Newport News, Va. (PRWEB) September 19, 2014
It isn’t often that wedding bells ring at The Gardens at Warwick Forest, a skilled nursing center that offers rehabilitation and assisted living services in Newport News, Va.
But they will this weekend when a young couple marries on site in honor of two couples who live there together and with their combined 140 years of marriage have helped showcase what a lifetime of love looks like.
Sarah Horky, 18, and Dan Eads, 20, may have only been together one year, but they believe they learned what “true love” looks like because of these Warwick Forest residents and will marry Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. in the chapel there so the couples can also attend.
***The media is invited to attend the wedding. Please contact Peter Glagola, Riverside Director of Public Relations, at peter.glagola@rivhs.com or 757.719.2103 for more information and to RSVP to the event.***
Sarah and Dan’s Story
Ask Sarah and Dan to talk about their story, and they’ll tell you simply, “when you know, you know.”
Sarah and Dan met through mutual friends about a year ago. They started off as friends and then started dating. Though their histories were different — Dan is from a big family in Nebraska and Sarah from a small one in Suffolk — they discovered they had a lot in common.
“We both love the outdoors,” Sarah said. “He hunts, I hunt. He fishes, I fish. We both love children.”
And they love each other.
“We realize,” Sarah said, “that we want to spend the rest of our lives with each other.”
Finding Love at Warwick Forest
Why Warwick Forest?
In the beginning of their relationship, Sarah and Dan would come to Warwick Forest together to visit Sarah’s mother, Julie Horky, an RN and Nursing Supervisor at The Gardens.
But when Julie introduced them to two couples who live there – the Palmers, who have been married for 78 years, and the Smiths, who married 62 years ago – Sarah and Dan started visiting to see them.
“Dan and I fell in love with both of the couples,” Sarah said. “We love spending time with both of them and thought it would be a great idea to have our wedding at The Gardens to make it a memorable event for the couples since they’re older.”
Plus, Sarah added, “we want our wedding at The Gardens of Warwick Forest because we want a marriage like the Palmers and Smiths. They showcase what true love really is.”
Even after decades of marriage, and while living in a nursing home, both couples, Sarah said, “are always laughing, making jokes and making everything fun. They are inspiring the way they are together as a couple.”
The Wedding Details
Though some details of their wedding aren’t traditional, Sarah said, they know their marriage and dedication to each other will be.
Sarah’s father will walk her down the aisle. Grandparents and parents will be there. And the Smiths will stand beside them the whole time.
After the wedding, Sarah and Dan will settle in Suffolk.
“I’m so looking forward to the big moment,” Sarah said, equally excited about the location of her wedding and the meaning behind it. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life with Dan and I couldn’t be happier.”
ABOUT THE GARDENS AT WARWICK FOREST
The Gardens at Warwick Forest offer compassionate, supportive services for people who need short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay, as well as services for people who need 24-hour nursing, memory support or end of life care.
The goal of The Gardens at Warwick is to make families and loved ones as comfortable as possible and to help maintain the highest possible level of independence. The 60-bed Medicare skilled unit provides RN coverage 24 hours a day, as well as a full time Nurse Practitioner and a team of dedicated professionals to make resident stays as comfortable as possible.
More information can be found online here http://www.riversideonline.com/continuing_care/the-gardens.cfm or by calling 757.875.2000.