When one Ohio couple’s wedding reception was unexpectedly canceled as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, they decided to make good use of what would have been wasted food and donated the meals to a local women’s shelter, CNN reported.
But rather than simply just give them the food, the happy newlyweds decided to show up at the shelter in full wedding attire and serve the meals themselves.
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Before the outbreak began, Tyler and Melanie Tapajna had planned for their big day to take place on August 15.
The couple, from Parma, Ohio, knew they wanted a traditional ceremony with a huge 150-person reception to follow.
With the invitations sent, as well as a caterer and DJ already booked, everything seemed to be going as smoothly as possible for the soon-to-be-newlyweds.
But then the coronavirus broke out, and suddenly all of their careful planning was thrown out the window.
Just like with so many other people who had planned events for 2020, now Tyler and Melanie’s big day had to be seriously adjusted to suit new safety measures.
Their venue was canceled, and their dreams of a large gathering was now limited to a modest ceremony in front of a few dozen friends and family in Melanie’s grandparents’ backyard.
Of course, then there was the matter of all the food they had planned to serve at their reception.
But rather than let all of it go to waste, the couple decided to donate the food from from the Ohio-based food truck and catering service Betty’s Bomb Ass Burgers to a local shelter instead.
“It was really either have the big wedding or donate the food,” Melanie told CNN . “We were actually kind of excited I think more about donating the food than being stressed during the wedding.”
On August 15, after the couple said “I do”, they headed over to Laura’s Home, a women and children’s shelter run by The City Mission in Cleveland.
There, while still dressed in their wedding finery, Melanie and Tyler put on face masks and hairnets, and proceeded to help to serve their own reception food.
A total of 135 women and children at the facility were treated to a delicious meal of fried chicken, green beans, salad, and mac and cheese, all thanks to the newlywed couple’s incredible generosity.
Rich Trickel, the CEO of The City Mission, said this is the first time anything like this has ever happened at the shelter.
“It was really unbelievable especially when you think of many of our clients, the women and kids that are in our building, possibly have never been at a wedding like that before,” he told CNN .
Photos of Melanie and Tyler’s kindness were shared to Facebook by The City Mission and have since gone viral.
“These newlyweds are here to make your day,” the post reads. “We pray this amazing couple is blessed immensely in their marriage, and thank them for inviting our guests to their wedding feast.”
Melanie later shared the photos to her own Facebook page and added,
“Covid may have cancelled our original plans, but God gave us so much more today. Thank you to Betty’s Bomb A Burgers for continuing to work with us through these uncertain times, and being so wonderful on agreeing to help us make this day special for these amazing families.”
h/t: CNN , Photos: Facebook | The City Mission
