Our Hospice wedding – Lynne and Ian’s story

After a whirlwind engagement of just four days, Lynne and Ian got married at Dorothy House Inpatient Unit at Winsley supported by their closest friends and the nurses on the Inpatient Unit at the hospice.

Lynne met Ian on the internet in February 2018 when she invited Ian to play an online scrabble game. They immediately hit it off and were soon chatting on Facebook and meeting up often between Cambridgeshire – where Lynne lived with her family – and Ian’s home in Keynsham. Lynne and Ian quickly realised they had a special bond so when she received her cancer diagnosis in June, Ian immediately invited her to come and live with him in his flat in Keynsham.

A very special Hospice wedding

Lynne spent some time in hospital at the RUH, Bath and became unwell after returning home. Her district nurse team then recommended she was transferred to Dorothy House for a few days’ respite while a care package was put in place for her at home. On her first day at the Hospice Ian proposed to Lynne and she accepted!

The Hospice nursing and chaplaincy teams rallied around and contacted the registry office in Trowbridge who agreed to come to the Hospice and hold the wedding just a few days later.

The Hospice wedding took place in Lynne’s bedroom attended by friends of the couple. Kerri, Lynne’s daughter, watched the whole ceremony on Facetime as she was unable to travel from Cambridgeshire. The bride held a bouquet of yellow and white roses and the room was filled with cards and flowers from family and friends. The Hospice catering team created a stunning wedding cake and Katie, an IPU volunteer, performed a special song at the ceremony.

Ian said: ‘The highlight of the wedding was listening to hospice volunteer Katie singing Frank Sinatra’s song ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ – she has such a powerful voice and it made the happy occasion very moving indeed.’

Lynne said: ‘All the staff at Dorothy House have been so friendly and helpful to us. It’s a beautiful place and really feels like home from home. It’s so different to hospital, we can even call the doctors by their first names.’