Planning a wedding is supposed to be one of the most exciting times in a loved-up couple’s life.
Deciding on colour schemes, wedding dress styles and which future in-law to sit next to your grumpy great aunt should be the most difficult decisions you have to make.
With the average UK wedding costing more than £20,000 most people are having to stay engaged for longer to fund their future life together.
But what if time isn’t on your side and the vow ‘til death do us part’ happens sooner rather than later?
“I was talking with a friend over a cup of coffee when she told me about her partner’s illness with brain cancer and terminal diagnosis,” explained Manchester wedding planner Patricia Browne.
“He only had 18 months to live and wanted to marry his partner, and the mother of his three children, but couldn’t afford it.”
This chance conversation back in September 2011 sparked the idea of a not-for-profit project to grant terminally-ill people their wish of a fairy tale wedding.
Patricia, chair of Gift Of A Wedding, is putting the finishing touches to the project bringing together industry professionals who donate their time, skills and goods to create weddings that will create a lifetime of memories.
She said: “I wanted to be able to fulfil someone’s dreams and give people a choice, one they don’t currently have because they have no money, and we are in a privileged position to do that.
“I know the wedding industry is generous, everybody has a stand and gives away many things – £15,000 – £20,000 is nothing to the wedding industry in any shape or form.”
Unfortunately her friend never got to experience her own special day, as her partner passed away before they had the chance to marry.
Now Patricia, along with her board of trustees, hopes to create unique celebrations in the face of adversity to create a matrimonial legacy that will last a lifetime.
“We want to create some memories for the family who are going to be left behind,” she added.
Such is the support for the charity, that in the last five weeks alone the social media campaign has attracted the attention of 1000 people who have offered to donate their time and resources.
Gift Of A Wedding is starting out in the Greater Manchester area and hopes that once it’s established they will be able to roll it out across the UK in the future.
Applicants should be citizens of and resident in the UK, be over 18 years of age, have an incurable life-shortening illness and have the desire to marry, but because of their situation are unable to finance or devote the time to organising their wedding.
“We’re not actively seeking people, we just want everyone in Greater Manchester to know we are here – we want them to come to us,” she said.
For more information about Gift Of A Wedding visit the Facebook page here.
If you wish to donate your skills or goods, or to apply for a wedding email [email protected]
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