Weddings are meant to celebrate love while gathered around your friends and family. But what would you do if a part of your family couldn’t attend due to illness?
Tara Foley set the bar with her story.
And please grab the tissues before reading. This story will make you cry, it’s that beautiful.
Tara was set to be married but received terrible news that her grandmother would be unable to attend. She was unable to fly, as she was put into hospice care. Tara writes:
“When my Nana was put on hospice, the nurse asked her what her goals were. She replied that she wanted to be at my wedding. They reluctantly told her they didn’t want her flying anymore (she was nearly 103 years old) and her heart was failing.”
So what did she do?
She took the wedding to her grandmother, at least the dress. Being her grandmother couldn’t fly, the bride-to-be hopped a plane and spent time with her. She invited a photographer to capture their moment.
“I knew in my heart she was trying to hang on to get there somehow. I decided to fly to her with my wedding dress, it was unaltered and didn’t fit yet but none of that mattered. I may have lied to my entire family about where I was that weekend, and I didn’t tell my friends so I could surprise everyone with these photos. Words cannot explain how much these moments mean to me and I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.”
And that moment was captured poetically.
You can see the love these two have for one another.
“When I said goodbye to her that night, I think we both knew it would be the last time we would see each other.”
“She grabbed my cheeks with her hands, looked me straight in the eye and said “I love you very much” and 27 days later she passed away.”
Hold on…I need more tissues and so do you.
Tara made sure to keep the photos a secret because she planned a private unveiling for her family.
Her photographer, Misty McLendon was there to commemorate this incredible moment. She said on her Facebook page, “It’s truly a special thing to be able to be a part of people’s biggest and more precious moments! Tara was a stunning bride and the love for her grandmother was something I could truly relate to!”
Tara seized a moment to share her big day, with her loving grandmother by her side.
“I am so blessed to have this be my last memory with her.”
#blessed
