Weddings can be stressful with a lot of organizing, from the cake and the wedding favors, to the venue and catering. And a Southington woman was gifted it all so she could have her dream wedding.
"Here we are 24 days until my wedding and everything is already in place," said Patricia Northrop.
With her dad Keith having a short time left in his life, Northrop knew if she wanted her father to walk her down the aisle, she needed to put on a wedding and make it fast. He has stage four cancer.
"We realized we had to do a wedding so he could still be here for it," Northrop said.
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At the same time, her son Gavin, now five months old, has been in and out of the hospital. For the first two months of his life, he suffered with viral meningitis. Bills have added up and doctor's appointments haven't been cheap.
She quickly turned to the Facebook community and created a post explaining her circumstances. She was surprised when she received several alerts coming from her post.
"Within hours, I had 150 comments," Northrop said.
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Between her dad's derailing illness and her baby's poor health, it hasn't been easy.
"People were just like, 'I've been through that, my father wasn't able to walk me down the aisle, he had passed before,' so many stories," Northrop said.
Marci and Todd with the Library Wine and Bistro in Wallingford are helping with food and catering.
"As soon as we heard about the wedding and everything that was going on between the baby and her dad, we were more than excited to jump in and help," Marci said.
Michael Maisto is donating a tent.
"Her wanting to do that so her father could walk her down the aisle, you get emotional just hearing her say it over the phone," Maisto said.
And for décor and planning, Amy Whiteback is pitching in from Torrington.
"We really have everything set so that dad can take breaks and enjoy his first dance with his daughter," Whiteback said. "I started my business because I love to see people smile, it's the biggest joy in my life."
We got a chance to talk to the dad about it all.
"It's hard not to tear up, I think it's just awesome, honestly," Keith said. "It's great for me because I'll have an opportunity to walk her and see it."
The wedding will happen at the home Northrop and her fiancé share with her parents. Keith said with the outpour of love, saying thank you will never be enough.
"Thank you, thank you for everything honestly. It's restored my faith in humanity in many ways and it's just awesome," Keith said.
Northrop and her fiancé James will be tying the know in early September.
Northtop is Keith's stepdaughter and they've been in each other's lives for over 20 years. He officially adopted her earlier this year.