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When reading the news we often read of some pretty shocking demands of brides on their wedding days. This can be in the form of required lavish gifts, or expectations of the bridal party that can leave bridesmaids in tears.
It was therefore refreshing to listen to the story of one bride, Arielle deNeergaarde, taking time out of her special day to go and see her best friend, Christine West.
West, who was incidentally her matron-of-honor, had to miss the wedding when she became a mom for the first time. And while she must have been excited to welcome her new son, she must also have a felt a little disappointed to miss her best friend's wedding.
The women have been best friends for 18 years and in the week before the wedding, when the baby's arrival was imminent, the bride-to-be spoke to her friend's husband wondering "how we can make something happen."
An unexpected visit
Well, deNeergaarde came up with the surprise, along with her photographer, to pop to the hospital to see her friend and her new baby in the middle of her wedding morning. As West pointed out: "Who takes time away from the busyness of their literal wedding morning to come to a hospital?"
Yet the beautiful bride wanted to somehow still involve her friend, even if she were in the hospital, and of course meet the new baby.
The new mom was visibly moved by the gesture, as you can see in the video below. And as she explained to Good Morning America: "Just the thought of her thinking to do that was just absolutely beautiful and it just shows how selfless she is as a person and who she is to her core, and how important our relationship is."
What really strikes us about this lovely surprise is that on the day when both women were taking such fundamental steps in their life journeys, they were still there supporting each other, and will no doubt continue to share in the beauty of their friendship that can only strengthen their marriages and family life.
