"The Bride and the Red Door"

This spring my friend Donna pre-ordered a custom “bridal portrait” for her niece, Melissa, as a gift for her upcoming wedding. I knew the ceremony was to take place in a vaulted white tent adjacent to a favorite restaurant. I received updates as the couple spent countless hours planning, building and making most of the decor for the wedding themselves to reflect their personalities and their future together. In addition, their furry critter, aka "Biggs the dog", was set to be a critical part of the celebration.

Turns out Mother Nature had other plans for their big day.... rain, rain and more rain, transforming their beautiful white tented space into a muddy mess! What happened next in the bride's own words as told to their wedding guests …

"True story: I arrived yesterday to find my wedding venue flooded. Walked down the road to a church I’ve never been to, spoke to the bishop and explained my situation. He literally took the key to the front door off his key ring and handed it to me. “It’s all yours, just be out by the 10:30 service the next morning.” When I asked how much I owed him he hugged me and said “Young lady, the Church is MEANT to be here in times of crisis. This is clearly a crisis. There is no charge.” Oh my heart. So, if you’re coming to my wedding today, I’ll meet you across the road from my original location. It’s called St. Barnabas. Look for the big red door. I’ll see you there with the only thing I really need-the groom."

Yes, I've teared up countless times reading this. The bride and groom knew exactly what was important on their wedding day, and the true generosity and caring of the bishop at the church with the red door turned a devastating moment into a beautiful memory.The small way I could contribute to this beautiful story was to be sure "Biggs" was included in the memories of their special day as he wasn't able to attend with all the chaos.