Six weeks before their wedding day, a woman and her fiancé found themselves facing a nightmare: The events company organizing their wedding suddenly closed down and their deposit of over $7,000 was lost. "Totally devastated," the couple turned to Twitter for help. Could a group of strangers save their special day?
The Guardian's Steven Morris reports that things began when Lauren Lane, the bride-to-be from the UK county of Somerset, explained her situation. "Help needed with aspects of our wedding after venue goes bust with 6 weeks 2 go & with our £4.5k!"
Lane's message was retweeted by friends and strangers — including celebrities such as athlete Davina McCall and Aussie musician Dannii Minogue. Lane's bridesmaids began approaching local wedding services companies via Twitter. The response was overwhelming:
Twitter users with something to offer leapt in to help. Some contributed jewelry and clothes, one came up with a three-tiered chocolate cake. A magician, make-up artist, a photographer and a wedding planner all offered free or cut-price services or goods.
In the end, Lane and her beau, Daniel Welch, received about £10,000 (about $16,000) worth of free services and gifts. They still had to contribute £5,000 (about $8,000) of their own money to fully fund the wedding, but, as Lane tweeted to her wedding-saving heroes, they "had an amazing day."
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