NJ Couple Ties the Knot Seconds Before Baby Is Born

In less than one minute, Michael Gallardo and Marie Margaritondo experienced two of the biggest moments in their lives: The pair got married and became parents in a matter of seconds, NBC New York reports. They definitely earn a spot on the list of dramatic birth stories.

The couple had been planning on celebrating an intimate wedding a few weeks before they were expecting their child to be born, but baby had other plans. Margaritondo was rushed to the hospital when her water broke much earlier than planned. The couple didn’t want Dad to be listed as “fiancé” on the birth certificate, and asked staff for some last-minute help making it official.

“The team at Morristown Medical Center went above and beyond for a couple who wanted to wed, only seconds before their son was born,” writes Morristown Medical Center on Facebook.

“Everyone was incredible,” Gallardo tells NBC New York. “The nurses were scrambling—one was trying to get ordained online, one went outside and picked flowers for a bouquet, others were monitoring Marie and the baby’s vitals.”

Fate was working in the couple’s favor. The pair had already received their marriage license, and the hospital’s chaplain was on-call and able to perform the wedding ceremony just in the nick of time. Less than one minute after hearing “You may now kiss the bride,” Margaritondo was rushed to the operating room for a c-section.

The newlyweds’ baby, Michael Preston, was born on Memorial Day. “We could not be more blessed and more grateful,” says Margaritondo. “I can’t believe this is our story.”

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