Texas nurse, officer put wedding on pause to help combat COVID-19 outbreak

MAGNOLIA, Texas -- The coronavirus outbreak is canceling weddings across the country, but a Texas officer and nurse are postponing to save lives.

In a wooded area of Houston sits a venue that was supposed to make a bride's dreams come true.

"We had the DJ, we had the flowers, we had the photographer, we had the videographer," said Elizabeth Boyd. "We even had Whataburger coming at 9:00 p.m."

In about two weeks, high school sweethearts Elizabeth Boyd and her fiance, Austin were going to get married.

"Austin is very selfless in his career," Boyd said. "He doesn't expect anything in return, but he's always going to give it his all."

The selfless attitude applies to them both.

Austin is an officer, and Elizabeth is a nurse. Both have careers that have put their dream wedding on hold.

"I think like the 10-year-old me who was planning my wedding with Barbie dolls did not picture any of this happening," said Boyd.

The deadly coronavirus outbreak has them working more than ever. They're spending less time together to save lives.

"We're not getting to quarantine or stay home, but rather, I have been working 60 plus hours the past two weeks," Boyd said.

Despite the long hours, they were hopeful the wedding would take place. On Wednesday, they learned it wouldn't. The venue canceled all weddings through April.

Boyd said thankfully, Magnolia Meadows is working to secure a new date. This is a delay that'll make this first responder couple wait a little longer, but it will allow them to stay focused on what they do best.

"When this is all said and done, this will be a huge milestone in our career to say that we made it through this, and the difference that we made in people's lives," Boyd said.