First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Baby — 30 Minutes Later

hospital wedding before birth

For James Anderson, everything was put into perspective when his pregnant girlfriend Brandi went into labor with their first daughter a week before her due date — he decided that he couldn't wait one more minute to marry her. “I just couldn’t shake the idea of her having the baby without the ring on her finger,” he told KHOU. “The only thing I felt was regret that I didn’t do it a long time ago.”

After rushing to North Hills Hospital in Texas, James put his plan into motion. While Brandi was waiting for an epidural, he told her that he had to run to the store real quick. Baffled, Brandi couldn't imagine what he could possibly need from a store at that exact moment.

Next, James stepped out of the room and told the nursing staff that he wanted to get married. 

“At first, we didn’t think he meant now," said Ashleigh Campbell, one of the nurses. "Once he told us, ‘yeah, we want to do it here,’ I think pretty much the general censuses was, 'Aww.'”

The nursing staff sprang into action; Campbell called up her dad, who is a preacher, to come perform the ceremony. The rest of the staff began decorating a special delivery room for the pair. Meanwhile, James was jewelry shopping, picking out the perfect ring for his bride-to-be. 

When Brandi's water broke, she was wheeled into the decorated room. The couple's six-year-old son joined them as the ring bearer. 

A Vow Renewal Inside a Bathtub of Frozen Hot Chocolate

For our Race for the Rock scavenger hunt, we chose the famed romantic restaurant, Serendipity 3, as our last location. After the finalists sipped their Frrrozen Hot Chocolates and revealed their prizes, we got to talking about how the restaurant has become such a popular spot for proposals and weddings ever since the 2001 movie Serendipity came out. The owner and founder, Stephen Bruce, even got ordained as a minister so that he could perform weddings himself! But we were pretty surprised when we heard about a popular trend there of getting married in a bathtub filled with their famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate — and we knew we had to find out more. 

Fifteen years ago, Cleo and David Gakshteyn became one of the first couples to exchange vows while standing in frozen hot chocolate; Serendipity 3 had been one of their favorite date-night spots, so when they heard that the restaurant was looking for a couple to marry in chocolate, they knew it was the perfect fit. The bride got in the spirit with a chocolate wedding dress by Vera Wang paired with a "Chocolate Diamond" Harry Winston ring. 

serendipity chocolate wedding

After the ceremony, the groom sipped some Frrrozen Hot Chocolate out of a Stuart Weitzman "Cinderella" shoe. 

Curves Ahead: Sexy Mermaid Wedding Dresses

For true showstopper style, show off your curves in a sparkling mermaid gown. This style works best for an evening affair and is sure to garner attention! We love a few frills and layers at the bottom to balance out your curves. When trying on this style, don't forget to put on shapewear (all the best celebrities don't dare walk the red carpet without their Spanx).

This style works best for the curvy or voluptuous girl. Here, a few of our faves by Lovelle by Lazaro, Alvina Valenta, and Martina Liana.

mermaid wedding dresses

—Naima DiFranco

Sneaky Groom's Photo Session With the Engagement Ring

Most grooms-to-be say there are few things more nerve-wracking than carrying around an engagement ring — will she find it before he has a chance to pop the question? Will she notice that he's acting different? Will she like the ring? And, most importantly, will she say yes?

Reddit user BarbeRouge apparently doesn't share those apprehensions. He decided to test just how "oblivious" his girlfriend was and snap some daring pictures of the ring right in front of her.

First, a test selfie with the ring:

pre engagement photos

"She didn't realize it was right over her head," he wrote. "She was too busy watching TV. The best was we were watching one of those bridal showers on TLC; Friday is Bride Day."

pre engagement photos

Nestled in with her Eeyore stuffed animals:

pre engagement photos

Before visiting her at work:

February 25th

Photo by: Christina Diane on Snippet and Ink via Lover.ly

Tip of the Day: Forget that old etiquette rule that says you can’t send out marriage announcements after you elope, because it would seem like a plea for gifts. Loved ones will rejoice in your fab news and decide on their own if they'd like to send a little something to congratulate you. Etiquette-wise, it's perfectly okay to share your big news now!

Plus, check out Top Romantic Spots to Elope. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more great wedding tips and advice.

This Couple's Incredible Love Story Will Make You Cry

Four years ago, Larry Ragsdale planned to propose to his high school sweetheart, Kelcie Yeoman, during a vacation with her family to Disneyland. But just a week before the trip, their lives were turned upside down. While driving home from showing Kelcie's sister, McKenzie, the engagement ring he'd chosen, Larry's car was struck by a drunk driver, and he nearly lost his life. He was thrown into a coma, and for months, no one knew if he'd ever recover. 

But Kelcie never gave up on him. She was by his side every day until, at long last, he awoke. They learned that the former football and track star was left partially paralyzed from the accident; he had a long road to recovery ahead of him, filled with countless surgeries and exhaustive physical therapy sessions. Determined to be with him every step of the way, Kelcie even got a job at the facility where he was recovering. 

In August, three years after coming out of the coma, Larry proposed to Kelcie with the same ring he'd chosen before that fateful night. But with their bank accounts drained from the arduous recovery, the wedding of their dreams (in Disneyland) seemed completely out of reach — until McKenzie launched a fundraising campaign and reached their goal of $20,000 in just 11 days! 

Watch the video of their incredible journey (warning: Grab the tissues first!):

—Kristen Klein

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