One Sacramento bride’s family turned a traumatic wedding event into an altruistic and beautiful affair, burying their despair after the groom backed out at the last second and using their $35,000 wedding meal to feed the homeless.
The Sacramento Bee reported that Kari Duane, the mother of Quinn, 27, whose prospective groom left her at the altar, told KCRA 3 Sacramento, “When I found out on Monday that the wedding would not be taking place, it just seemed like, of course, this would be something that we would do to give back.”
She told KCRA, “I feel a lot of heartache and heartbreak for her, but I will take away something good from this, I will.”
The family had booked a nonrefundable gourmet dinner for 120 guests at Sacramento’s Citizen Hotel, according to the Los Angeles Times. The dinner included salad, cauliflower, gnocchi, salmon and tri-tip sirloin.
One lucky recipient, Rashad Abdullah, who came with his wife, Erika Craycraft, and their five children, commented, “When you’re going through a hard time and a struggle, for you to get out and do something different, and with your family, it’s really a blessing.”
Craycraft acknowledged to KCRA, “To lose out on something so important to yourself and then give it to someone else is really giving, really kind.”
Quinn did not attend.