A couple from Fort Worth, Texas, got married at the Cook Children's Medical Center's neonatal intensive care unit on Tuesday, with their 11-week-old son by their side as the ring bearer.
It wasn't a wedding one dreams of, but it was all Kristi Warriner and Justin Nelson wanted. With her wristband as her "something blue" and her newborn as her "something new", Warriner said "I do" to Nelson in the presence of family and hospital staff.
The Texas-based couple became parents to Justin Jr., who was born 15 weeks early, on Sept. 2. His twin brother Colt Austin had died in the womb. JJ weighed 1 lb, 13 ounces at birth and was very weak, Star Telegram reports. He has been in the NICU since his birth and is said to be improving.
The couple had plans of getting married at an earlier date, but postponed after they discovered that Warriner was suffering from a rare condition - twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome – which occurs when identical twins share a placenta. Warriner was admitted to the medical centre on 31 August, where she was informed by the doctors that one of her sons had passed away. She went into labour 1 September and gave birth to JJ the next day.
The couple is still grieving the loss of Colt Austin, but has to be strong for JJ. "He has been struggling but has made great improvements. We still grieve but keep strong for JJ," Warriner told CNN. The infant is still suffering from chronic lung disease and requires assistance in breathing. He now weighs 6 pounds and 8 ounces and is improving by the day.
The Nelsons said that not even once did they doubt their love for each other and always remained committed to getting married. They wanted their kids, Warriner's 8-year-old daughter and JJ, to be present at the wedding. "We wanted our family together. He couldn't leave the NICU so we brought the wedding to him," she told TODAY.com.
Even though he slept throughout the ceremony, JJ was the star of the show as he looked adorable in his tuxedo onesie.
"It's not what you dream of as a little girl. It's even better. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding," Warriner said.
