A Georgia couple planned to marry on October 9, but their baby arrived first, so the hospital staff threw them a wedding right there

Wedding dates and due dates do not always cooperate, and one Georgia couple ended up saying their vows in a hospital instead of at the ceremony they had planned. Kelly Hatfield and Randall “RJ” Davis tied the knot at Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center shortly after welcoming their daughter, Ruthie Jane, according to People.

The couple had planned to get married on October 9, but Hatfield went into labor and their plans changed. However, the pair were not ready to give up on the wedding, especially as they had already bought their rings and gotten their marriage licenses. Davis asked someone at the hospital whether a chaplain could officiate, and the staff took it from there.

The hospital’s Patient Experience team coordinated the details with Chaplain Chuck, members of the Labor and Delivery team, and Phoebe Steiber, the director of hospital operations. Per the hospital’s own social media post, the team pulled together decorations and a cake for the occasion. The labor and delivery staff who cared for Hatfield were also in the room to celebrate with the new family.

The hospital says hardly anyone in the room got through the ceremony dry-eyed

Debra Highfield, the hospital’s manager of patient experience, said “there were not many dry eyes in the room” as the couple exchanged vows. Newborn Ruthie Jane was there for the ceremony, along with family members and hospital staff. Debra Highfield also described it as “one of the sweetest and most sincere weddings” the staff had ever experienced.

In a press release, Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center thanked its staff for going “beyond the bedside” for the couple. The release said that in a single day, Hatfield and Davis welcomed their daughter and became husband and wife, surrounded by caregivers. Piedmont later shared footage of the wedding on TikTok, writing that the couple welcomed their baby girl first and then said “I do.”

Hatfield has thanked the staff publicly as well. Responding to the hospital’s photo of the wedding on Facebook, the new mom wrote that the team had been wonderful and “truly made our dreams come true,” adding that her family felt blessed. In its caption, the hospital described the effort as part of patient care, saying that caring for patients also means showing up for the moments that matter.

Hatfield and Davis are not the only couple to trade a planned venue for a hospital this year. In August, a Kansas couple who flew to Las Vegas to marry at a chapel welcomed their daughter more than a month early. However, the new mom still walked down the aisle 12 hours after the birth, at the hospital, with a neonatal doctor officiating.

Plenty of hospital births go off script, and one viral clip showed a husband who delivered his own child in a labor room before the medical team made it in. For Hatfield and Davis, the unexpected timing worked out, as their daughter got a front-row seat at their wedding instead of arriving after it.

For Piedmont, the wedding became a chance to spotlight its staff, with the TikTok caption calling the day “two beautiful beginnings for one growing family.” The caption also says the whole thing started when Davis asked a hospital volunteer about having a chaplain officiate, which set the Patient Experience team in motion.

The hospital’s footage of the ceremony is now on TikTok, giving the family a record of the day Ruthie Jane arrived and her parents were married.