.

The source reports that the ceremony only lasted 10 minutes or so. However, it was an emotional one, as several people continually wiped tears from their faces on such a momentous wedding day.

As can be seen from the photograph, Jubal Kirby was wearing a University of North Carolina Tar Heels’ polo shirt. The source states that it was bought for the wedding occasion. Once Reverend Rex Burleson pronounced the couple as “husband and wife,” Jubal smiled through his breathing aids and clapped by tapping his hand against the sheets. Kaila’s mother was the first to begin the applause session, as states Charlotte Observer.

Wedding day bliss filled the room as the newlyweds smiled for the cameras. Yet, the source mentions that the smile was short-lived. The reality of her father’s condition was still present. Now “Kaila Kirby-Pardue,” she mentioned as follows.

“It was important to have my dad here. I would have liked for him to stand up beside me … I feel like I’m losing my best friend.”

Her older sister, Jessica Harrison, was also sad about the situation. However, at the same time, she was “moved,” as reports the source. She stated, “It’s just sweet that he gets to give her away.” Harrison also claimed Kaila to be her father’s “baby girl.”

As a backstory, Jubal Kirby — during his employment with Charlotte Pipe and Foundry — suffered a stroke during the summer. He had to undergo surgery and was recovering. However, during that process, “he was diagnosed in recent weeks with the progressive lung disease,” notes the source.

All is not lost, though. In addition to seeing his daughter marry her love, Jubal also tied the knot with Kaila’s mother in the same hospital room, just a week prior. 11-ALIVE News reports that the couple had actually been together for 26 years. However, after solidifying his condition, Jubal “wanted to make an honest woman out of Colleen.” It happened so fast that neither daughter was present for the wedding, says Charlotte Observer.

Life has a way of influencing decisions you wouldn’t necessarily make under other circumstances, right? How do you feel about Jubal’s decision to marry Colleen after all these years? How do you feel about Kaila’s resolution to have her wedding at her dying father’s bedside? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

[Photo by China Photos/Getty Images Sport]

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