Imagine you’ve just received a terminal cancer diagnosis, you have a young daughter who is depending on you, and a life partner who loves you both. What would you do upon receiving the diagnosis? For Melissa and Mike, they decided to waste no time and plan a wedding to celebrate love and life with their family and friends as soon as possible.
Melissa is a patient advocate and cancer patient who was responsible for the creation of “Melissa Law for Fertility Preservation” which ensures that cancer patients don’t have to choose between their lives and the potential to have children in the future. Just five weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Melissa found out that she had cancer. After treatment, Melissa began her road to recovery and was ready to get back to work. As her friends, and they’ll tell you she’s an amazing person and an inspiration.
Mikey and Melissa met while working on a variety of policy matters that they both felt passionate about. As they began their relationship, it was clear that they were made for each other and their families agreed. Along with Melissa’s daughter Poppy, the three of them were happily building a new life together. Then the unthinkable happened: Melissa cancer came back, and she received a terminal diagnosis.
For many people, this would have been a breaking point, but not for Melissa and Mikey. Together they decided to plan a wedding within two weeks. It was a way to celebrate what was most important and to provide a memory that their families would be able to cherish forever.
Melissa wanted a keepsake for her daughter to have for her own wedding, which Melissa will unfortunately not be around to see. Poppy served as a flower girl along with her cousins, and she was gifted with a flower crown keepsake from Forever Brooch Bouquet, with each flower hand-crafted from her mother’s Hermes scarf and pearl necklace. The scarf was also used to create a boutonniere for Mikey.
At L’Escale Restaurant in Greenwich, CT, Melissa and Mikey said their vows in front of their 30 closest family and friends against a backdrop of flowers and greenery provided by Maple Field Florist. As they all gathered, their officiant, Daniela from Once Upon a Vow, reinforced their love for each other and had every guest join in a vow to share their love with four-year old Poppy, to preserve their memories when she might need them most.
After the ceremony, Melissa, Mikey, Poppy and all their guests enjoyed food and dancing (with music from DJ Dan Moran). Their beautiful spirits caused a host of vendors to agree to volunteer their time and talents to ensure that they could enjoy their day with those closest to them, and to relish in the joy of Melissa’s frozen dream wedding.
Photographer: https://instagram.com/seasmtnsco
Videographer: https://www.instagram.com/firstandlastproductionsllc/
Boutonnière/Poppy’s crown: https://instagram.com/foreverbroochbouquets
Officiant: https://www.instagram.com/onceuponavow/
Hair/Makeup: https://instagram.com/resurgebeautybar
Photo booth: https://instagram.com/barriopress
Coordinator: https://instagram.com/wedding_md_ny