She was supposed to be getting married on the weekend, but instead, Sarah Cummins will host a plated dinner for 170 homeless people.
Last week, Cummins cancelled the wedding she had spent $30,000 on and the last two years planning.
While she won’t say why she called it off, Cummins, 25, was left heartbroken after having to cancel her dream day.
“It was really devastating to me. I called everyone, cancelled, apologised, cried, called vendors, cried some more, and then I started feeling really sick about just throwing away all the food I ordered for the reception,” she told USA Today.
Instead of letting her nonrefundable reception go to waste, she contacted nearby homeless shelters and invited the residents to her party at the Ritz Charles.
There, the guests will dine on bourbon-glazed meatballs, goat cheese and garlic bruschetta, chicken breast in Chardonnay cream sauce, and have wedding cake for dessert.
Cherul Herzog, a spokesperson from one of the homeless shelters says the invitation from Cummins is very generous. “I was so touched that Sarah had taken a painful experience and turned it into a joyful one for families in need. It is truly a very kind gesture on her part,” she says.
For Cummins, though, the kind gesture was a distraction from her heartache.
“I will at least have some kind of happy memory to pull from,” she says. “I’ve worked so much overtime to pay for this, I wanted to make sure it would be the perfect wedding.”
If she can hold her tears back, Cummins is planning on staying for the dinner with her mum and bridesmaids.
As for the honeymoon, Cummins is heading to the Dominican Republic on her own. “I’m nervous, but I feel like it will be really good strength building for me. I want that time alone,” she says.
