Poorly baby is bridesmaid at Bristol Children's Hospital ceremony

A couple celebrated their marriage in a children's hospital to allow their poorly daughter to be their bridesmaid.

Six-month old Layla has CHARGE syndrome and was born with life-threatening birth complications.

It did not stop her attending her parent's wedding blessing though as nurses in Bristol agreed to push her down the "aisle" in her hospital bed.

Louise and Karim Rezaie from Torquay in Devon said: "It was a special day that we will treasure forever."

The couple became engaged last year while Louise was pregnant, and it was her "dream" that Layla would be their bridesmaid.

The 30-year-old psychological wellbeing practitioner said with Layla's future uncertain, they set about making a new plan for the wedding.

Layla's father, a 38-year-old psychological therapist, said: "It was really the most important thing to just have Layla there, because we didn't really know how long she was going to live."

The couple officially married on 21 May in an intimate ceremony at the local registry office then returned to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children where their marriage was blessed.

Nurses dressed Layla in her bridesmaid dress for the big day and hung a sign on her bed saying "congratulations".

The hospital team also transformed a room into a "magical" wedding venue and the ward corridor was used as the aisle.

"Layla did really well. She just seemed really excited, she loved playing with her wand and playing with her dress and she loved all the attention from the nurses," her mother said.

With no guests allowed at the hospital ceremony due to coronavirus restrictions, the couple said staff made their day special, even treating them to live guitar music, a photographer and a video of family and friends.

"We can't praise the hospital enough. There are so many special people that we have met and they will be in our hearts forever," Mrs Rezaie said.

Without the support of the NHS, they said Layla would not have survived.

She was born on Christmas Day at Torbay Hospital in Devon and has only spent 10 days at home.

The rest of her life she has been in hospital with her parents staying in dedicated family accommodation in Bristol, funded by the hospital's charity.

Layla has hearing loss, heart defects and several complications.

Her parents want to raise awareness of the rare genetic mutation.

Mr Rezaie said: "We had never heard of CHARGE syndrome and a lot of the doctors we have engaged with had never heard of it.

"It affects every part of the body... and it can be on a really big spectrum so people can be very severely disabled to perhaps not really realising they have CHARGE syndrome."

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