Harry and Lydia first met at the Betty Ford Center Alumni Chapter meeting. After attending the meeting together for some time, Harry suggested they get lunch.
That lunch date lasted close to four hours, and the couple discovered they had much in common. Although they had not overlapped at the Betty Ford Center, they each credited their time there as the catalyst for lasting recovery.
About a year later, Harry proposed and he and Lydia began planning a wedding. Both agreed that the ideal location for their small ceremony would be the Betty Ford Center, where their separate recovery journeys had begun.
"We owe our very lives to Betty Ford and her continued support for all in addiction," said Lydia. "The Betty Ford Center is our home, the lake our serenity. There was never a question of what location would be most meaningful to us both. It is where we learned how to love and be loved, thrive in a safe environment, and how to be honest with ourselves and others."
With help from Hazelden Betty Ford's alumni team, the small event was arranged. Harry and Lydia's wedding took place by the lake at the Betty Ford Center in December of 2025.
"This was an historic moment at the Betty Ford Center," noted Carla Fremlin, Hazelden Betty Ford's national director of alumni navigation and engagement. "Our first wedding on campus, and truly an example of how lives are changed, futures are shaped, and what is possible in recovery!"
