Exceptional Couple: Danielle & Joe

Danielle & Joe’s story as told to Baltimore Bride.

Joe and I met through a mutual friend’s Facebook page, we talked a little then set up a date and were together ever since our very first date, which was August 25, 2012.

For our first date we decided not to do the whole dinner/movie thing. Since it was pretty much a blind date we decided to just meet for drinks. He picked me up in his truck, got out and met me at the door gave me a hug and introduced himself. I thought he was so handsome. I remember that I wore a red tank top jeans, and red heels. We had so much fun he asked me out on a second date before the first date was even over, and offering to take me out on his boat with his friends the following weekend (The boat day was a blast).

We always talked about marriage; we were in the process of buying a house only 6 months after we were together. He bought me a ring but he wouldn’t give it to me because he thought it was too small. We didn’t think about having a wedding because we know we couldn’t afford it. We never got to buy the house because Joe was diagnosed with cancer the same month we were supposed to settle on the house. (He was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma on his brain.) The loan was denied because Joe had to go on disability and was unable to work. So we found a small house to rent. It wasn’t until we stumbled across Wish Upon A Wedding that we thought about our dream coming true. Nelson Coleman Jewelers in Towson was the first participant to help us grant our wedding wish, giving us a donation of an engagement ring, and wedding band sets. He wouldn’t let me wear the ring out of the jewelry store, but as soon as we got to his parents house we went out on the back deck and he got down on one knee and said the most amazing words to me, along with our English Bulldog Ella standing in the middle of us witnessing the event. Of course I said yes.

My absolute favorite moment in the wedding was sharing our own written wedding vows to one another. We both cried. I will always cherish those words, and I am so glad I have the memory hand written by him in a vow book we kept. I also really enjoyed seeing our kids dressed up looking so beautiful, and my son walking me down the aisle. That was very special to me, my son has autism and he cooperated very well. He looked so handsome.

Everything about the wedding was special because everything was donated. It was the kind-hearted vendors that made everything so wonderful. We did a sparkler send off at the end of our reception, it was absolutely beautiful. The food, oh my god! The food was outstanding, and had a desert table that you wouldn’t believe! We also had a photo booth which was a ton of fun, and the kids really enjoyed the photo booth as well.

I wouldn’t say anything unique happened on the wedding day. Joe had a great day, he was even able to walk and dance (Two weeks after the wedding he was in the hospital and was never the same, he couldn’t even walk). I really enjoyed being able to slow dance with my husband. I will never ever forget it. My son never dances and he danced a lot at the wedding. It really made me smile. – Danielle Randall