I met Becky & Greg in February of 2010 to begin discussing their plans for an August 2010 wedding. The plan was to have the wedding on August 22, 2010 at her sister’s residence and to have the reception at the Portland Art Museum. Weeks after meeting with the couple, I received an email from Becky:
Hi Paul,
I wanted to write to you and let you know what’s going on with me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago. I have a surgery scheduled for a week from Friday and it is more than likely that I will undergo chemo and radiation in the coming months. We have absolutely no idea how this will effect our wedding plans…I just wanted you to be aware. We haven’t made any decisions yet and probably won’t for a few more weeks or months as we know more information. Just so you know, we want you to be part of our day however it goes! I’ll of course be in touch as I know more.
Regards,
Becky
I was so saddened by the news and wanted to do anything I could to make their wedding day exactly what they wanted. The plan was to re-schedule the wedding for a future date but then even more news came… I asked Becky to detail her experiences leading up to her wedding celebration and she had this to say:
Greg and I got engaged in October 2009 and planned to get married in August, 2010. We were so excited to get married in my sister’s backyard and have a big party at the Portland Art Museum. However, on Feb. 23, 2010, our life turned upside down when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35. I had two surgeries in two months followed by three months of chemotherapy. We decided to postpone our wedding exactly one year so I would have energy and hair! The year was really difficult but the wedding provided us with something to look forward to. Three weeks after my final surgery in December, my father was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. The doctors urged us to move up the wedding to make sure my dad would be there and be strong. So, we got married on April 17, 2011 in Seattle with our best friends and close family surrounding us. We still wanted to celebrate with our friends and got to do just that on September 18, 2011 in my sister’s backyard. My mom and dad were there and the whole night was magical. Thank you to Paul Rich for being so flexible with us in changing the dates so many times! I am now cancer free with a new curly hairdo. Though the journey was difficult, it has taught us that life is full of surprises and it is important to celebrate the good times, which we got to do… twice!
What an incredible journey leading up to Becky & Greg’s wedding and what an incredible honor to have the opportunity to document this momentous event. Becky & Greg opted to have their wedding celebration on September 18, 2011. It was also the same day at the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Portland. So Becky & Greg and their close friends and family had the opportunity to participate in the event in the morning and then celebrate their marriage in the evening. Congratulations to Becky & Greg. You did it!
I would like to thank Champagne Wedding & Events, 3 Leg Torso, and all the vendors who played an integral role in making the day a huge success.
no comments