By Joan Tupponce

Wedding days are always filled with surprises or unexpected moments.

For Kandra Norris and Bernard Manatu, Oct. 23, 2025, will be forever etched in their minds because of two unplanned, life-changing moments: a bedside wedding and a birth.

Kandra and Bernard got engaged in February and discovered a few months later that they were expecting. So, the two planned an October wedding.

The nuptials were to take place on Oct. 22 at Lucky in Love, a small chapel in Richmond, and the baby shower was going to be three days later. 

The entire team turned one of the most unexpected days of my life into something beautiful.

Kandra Norris, VCU Health patient

Everything was going as planned, until Kandra’s appointment with the OB-GYN team at VCU Health at GreenGate the day before the wedding. Her care team told her that her blood pressure was very high. 

“I started to panic,” said Kandra, who was 32 weeks and two days pregnant. “The providers there said to wait five minutes and take it again. It remained high. We made the decision to go to VCU Medical Center directly.”

Once she was settled into the labor and delivery unit of the medical center, Kandra underwent fetal monitoring for 24 hours.

“They wanted to make sure that baby girl was okay,” Kandra said.

All the while, Kandra was still planning on her chapel wedding.

The fetal monitor showed a few dips in her daughter’s heart rate. Because of that, Kandra was told her hospital stay would be extended to one week to make sure everything was okay.

Upset over the circumstances, Kandra let the nurses know she was supposed to be getting married.

“When the doctors made the decision for a preterm induction, Kandra reiterated that it was important for her to be married before she had her baby,” said Brea Schwartz, R.N., a labor and delivery nurse at VCU Medical Center.

At that moment, a group of nurses sprang into action — making this unexpected change for a patient’s wedding day into an experience she never could have imagined.

Quick-thinking turns a delivery room into a chapel 

A group of nurses talked about the unfortunate timing, and how they wished there was a way to make the day special for Kandra.   

“We mentioned it to our nurse educator, Ciara Britt. She recruited the hospital chaplain who began coordinating to get permission through the hospital to have the couples prearranged officiant come in for them,” Schwartz said. “From there, we took off planning.” 

As her something blue, nurses printed and framed a photo of Kandra and Bernard wearing blue shirts. (Contributed photo)Rev. Leigh Finnegan-Hosey, pediatric and women’s health chaplain at VCU Health, coordinated all the details for the original officiant to be on hand. She has performed weddings in the hospital before, but never before a baby’s birth. 

“It was definitely a unique experience,” Finnegan-Hosey said. “In the midst of a stressful situation, this family was incredibly gracious and flexible. And of course, our team rallied on every level to make it a beautiful celebration. It was very cool seeing this couple become a full-fledged family.” 

As part of the planning, Britt printed a picture of the couple and put it in a frame for Kandra’s something borrowed and something new. Other nurses made a blue beaded bracelet for her something blue. 

“I thought if Kandra went through the motions of planning a wedding and then telling us it was her wedding day, that means she had dreams of what it would look like,” said Taylor Russell, R.N., a labor and delivery nurse who helped plan the bedside wedding. “And to have the day be so totally different than what she imagined, I just wanted it to be a beautiful day.  I wanted her to feel thought of and taken care of in spite of the unknown.” 

The nursing staff also had flowers sent to the hospital room and gathered all the wedding-related decor they could find from “throwing bridal showers for coworkers on the unit,” Schwartz said. “Taylor and I decorated the room together with a banner backdrop, string lights, flowers and balloons.” 

Bernard didn’t know the nursing staff was decorating the room until he walked in.

“It was wonderful, better than I could have expected,” he said, adding that he even helped hang the banners.

As Schwartz was starting to induce Kandra, she also helped the blushing bride carefully navigate the IVs and fetal monitors to slip into the dress she originally wanted to wear down the aisle. When Kandra walked out of the bathroom in her wedding dress and saw the decorations, she was overcome with emotions.

“I’m pretty sure I cried,” she said.Presley was born 5 pounds, 3 ounces after her parents were married at VCU Medical Center in October 2025. (Contributed photo)

The bed was moved off to the side of the room to make space for family members to huddle around the couple and officiant; the care team monitored close by.

With the lights dimmed and — per Kandra’s request — Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On” playing, the couple prepared to say, “I do.”

“That was just another example of the personal touches they added and how they went above and beyond to make our day special,” Kandra said of the staff.  “They were all amazing.”

Bernard concurs, adding, “I was a little nervous due to the suddenness of the delivery.”

Throughout the approximately 10-minute ceremony, the nursing staff stayed close enough to monitor the baby’s heart rate, which had dropped once or twice. 

“At one point, I shed a tear,” said Schwartz about the ceremony. “I was paying close attention to her baby who had a low tolerance for the stress of contractions. I had to quietly sneak in to get the baby back on the monitor.”

“As soon as I kissed my husband, they carted me off and rushed me over to surgery,” Kandra said.

Schwartz, pregnant herself, was honored to be part of Kandra’s special moment. It’s a day she’ll never forget, in part because she was also experiencing early labor contractions during the ceremony. Ten hours later, Schwartz went on to deliver her baby, Vera, weighing 7 pounds and 15 ounces.  

“I was so thankful we made it through the ceremony,” Schwartz said, adding she was distracted by the excitement and was in denial that she was also in labor. “Once I got home and contractions became more intense, I realized it had been happening most of the afternoon. It was a wild 24 hours to say the least!”

First-time mom grateful for her daughter’s safe birth and wedding day miracle 

Kandra is no stranger to VCU Health. As a safety compliance officer for the health system, she knows how much work each team member puts in every day to ensure their patients are safe. And with VCU Medical Center recognized among the best hospitals in the nation for maternity care, Kandra could trust that she was in the right place at the right time.

Nearly eight months after being in the NICU at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, parents Kandra and Bernard are overjoyed to share that Presley is happy and healthy. (Contributed photo)“My daughter is my first child, and it was a rough journey. I went through so much to get pregnant and, until the last couple of days, the pregnancy went so well,” she said. “My care team was excellent. They made a traumatic and stressful situation seem less stressful. It had a dramatic impact on my life, my daughter’s life and my husband’s life. To see that as a team member, it was a great experience.”

After delivery, Kandra remained in the hospital for an additional six days to monitor her blood pressure. Her newborn daughter, Presley, born 5 pounds, 3 ounces, stayed in the advanced neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU for 19 days before going home.

Months later, Kandra is still finding it hard to express the level of her gratitude she has for her VCU Health care team. 

“The entire team turned one of the most unexpected days of my life into something beautiful. They were genuinely excited to make that day a great day despite everything else going on,” she said. “I appreciate everything they did to make that day enjoyable and memorable. I will never forget my experience.”

STAR Service Award: Honoring care team for surprise bedside wedding  

To show her appreciation for the labor and delivery unit, Kandra nominated the care team for a special recognition called the STAR Service Award.  

STAR Service stands for “Safety, Teamwork, Accountability, Relationships and Service that Shows I Care.” The monthly award celebrates team members’ unwavering commitment and personalized approach to delivering exceptional care to patients and families. 

Labor and delivery nurses Taylor Russell, R.N., and Brea Schwartz, R.N., received a special recognition for helping to lead efforts to decorate Kandra’s patient room for her bedside wedding. From left to right: Sharon Cone, PhD, RNC, NNP, nursing director for Women and Infants' Health; Russell, Schwartz and Holly Perkins, DNP, RN, FNP-C, nurse manager for labor and delivery. (VCU Health Department of Patient Centered Services)

Nominations for this VCU Health award come from patients, families, visitors and other team members who see individuals go above and beyond their daily duties. 

"The most important moments of Kandra’s life converged at once,” said Allyson Matheny, STAR Service Program Coordinator at VCU Health. “The labor and delivery team provided a peaceful and meaningful wedding ceremony and birth, showcasing their creativity while honoring the patient's individuality. Their efforts truly exemplify extraordinary STAR Service by going above and beyond to show they care about their patient's well-being and experience at VCU Health."  

Members of the labor and delivery team at VCU Medical Center received a STAR Service Award for the care they provided Kandra, Bernard and Presley. (VCU Health Department of Patient Centered Services)

As you plan for the birth of your baby, you have many decisions to make. Discover how the care teams at VCU Health can help you create the birth experience you want. 

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