Congrats to Vanessa Baral and Herwyn Silva! The New York City nurses got married on Thursday morning, and while their friends and family weren’t able to be there in person — they were watching the ceremony live on the Today show.
Hoda Kotb officiated the nuptials for the couple, who were forced to cancel their May wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pair have been at the frontline fighting the disease — Baral at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital and Silva at Lenox Hill — and Baral was actually diagnosed with coronavirus in early April. She recovered two weeks later, but told Today they didn’t want to risk exposing their family members.
“We didn’t know if we were gonna be carriers and we definitely didn’t want to spread that to our family. It was something bigger than us and we knew we had to act on that accordingly,” Silva explained.
So, the Today show organized a beautiful outdoor ceremony. Baral and Silva’s colleagues from their respective hospitals called in via video chat in to send their well wishes, before the pair were presented with another surprise: Filipino band South Border delivered a virtual performance of “Rainbow” for their first dance.
Silva proposed to Baral on vacation last year, so the Today show wanted to make sure their next trip was just as memorable.
“We know that you were forced to postpone your wedding and obviously had to cancel your honeymoon, so we wanted to make sure you got to take one,” Al Roker said, revealing they would be flying to Fiji next year to celebrate their honeymoon with a seven-night stay at the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa.
“You guys deserve a trip of pure relaxation for healthcare heroes like you two, who now are one,” he added.
New York City nurses Vanessa Baral and Herwyn Silva had to postpone their wedding due to the pandemic, but now they’re tying the knot with their co-workers in virtual attendance and @hodakotb officiating! ?
