Wedding arranged in 2 days for New Jersey bride with dying mom

Monday, March 21, 2016
Wedding arranged in 2 days for New Jersey bride with dying mom
Nora Muchanic is in Hamilton, New Jersey with the story

HAMILTON, New Jersey -- A New Jersey woman, who's losing her mother to cancer, was able to plan a wedding in just two days thanks to the kindness of dozens of strangers.



"It meant everything to me. I didn't want to get married and not have her be there," said Erica Meyers.



When she found out earlier this month that her mom Alicia, who's been battling ovarian cancer, might have only days to live, Erica scrambled to plan her wedding quickly.



Two days later she and her fiancee Darrell were married, and her mom was able to get out of bed to attend the ceremony.



PHOTOS: Wedding of Erica and Darrell Meyers




"She was so happy for me and I was so happy that she was able to be there for me," said Erica.



The wedding was put together so quickly with help from Andy and Abigail Lydick, wedding photographers working as Abigail Gingerale Photography, who heard about Erica's situation.



Through their contacts they were able to arrange for a makeup artist, a minister, flowers, food, a venue, a limo and they took the pictures - and all of the services were donated to the Meyers for free.



"Erica said 'this is supposed to be a happy time for me. I'm shopping for wedding dresses at the same time I'm shopping for a funeral home,'" Andy said.



"My heart broke for them so I wanted to be able to make something really big and really special for their family," Abigail said.



"They really made a miracle happen for us. They gave us a gift that is priceless," said Erica.



"Erica's going to cherish this moment the rest of her life," said Erica's new husband, Darrell. "That's all she wanted was for her mom to see her get married before she passes away."



The couple has three children: Tazabrie, Dereon and Alicia, named after Erica's mom.



It's because of the kindness of strangers that Erica's mom was there on what may be the most important day of her daughter's life.



For Erica, it was a wedding gift more precious than any other.



"I will never forget what those people did for me. And I got my mom there," Erica said. "Thank God that she made it."



The following vendors were thanked for their support on the Abigail Gingerale website:


















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