On February 14, two TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center colleagues, Karina, supply chain coordinator, and Jon, tech analyst, exchanged vows and were married right here at the hospital where they first met.

The couple’s ceremony took place at the hospital, officiated by the hospital chaplain, Pastor Willie, with Cindy, director of infection control, proudly serving as their witness. In a surprise for their colleagues, Karina and Jon shared the joyful news during the morning staff meeting, leaving their hospital team members overjoyed by the unexpected announcement.

Stay Positive News caught up with the newlyweds after their big day. Here are snippets of the conversation, so you can get to know this cute couple a bit too.

What caused you to get married at the unique venue that is the hospital?

• We wanted to get married at the hospital because that is where we met and where we fell in love. It all started when I, Jon, had to fix the printer in Karina’s department. After we met and started officially dating we would get so much support from our coworkers saying they were rooting for us as a couple, and we promised when the day came that Pastor Willie would be the one to marry us.

Was Valentine’s Day sentimental to you before today? 

• Valentine’s Day this year is also our 16 year old dog Tofu’s birthday. It just worked out that our rings came in just in time for Valentine’s Day this year.

Was it a surprise to anyone?

• The only person who knew we were getting married was Pastor Willie and he did an amazing job keeping it a secret. We can’t thank him enough.

What do you love about working at TriStar? 

• What we love about working at TriStar Hendersonville is our coworkers. The way we support our patients, community, and each other is something very special that you don’t find in a lot of jobs. Hearing our coworkers express how happy they were to see us as a couple, but also the compliments on our individualities and how well we worked as a couple really made us feel like we picked the right person to be with.

Is there any encouragement you’d like to give couples in love?

• Being a couple you need to remember that you are two people with different personalities. Instead of trying to change each other you need to be supporting and complimenting each other. Communicate openly, cover each others blind spots, and genuinely listen to each other. Listen to each other on the good days where the sun is at it’s brightest, to the days where you know your partner is struggling. Always making a continuous effort to let your partner know they are safe and supported no matter what.

Editor's Note: Thank you to Megan McConnell, Director of Communications & Community Involvement at TriStar Hendersonville, for coordinating the conversation with Jon and Karina and for writing the introduction.