Wedding planning is stressful enough already, and having the whole thing unravel because the groom gets cold feet is a twist that most families aren’t prepared for. One family in Sacramento, California did the best possible thing after finding out that the groom had bailed on the wedding – they provided a royal feast for the city’s homeless families.
Kari Dune wasn’t prepared for her 27-year-old daughter to call her on the phone and say that the wedding was off. The family had spent months planning the affair and the bills had already racked up to $35,000 and more was continuing to roll in. As unexpected as it was, Kari saw an opportunity for some good to come from the situation.
Instead of guests decked out in suits and fancy dresses arriving at Sacramento’s Citizen Hotel, the Dunes invited the homeless to come in and partake in the food so that it didn’t go to waste. “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,” Kari said.
Kari said the first one to arrive was an elderly woman who lived in a nearby shelter and who was too old to work. “I was thinking at that moment, if she’s the only person that comes tonight, this was worth it,” added Kari. But soon enough, dozens of families, young and old began to show up at the hotel’s banquet hall.
Erika Craycraft who came with her husband Rashad Abdullah and their five children was touched by the Dunes generosity after having such a special day soured. “To lose out on something so important to yourself and then give it to someone else is really giving, really kind,” Erika said. “When you’re going through a hard time and it’s a struggle for you to get out to do something different and with your family, it’s really a blessing,” added her husband Rashad.
The Dunes were expecting around 120 guests and had arranged a menu of salad, cauliflower, gnocchi, and salmon prepared by the hotel’s restaurant The Grange to be served. While the evening didn’t go as expected for the Dunes and the bride chose to stay at home with her friends rather than venture out to the hotel, her mother is glad that something positive for the community came out of an unfortunate situation. “I feel a lot of heartache and heartbreak for her, but I will take away something good from this,” Kari said.