It’s not unusual for people to spend years, if not decades, dreaming about their wedding day.
Often, these dreams can get specific and include specific decorations, flowers, and other adornments that explain how, according to Business Insider , the average American wedding costs about $33,000.
But for some, the guest list is even more important and it’s hard to imagine going through with it without the right family member in attendance.
And one couple went a long way to prove that this doesn’t just apply to human family members.
Estelle Harris of Derbyshire, England had been with her now-husband, Danny, for four years by the time they decided on a date.
In an ideal world, they would’ve had until May 4 to plan the whole thing, but life is often a little less than “ideal.”
And that was because of an unfortunate fate that was about to befall a very special dog to her.
That dog is Bruce, a bull mastiff that had been in Estelle’s life since he was about eight weeks old.
Back in December, Estelle noticed that Bruce somehow developed white gums and a blue tongue.
As Estelle told Unilad , Bruce was diagnosed with pleural effusion, which meant that fluid had surrounded his lungs and, in this case, his heart.
Although vets drained the fluid, they suspected it was a sign of something even worse.
Before the month was out, it was official: Bruce had cancer.
As Estelle would learn, this would turn out to be hemangiosarcoma. According to the University of Minnesota’s Modiano Lab , this is a form of cancer that’s almost exclusively found in dogs and is known for growing quickly.
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Although Bruce had survived an operation that removed a grapefruit-sized growth from his body, this still only gave him about six months to live.
In all likelihood, this meant that he wouldn’t live to attend the wedding as originally planned.
Since Bruce is as precious to Estelle as a child, she told Unilad that it was either a matter of changing the date or not getting married at all.
Danny has two children from a previous relationship, but Estelle always considered Bruce her “world.”
And so, the plan was made to reschedule the wedding three months earlier than planned and that didn’t come without sacrifices.
Since this left everyone with only thee weeks’ notice, some guests wouldn’t be able to attend on the new date. The change also cost them their original deposit and their caterers.
However, this sudden change apparently didn’t cause any drama among their families.
As Estelle told Unilad, “It was important to have him in my photos. Our families totally understood as they are all dog lovers and know how much Bruce means to us.”
Esetelle’s mom had even made a special waistcoat for Bruce that matched Danny’s.
All told, the wedding seemed to go off well, Bruce is showing some strength two months after his diagnosis, and the family hopes to take him on vacation later this year.
h/t: Unilad
