Rockville Couple Renews Vows at Shady Grove Adventist

There's an old adage that says rain falls on the head of a happy bride, and, if this is truly the case, then 33-year-old Dalia Osorto of Rockville must have been very happy on Sunday afternoon.

It was pouring outside, but Osorto and her husband, German Osorto, 29, renewed their vows during a lovely indoor ceremony at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Dalia has been an in-patient at the hospital for more than a month. She is battling melanoma, a malignant form of skin cancer.

The couple, who share four children, originally exchanged vows in a civil ceremony in 2009. They had planned to renew their vows with a Catholic priest on March 6 before Dalia was ever admitted to Shady Grove. They decided to keep the date despite her illness - and the nurses at the hospital helped make their dream a reality.

"They've become so close to this family," said Jennifer Plaia, a spokeswoman for the hospital. "(The Osorto's) were initally going to do this at home and then she got admitted and they decided to keep the date."

The wedding was held in the small chapel at the hospital; a reception followed in a waiting room on the oncology floor. More than 50 family members and friends attended the event. Guests spilled out of the chapel, out of the hospital rooms, and into the halls. A nervous energy buzzed between everyone before the bride made her grand entrance.

A few minutes prior to the service, German Osorto, Jr., 10, approached his father.

"Daddy?" he asked.

"What's up?" German responded.

His son held up a pin in one hand and a small plastic bag containing a red rose in the other. It was time to pin on his father's boutonnière. German, Jr. had an identical white rose already attached to his small lapel.

"I can't believe it," German Osorto said after the service. "I thought there would be 20 (people)...This is priceless for me."

Fatu Fofana, a registered nurse who has helped care for Dalia Osorto on the oncology floor, said she was glad to help coordinate the event. The staff solicited donations for cakes, flowers and decorations. The hospital cafeteria catered the reception.

"We're so happy for the bride and groom," Fofana said. "She said she'll never forget this day. It was her happiest day."

The bride was escorted to the chapel in a wheel chair, but walked down the aisle on her own. She wore white gloves, a veil and a full-length wedding dress.

"Now I have God's blessing," Dalia Osorto said through a translator. The Osorto's are originally from El Salvador.

"That was the most important to me," she said.