The following was written by Erin, the bride of The Wedding Pink 2013. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Erin over the last 10 months and she is a true inspiration to all of us!
When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27 I made a vow to myself: I was not going to let cancer take anything away from me, I was going to take everything I could from it.
At that time, all I could think about was how I would deal with the impending treatments. What would chemo be like? What would I look with a bald head? How would it feel to have surgery? Would I ever feel normal again? Could I ever be happy and carefree again? Would Ben decide that I was too much trouble and walk away? All of a sudden, my life turned upside-down and I was faced with questions and dilemmas that I never planned for. For the next 6 months my whole world revolved around breast cancer treatment and once it was completed, I’m happy to report that I emerged, revitalized. I had braved something harrowing. I had survived. Armed with my renewed sense of purpose, I set out to fulfill my vow: take everything I could from cancer. This would not be a wasted opportunity.
Even given my mission, I could never have dreamed what the next 2 years would hold. From the incredible friendships I would form to the amazing opportunities and organizations that I connected with, I truly felt like I was reaping the benefits of the time I put in during those initial 6 months. And when I came across a forwarded email from a friend advertising The Wedding Pink, I looked at it with great interest. Ben and I had been talking about getting married “one day” for a while, but after everything that we had been through, it didn’t seem as important as it once did. We’d been together for 7 years and had weathered some pretty significant life events, so a wedding wasn’t something we needed to spend money on, especially when there were medical bills to pay off. Needless to say, when I heard about The Wedding Pink, it all just seemed to make sense.
Everything about the proposed wedding looked perfect. It was in Colorado: we’d never been there, but love traveling to new places. It was at The Wine Country Inn: we love wine! It included a wedding planner: I was sold. So (after I cleared it with Ben), I applied, and as I’m sure you can guess by now, we were selected!
As I look back on the last 11 months, it all seems like a blur. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we are actually married and that we had the most incredible wedding I could have imagined. We went from shock of being selected, to joy of getting engaged (yes, we did things a little backwards), to excitement of planning a dream wedding to the bliss of getting married in just 9 months. And have now spent the last two settling back into normal life.
We were truly blessed to be connected to all of the wonderful and amazing people that worked to make our wedding happen. Not only did they donate their time, talents and services, but each and every one of them went above and beyond in every way possible. Instead of feeling like we were getting a “free” wedding, we were treated like royalty. Our experience with everyone connected to The Wedding Pink 2013 was truly remarkable. We thank each and everyone one of our vendors that made our day so special and gave our guests (and us) so much joy. We will never forget their generosity and are truly grateful for everything we’ve been given.
And to Cheryl Ungar, there are no words that can adequately express our gratitude for everything you did to give us our dream wedding. The words, “thank you” don’t seem to be enough, but Ben and I will be saying “thank you” for years to come.
Erin, bride of The Wedding Pink 2013