This past spring, Brad Wilson and Channing Farris wed in Fredericksburg, Texas. The ceremony was surely beautiful, but it lacked one very important guest — Brad’s father, 75 year old John Wilson.

“He’s battled dementia for the last decade,” Brad explains. “[It] has left him nonverbal and unable to travel for the last couple of years, though for us it’s obvious he’s still there as a person.”

Seeing his son tie the knot was something John talked about often, so Brad devised a plan. He called the staff at Edgemere senior living, where his father is a memory support resident. Together, they worked to recreate the ceremony on site. Earlier this month, in the Edgemere courtyard, Brad once again promised to love his bride forever. But this time his father was there to pay witness.