When most people think of weddings, they don’t picture a simple courthouse appointment during a lunch break. They see flowers! Decorations! Caterings! Although a minimalistic wedding works best for some, weddings are often grand ceremonies with festive celebrations afterward.Still, no matter how wonderful a wedding is, it does not provide a guarantee that the marriage will work out. When one woman’s elaborate and costly wedding plans cooled down, she concocted a heartwarming plan to fulfill another soon-to-be-married couple’s happiness instead…
Kolbie Sanders has it all. The 24-year-old attends the University of Texas, has a group of loyal and loving friends, amd a wonderful family — and she had the perfect wedding venue booked. That is, until October 2018…
Kolbie had been in a relationship with Skylar Cotton, an oil worker, for over 4 years. They were engaged for a year and a half and were preparing to tie the knot on October 20, 2018.
Kolbie’s family had been helping her to organize a dream wedding, from the venue to the dress. Her mother and sister were incredibly helpful as they wanted her to truly have the best night of her life. Still, even with the perfect dress, there was something missing.
The wedding was to be held at Belle Vue Wedding and Event Venue in Tyler, Texas. For just one night of celebration, the venue set the couple back $3,500, a hefty price for a college student and an oil worker. But it was everything Kolbie dreamed of, so they booked it without looking back.
It was only a week before her wedding when Kolbie had a heartbreaking realization: although she loved her fiancé Skylar, there hadn’t been a spark between them for a long time.
Rather than make a life-changing mistake, she trusted her gut and called off the wedding. It was too late to get a refund on most of her wedding day purchases, but what about her pricey, perfect venue?
As Kolbie was consoling herself about the decision she had to make, she had an idea: she and Skylar may not be able to enjoy her dream venue, but someone else still could! She talked to the owners, and they gave her 24 hours to donate the venue to another couple.
Kolbie quickly took to Facebook, calling for engaged couples in the area who were free to get married on October 20th. Then, something wonderful happened: florists, make up artists, dressmakers, and wedding bands responded to the post, offering their complimentary services as well!
By the end of the day, Kolbie gathered all the stories that touched her heart, wrote them down on little pieces of paper, and put them all inside a bowl. It was time to pick the lucky winners who would get to marry each other at Kolbie’s ex-wedding destination.
And the lucky winners were… Halie Hipsher and her fiancé Matthew Jones! Halie had seen Kolbie’s Facebook post and saw this as a miraculous opportunity as the 22-year-old’s budget was small. A free venue would be a dream come true!
Halie and Matthew had been together for several years when Matt asked Halie for her hand in marriage. Although there was certainly plenty of love between them, there wasn’t as much money. They were unspeakably grateful to receive a free venue from Kolbie and free services from everyone who offered, especially because their budget needed to go elsewhere…
This was not just a young couple — they were also young parents! Halie and Matthew do their best to provide the best life they can for their baby boy Riley, as he was one of the reasons they wanted to get married. However, it was someone else who would be the guest of honor at this wedding.
Halie’s grandfather, or her “pawpaw” as she calls him, had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Being one of Halie’s favorite people in the world, it was of utmost importance to her that he’d get to see her walk down the aisle, but Halie hadn’t been sure she could save up for a wedding in time.
Kolbie’s generous offer made Halie and Matt’s dreams come true. Of course, they immediately invited her to the wedding and included her in the wedding photos, as it was thanks to Kolbie’s kind nature they could get married so soon at all.
The Belle Vue Wedding Venue was everything the couple imagined and more. With plenty of room for both the ceremony and the reception, both parties’ loved ones could all be invited, even if it was a tad bit last minute.
On the afternoon of October 20th, 2018, Halie Hipsher became Halie Jones, and aside from the birth of their beautiful baby Riley, this was definitely the best day of their lives — especially because someone special was watching from the audience.
Halie’s pawpaw may not have been able to walk her down the aisle, but he felt incredibly blessed to be able to witness his granddaughter’s wedding. Pawpaw was also happy to meet Kolbie and thanked her for making all this happen.
After Kolbie’s initial Facebook post went viral, everyone wanted to know how the story ended. She and her new favorite couple were invited to several interviews as both the press and the public couldn’t get enough of their story.
Halie, Matt, and Riley were officially a happy family. The Joneses took a few days off to go on a little honeymoon. Halie, meanwhile, although still worrying about her pawpaw’s health by the end of 2018, enjoyed married life, as well as the positive comments she received from the public.
As for Kolbie, she may have been going through a breakup, but she had an amazing support group to help her get through it. When they weren’t taking her out for a fun night on the town, they’d come over with face masks until she smiled again. And if anyone deserves to smile, it’s the kind young woman who fulfilled someone else’s dream when it was time to give up her own.
