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By Maggie Ekberg
Contributing Entertainment Writer
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Wedding bells rang — but not without a Joan Rivers-approved touch.
Melissa Rivers, daughter of the late comedy legend, married Steve Mitchel on Saturday, March 15. And while Joan wasn't there to crack a joke or steal the spotlight, the 57-year-old bride made sure her mom was part of the celebration.
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"At every guest place setting, we set bee pins for people to wear to honor my mother," Melissa told Brides in an interview published Thursday, March 20. According to the outlet's sister brand, People, the bee was Joan's personal inspiration because they "shouldn't be able to fly, and yet they do" — a reminder that anything is possible.
Joan died on September 4, 2014, at the age of 81, following complications from a routine medical procedure at Yorkville Endoscopy in Manhattan. She had undergone a laryngoscopy and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy when she went into hypoxic arrest, a condition caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain.
The Emmy-award-winning talk-show host was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she remained on life support for a week before passing. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner later ruled her death a "therapeutic complication," stating that it was a "predictable complication of medical therapy," according to NBC News.
"It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," Melissa said in a statement at the time. "She passed peacefully at 1:17pm surrounded by family and close friends."
The New York Times best-selling author went on to share what Joan would've wanted most. "My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh," Melissa said. "Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."
Joan died before getting a chance to meet Mitchel, but Melissa has no doubt her mom would have signed off on the bling. "My mom would have approved of the ring," she told People after getting engaged in 2023. "Oh yeah, and of Steve too!"
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