This year, we wanted to do something special for someone who overcame breast cancer so we contacted some of our wedding vendor friends (Tonya from Elite Secrets, Amy from Crimson and Clover, and our friends from Ransom's Boutique Shop) to see if they would help us create a special day for a survivor. They gladly agreed and then Ms. Kim came to us through a mutual friend and her story touched us all..

"I was the one who discovered the lump. IT WAS NOT DETECTABLE ON A MAMMOGRAM. I was diagnosed on April 13, 2015, I opted for a double mascectomy, June 2015..

When I was first diagnosed I was devastated, confused and dazed. But God did not allow me to stay there. I was thinking cancer was a death sentence, when it's a word. God reminded me that in spite of it all, He is still God and able to heal me however He sees fit. The doctors can only do but so much. God is the ultimate physician. Through it all God gave me strength and courage and it helped me build my faith. He reminded me that He is my help, that with Him all things are possible. I began to rehearse scriptures of healing and others scriptures to help my faith. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 118:17, I will not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.... and I indeed declare that He is good and a very present help in the time of trouble. 

I practiced praise and thankfulness and truth is this was no easy thing, cancer my God wow... but through it all, God has really been good to me... So I began to trust and move forward with my life.

Surgery was on June 3, 2015, Surgeon removed a tumor that was 5 centimeters and I had 19 out of 20 lymph nodes that were cancerous removed. I was categorized as stage 3C.

I went through 16 weeks of chemo followed by 25 sessions of radiation. I completed all of that in February 2016. Because my breast cancer was estrogen positive, I will take an estrogen inhibitor for the next 10. 

Through faith, family and friends and a great big helping of God's grace, I made it through all of that and am still here. I applaud, the 5, 10 and so on year survivors but I count it no less a victory for those of us who are 6 months, or 1 year survivors. We all have a story to share. If my experience helps one person, the journey was well worth it. 

And since I still have life, I may as well live it and that's what I intend to do."

THANK YOU SO MUCH for everyone who made this day possible!