A Philadelphia couple didn’t let a vacation injury stop them from tying the knot.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, 40-year-old Suria Nordin, said her "I Do's," to 51-year-old Kirby Smith. The Center City wedding ceremony was held on the sunny rooftop garden of the Magee Rehabilitation center, just two months after Nordin was admitted as a rehab patient.
On the engaged couple’s July vacation to Jamaica, Nordin was hurt in a pool accident, leaving her paralyzed in her legs and arms due to a spinal cord injury. The bride was flown back to Philadelphia where she was first treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, before transferring to Magee.
After waiting thirteen years to get married, the couple decided it was time to tie the knot, despite the recent injury.
“When I looked at her, I realized I couldn’t live without her," Smith said.“We waited long enough. Let’s do it now. Let’s do it in the hospital and keep going on. We’re going to fight it together, and she’ll get through this.”
Nordin is a CPA for the Philadelphia accounting firm, Ernst and Young. Smith is a resident of South Philly, working as a Senior VP of IT at PRWT Services.
The rooftop ceremony was decorated with sunflowers.
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“We kept wishing for sunshine, and boy did we get it,” Smith said.
Sticking with the sunshine theme, the bride was rolled down the aisle in a wheelchair, carrying a bouquet of sunflowers. She wore an elegant white dress, with her veil extending off the headrest of her chair. The groom wore an off-white suit, with a bright yellow flower boutonnière.
Smith knelt down to kiss his bride, as the crowd cheered.
“I’m happy," Smith said. "I got my Suria!"
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
