Copyright Newsweek
A Bay Area bride-to-be’s life was completely upended when she went to the emergency room for an inflamed ear and received a shocking diagnosis. But, instead of putting her plans on hold, the terrifying news led her and her fiance to an impromptu hospital proposal and the decision to move their wedding forward. The result was an emotional, last-minute ceremony held in the hospital chapel. The bride, Ashley Macholz, 30, posted photos of the wedding to TikTok. She told Newsweek about the unexpected journey and how she is recovering from a recent surgery. An Unexpected Diagnosis Macholz said she and her now-husband, Bryan, met at a Halloween party in 2017. The couple knew their connection was special from the beginning and confirmed their compatibility through extensive international travel together. Everything changed, though, in September 2025 when Macholz went to the emergency room because her ear felt "swollen and very sensitive to touch," she said. Though doctors said her ear looked fine, she had a feeling it was something more and agreed to a scan to check for bone infection. "The doctor came in to tell me that the good news was that I didn't have a bone infection, but they found a quite-larger tumor, in the area of the ear," Macholz said. The Hospital Proposal Her fiance immediately drove an hour to the hospital, bringing comfort items and, crucially, the engagement ring Macholz had forgotten to wear that morning. The moment he walked through the doors, he was ready to commit forever. "He took the engagement right out of his pocket, got on one knee and said, 'I don't want to wait anymore; I want you to be my wife,'" Macholz said. "And I said 'yes' again." With a planned surgery to cut off the tumor’s blood supply set for two days later, the couple made a rapid decision: they would get married on September 30. A Magical, Last-Minute Wedding The couple's sisters, best friends and family rallied to pull off the hospital wedding in a matter of days. Macholz's older sister, a photographer, was able to capture the day for them, and managed to order a dress that arrived overnight and fit perfectly. Macholz's best friend drove through the night from San Diego with a handmade veil, while other friends helped with makeup, nails and coordinating the day. The location, a small chapel at the rural hospital, became a surprisingly perfect setting. Macholz and Bryan had always planned for their wedding to include two big components: redwood trees and being surrounded by loved ones. The hospital delivered on that vision. "The fact that the hospital chapel had a stained-glass waterfall and redwoods was an incredible detail," Macholz said. "It felt like it was exactly where we were meant that be." In a final moment of drama before the ceremony, Macholz's main surgeon stopped by to inform her that her surgery was canceled, as she was being transferred to a more-specialized team. Despite the uncertainty, the wedding went ahead. The room was "small and crowded, and the love and support were tangible," Macholz added. The couple were married by one of Bryan's best friends, who had gotten certified online for the occasion. Recovery and Hope After the wedding, Bryan followed the ambulance to San Francisco, and the newlyweds faced the challenge of being apart on their first night of marriage due to hospital rules. "It really hit us both hard, because whoever thinks that you'd be apart from your husband or wife on the first night of marriage, and sleeping on a bench in a hallway?" Macholz said. She has since had two surgeries, and, despite some painful moments, she is recovering in the ICU. The surgeons were able to execute their plan and are "very hopeful" for her recovery. Looking back, Macholz said the biggest thing she learned was the power of self-advocacy. "I trusted that my body going through something that wasn't normal and I advocated for myself," she said. While she still has a long road ahead, she is grateful that she caught the tumor before it caused "scarier, more-serious symptoms." Now, with the surgery behind them, Macholz and Bryan are focusing on the future and planning their long-awaited trip: "We are currently putting together a trip to Japan for our honeymoon this winter," she said. "We have been talking about heading there for years, and I think it's just time to make it happen."
