{Real Wedding} Hardships + Sickness + A Car Accident = A GORG Wedding that MUST go on

Every once in a while you get a wedding that just stops you in your tracks, from the trials and tribulations of the couple to the glorious outcome. It takes you from tears to pure elation. I swear, just like a Tyler Perry movie, sorry I had too.

This couple is the epitome of what can go wrong will, but in the end they beat it all!!

The letter to the photographer, Photography by Joncee May, that won them free photography for their wedding!

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Dear Joncee,
Let me begin with, I don’t know where to start, and have re-wrote this many times trying to find the right words to say. I think it is awesome that you are doing this contest, I wish more talented people would do such things. My future husband and I are young (we turn 21 in March), the parents of two beautiful girls, students, and all of these plus life’s way of throwing hardships at people have put us on a very tight wedding budget, so tight, I have been tempted to postpone in several times, but am hoping to find a way to pull it off. Our wedding is scheduled for May 19, 2012 in McCall, ID. Even though we’ve only been engaged 11 months, it feels like we’ve been planning it forever. Then again, we’ve barely been together a year, and it feels like I’ve known Brad my entire life.
We met in January 2011, and have had quite the first year together. We met through a mutual friend who thought we would be perfect for each other. I was living in Salt Lake City, and Brad was living in Boise, so we started our relationship with phone calls and texts. Our first weekend face-to-face Brad went all out. He treated me to Cheesecake Factory, gave me a promise ring, and spent the next 3 days laughing and enjoying each other. We parted Sunday afternoon, and Monday morning I texted Brad “Don’t panic, but I’m going to the hospital, I can’t get my blood sugars down.” By that evening he was in Salt Lake City to take care of me, and never really left. He moved into my small apartment with his 1 year old daughter, Khloe, and by the beginning of March we were engaged. Our engagement wasn’t a big elaborate affair. One night as we were going to bed I asked Brad what we should teach Khloe to call me since I didn’t want it to be confusing for her that she has a biological mom and me. By the end of the conversation he had asked me to be his wife and Khloe’s second mommy.We were so broke the first few months that I remember one night specifically that Brad searched the apartment for change on the floor to have enough to buy us a box of mac-n-cheese. Things started to look up after Brad found a job in Salt Lake, and in June we were so excited to be able to buy my wedding dress and set a wedding day, November 19, 2011. Little did we know that dress was not going to fit come November because I was 6 weeks pregnant. As soon as we found out about our little bun in the oven, we moved our wedding date to May 19, 2012. If only we had known then how much our world was going to change before our sweet baby girl was born. I began having morning sickness to the point I could no longer work. Brad quit his job because his boss was verbally abusive, and one day when Brad stood up to him his boss pushed him and because I needed help taking care of myself. Our doctor continually told us our baby wasn’t going to make it because of my diabetes. Brad stood by me as I fired multiple doctors because I would not stand someone telling me there was no chance my baby would make it. Sure enough, I was right. And on December 29, 2011 at 36 weeks gestation Remi Blair McNichols was born by emergency c-section due to my extreme preeclampsia. Just when we thought things were looking up because we had gotten into the groove of juggling school and pregnancy, our world really came crashing down. On September 2, 2011, Brad was in a horrible vehicle accident in which a semi-truck rear-ended him at 70 miles an hour on the freeway. He spun a 360 across all four lanes of traffic, was rear-ended by another sedan, and then smashed into the cement barrier. As soon as the car stopped moving he called me. When I asked if he had called 911, he hung up on me. I had never been so terrified in my life, but was thankful Khloe, our unborn baby, and me were safely at my parent’s house. Because of this accident, I had to sell damaged cars for cash to pay for the hospital bills. I also decided to stay home and help him and take care of Khloe, when that was too much for me to handle at 5 months pregnant, we moved in with my parents. Because of his DUI accident, Brad is still receiving chiropractic care on a regular basis, has not been able to work, and is having shoulder surgery later this month. His left arm lost 80% of its strength due to damage caused by the seat belt, and he is in pain every day.

The hardest part has been seeing him grimace in pain every time he goes to lift one of baby girls. The pain inflicted upon him is unimaginably horrible. If the whole situation taught us anything, it is that disability insurance is a must. Disability insurance protects you financially if injury or illness limits your ability to work. If you are looking for a disability insurance provider, Meet Breeze Disability Insurance. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Furthermore, we are also now looking into contacting an Orange County injury lawyer. However, his recovery remains the most important thing at this moment in time. But despite all these hardships and running low on funds, we have stuck to it that we WILL have our wedding May 19 of this year.

Then when facing DUI or DWI charges, it’s essential to understand the potential consequences and the importance of effective legal representation. The legal landscape can be complex, and without proper guidance, individuals may find themselves at a significant disadvantage. For comprehensive information and assistance, visiting https://www.newjerseycriminallawattorney.com/dui-drunk-driving/ is highly recommended. It’s a resource that can provide clarity and direction during such a critical time.

Through it all, we have stood strong together and known better days would come. As we look back on our first year together, we don’t see it as heartache and hard times, we see it as proof that this marriage will last. We see the strength we have as individuals and as a family. We are thankful for our extended family that has helped us and supported us, and that we have two beautiful healthy girls. We want to have our Wedding as a celebration of our never ending faith, strength, and love for each other. It will also serve as our last chance to see everyone before we move back to Utah so we can both finish our degrees, mine in Counseling and Adolescent Drug Rehab, and his in Computer Network Security.

Congrats to Emily and Brad!!

Good Luck in your new life together!

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Shafonne Myers is a certified wedding and event planner who longed for bridal inspiration that looked like her. She has created a website and magazine that brings bridal inspiration to plus size brides. She does speaking engagements educating the world about plus size brides and self confidence.
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