Weddings can be a very emotional time. There's a lot that goes into planning, getting people together, and having a day that accurately represents the love and commitment a couple has for one another. For one woman from Leicestershire, England, the emotions of wedding planning were topped by the emotions surrounding some devastating news. Just one month after bride-to-be Emma got engaged, her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Emma's fiancé popped the question in 2016. A month later, Emma's mom was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She was told she would have anywhere from one to two years of life left. Emma was hopeful that her mother would live to see her walk down the aisle. Sadly, Emma's mother lost her battle just a year later. Before she did, she set out to do something meaningful for her daughter. Emma had purchased wedding shoes from a boutique that also did customization. Emma's terminally ill mother had the wedding shoes secretly personalized with a special message that Emma wouldn't see until close to her wedding day.
Emma was very excited to get engaged in 2016. The Leicestershire woman was proposed to by fiancé Richard and had all of the usual excitement of a bride-to-be.
But a month later, Emma's family received terrible news. Emma's mother was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
Emma was very hopeful that her mother would live to see her big day. Doctors gave her mom between a year and two years to live.
Sadly, Emma's mother didn't make it to the big day. The bride, due to walk down the aisle in August 2019, lost her mom in 2017.
Losing her mother during such a special time in her life has been devastating to Emma. The 38-year-old told the BBC, "It's been so hard planning a wedding without having her with me, and I have had lots of tears."
Recently, Emma received her wedding shoes in the mail. There was a special surprise waiting for her.
For one, Emma discovered her shoes had been paid off in full. When she opened the box, the truly heartfelt surprise was revealed.
Prior to her death, Emma's mother had contacted Amanda Weise of Lace and Love. She informed Amanda of her illness and her desire to do something special for her daughter.
Emma's mom had the shoes customized with a special message on the soles. One shoe read, "Wanted you to have a gift from me on your wedding day. Your wedding shoes are my gift to you." The other said, "Hope you have a magical day. Lots and lots of love and big hugs, MUM xxxx."
Amanda described how emotional just customizing the shoes for the occasion was. She told the BBC: "It's probably the most emotional pair of shoes I'm ever going to make. Hopefully, it will give her a bit of comfort on the day. It will be like walking down the aisle with her mum."
Emma was floored by the gesture. While her fiancé was aware ahead of time that she'd be getting this special gift, the bride herself had no idea.
She described the emotions that swept over her as she read the message. She said, "I pulled out the one shoe and I saw part of the message and I couldn't think who it would be."
When she realized who the message was from, she was overcome with emotion.
"I started to cry… I was just absolutely in bits. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk," she recalled.
The shoes are made doubly sweet for Emma because of something else she missed out on. She explained that her mother began writing letters to her loved ones when she learned of her illness. Because of how quickly she passed, she never got around to writing Emma a letter.
What Emma has is that much more special and will certainly help her feel her mother's presence as she says "I do" this summer.
